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″