Compare the2025 MINI CountrymanVS 2025 Mercedes GLA

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 Countryman are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The MINI Countryman has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GLA doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Countryman has standard Rear Collision Prevention that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Countryman. But it costs extra on the GLA.

The Countryman’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLA.

Both the Countryman and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Countryman’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLA’s (12 vs. 5 years).

MINI pays for scheduled maintenance on the Countryman for 3 years and 36,000 miles. MINI will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLA.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Countryman’s reliability 20 points higher than the GLA.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that MINI vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks MINI above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that MINI vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks MINI fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 21st.

The Countryman S’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (241 vs. 221) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The JCW Countryman’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 91 more horsepower (312 vs. 221) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the MINI Countryman is faster than the Mercedes GLA:

The Countryman’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The GLA doesn’t offer launch control.

The Countryman stops much shorter than the GLA:

For better traction, the Countryman’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLA (245/45R19 vs. 235/55R18).

The Countryman’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GLA’s optional 45 series tires.

The Countryman offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The JCW Countryman handles at .99 G’s, while the GLA 250 4MATIC pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The JCW Countryman executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.7 seconds quicker than the GLA 250 4MATIC (25.1 seconds @ .79 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Countryman has 1.7 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room and 1 inch more rear headroom than the GLA.

The Countryman has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLA with its rear seat up (25 vs. 19 cubic feet). The Countryman has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLA with its rear seat folded (56.2 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The Countryman has a 3499 lbs. towing capacity. The GLA has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stabilization Control on the Countryman uses the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLA doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that MINI service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks MINI fourth in service department satisfaction. With a 14% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 14th.

The Countryman has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the GLA.

The Countryman offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the GLA.

The Countryman’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Control Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLA’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Consumer Reports® recommends the MINI Countryman, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLA isn't recommended.