MINI Roadster: Most Headroom of Any Small MINI

We reported this a few weeks back but had no confirmation from MINI until our interview with MINI USA Product Manager Vinnie Kung recently. Thanks to the design of the top (which is simpler than the four seat convertible MINI) the Roadster has a surprising 39.6″ of headroom.
Many were concerned about potential headroom issues with the Roadster as compared with the seemingly larger Convertible. However the wizards at MINI have somehow managed to get almost an inch more headroom than the R56 hatch. Surprising right? Here’s a quick comparison of a few models to give you a better idea of how incredible this really is:
Front Headroom (in inches):
– MINI Roadster: 39.6?
– MINI Convertible: 38.4?
– MINI Coupe: 38.4?
– MINI Hatch: 38.8?
– BMW 3 Series sedan: 38.5″
11 Comments
<p>Exactly what I had figured and posted in that previous article a few weeks back!</p>
<p>Shocking! I am just, simply… shocked.</p>
<p>Guess the R60 is not a MINI afterall 😉 39.9″</p>
<p>Still incredible headroom on the R59. First MINI convertible roofline that looks ok to my eye (sorry convertible owners but not a fan of the look of the tops on your cars). Having said that the R59 looks much better with sans roof.</p>
<p>Jon– note the headline says “…of any Small MINI”.. The R60 is not a “small” MINI.</p>
<p>He’s actually right. We corrected the headline.</p>
<p>Any idea when you’ll be able to configure it online?</p>
<p>Does the roadster need/have anything like the wind deflector that’s available for the Cooper Convertible? That wind deflector extends the usefulness of the convertible by making the cabin quieter and more comfortable.</p>
<p>Yes…this is it…</p>
<p><a href="http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/upload/27160/images/MiniRoadster8.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/upload/27160/images/MiniRoadster8.jpg</a></p>
<p>Yes – we posted photos of it at the launch. You’ll find it in the Roadster gallery from a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>I thought it had infinite headroom.</p>
<p>Well, given how the Coupe mad me feel a bit cramped, and my complaint about the 3-series has to do with the right-leg space (that curved center column irritates me) now I’m VERY interested. </p>