Maserati Grancabrio vs MINI Cooper: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the MINI Cooper burns about $700 of fuel annually against $900 for the Maserati Grancabrio. That $200 yearly gap compounds to roughly $1,000 over five years and $1,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the MINI Cooper leads in both cycles — 119 mpg city and 100 mpg highway against 84 and 82 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Maserati Grancabrio is recorded with 1 distinct engine configuration (SIDI & PFI), the MINI Cooper with 3 (SIDI & PFI, SIDI, 1.6). Across 9 recorded Maserati Grancabrio configurations and 135 for the MINI Cooper, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Maserati Grancabrio is offered with All-Wheel Drive, the MINI Cooper with Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Subcompact Cars and Subcompact Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the MINI Cooper emits 272 g/mile of CO2 versus 430 g/mile for the Maserati Grancabrio. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.