Compare the2026 Mercedes CLEVS 2025 MINI Cooper Convertible

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission and Drivetrain
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes CLE have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The MINI Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The CLE’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the CLE are reminded to check the back seat. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The CLE has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The CLE has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The CLE has Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

The CLE has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Cooper Convertible’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the CLE has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Active Brake Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. MINI charges extra for Cross Traffic Warning on the Cooper Convertible.

Both the CLE and the Cooper Convertible have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The Mercedes CLE weighs 860 to 1347 pounds more than the MINI Cooper Convertible. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the CLE’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the CLE first among upper midsize premium cars in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Cooper Convertible isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than MINI.

Engine

The CLE has more powerful engines than the Cooper Convertible:

	Horsepower	Torque
CLE 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	255 HP	295 lbs.-ft.
CLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	375 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
Cooper Convertible 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	161 HP	184 lbs.-ft.
Cooper Convertible S 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	201 HP	221 lbs.-ft.
JCW Cooper Convertible 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	228 HP	280 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

The CLE has 5.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cooper Convertible (17.4 vs. 11.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission and Drivetrain

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes CLE, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Cooper Convertible.

All wheel drive, available in the CLE, provides the best traction for acceleration in wet, dry, and icy conditions. In corners, all wheel drive allows both outside wheels to provide power, balancing the car. This allows for better handling. The MINI Cooper Convertible is not available with all wheel drive.

Brakes and Stopping

The CLE’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Cooper Convertible are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CLE has larger standard tires than the Cooper Convertible (245/45R18 vs. 205/45R17). The CLE’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper Convertible (F:245/40R19 & R:275/35R19 vs. 215/45R17).

The CLE’s optional 245/35R20 front and 275/30R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cooper Convertible’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CLE has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper Convertible. The CLE’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Cooper Convertible.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the CLE can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The CLE’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CLE’s wheelbase is 14.6 inches longer than on the Cooper Convertible (112.8 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CLE is 4.2 inches wider in the front and 4.6 inches wider in the rear than on the Cooper Convertible.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the CLE Cabriolet a Subcompact car, while the Cooper Convertible is rated a Minicompact.

The CLE has 11.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Convertible (88 vs. 76.9).

Cargo Capacity

The CLE Cabriolet has a much larger trunk with its top down than the Cooper Convertible with its top down (9.6 vs. 5.2 cubic feet). The CLE Cabriolet has a much larger trunk than the Cooper Convertible with its top up (9.6 vs. 5.7 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the CLE’s power trunk can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening tailgate.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the CLE is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Cooper Convertible. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors optional at extra cost in the Cooper Convertible, the CLE has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The CLE’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Cooper Convertible.

The CLE’s standard Keyless-Go allow you to unlock the doors from either outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. start/stop switch standard on the Cooper Convertible only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the car.

The Cooper Convertible’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The CLE’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the CLE offers optional extendable sun visors. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the CLE keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Cooper Convertible doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Compared to the MINI Cooper Convertible, the Mercedes CLE eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes CLE has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Cooper Convertible.

Recommendations

The Mercedes CLE outsold the MINI Cooper Convertible by almost seven to one during 2024.

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