Though being a certain height has its benefits, it also has some disadvantages. One of them is finding a car that allows you to drive in comfort. Bonus points if you can easily enter and exit the vehicle. Some vehicles are better suited to people with long legs and torsos. But can a Mini Cooper accommodate a tall driver? The answer might surprise you.

The 2021 Mini Cooper’s interior dimensions

Believe it or not, the iconic Mini Cooper is entirely suitable for those of taller stature. How? 

Taller people can fit in the two-door Mini Cooper as well as anyone else. Unless you’ve got passengers in the back, you can push the seat back to the end of the runners for even more legroom. There’s plenty of space, even if you stand 6 feet 4 inches, The Drive reports, and that’s for a 2015 model.

Better yet, the dimensions have increased since that model year. The 2021 Mini Cooper seats four and has a surprising amount of passenger space. The front offers 41.4 inches of legroom, 39.8 inches of headroom, and 51 inches of shoulder room. In the back, you’ll find 30.9 inches of legroom, 39 inches of headroom, and 39.7 inches of shoulder room for a relatively comfortable ride. 

If you need more incentive, the 2021 Mini Cooper is a great small car. It packs a turbocharged three-cylinder engine in the base model and a turbocharged four-cylinder in the Cooper S, which has a little more zip. With the six-speed manual transmission back for 2021, this car boasts sharp handling and a fun ride.

The Mini Cooper’s cargo space and features

The interior of the 2021 Mini Cooper offers not only adequate passenger space but also decent cargo space for a subcompact car. 

True, the trunk doesn’t offer much space regardless of which model you choose. But if you drop the rear seats, you’ll have enough room for gear on short road trips. Expect more cargo space in the five-door hardtop models and a little less in the convertible.

The base model doesn’t offer much standard equipment. But the standard model has heated front seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Adding options can get pricey, but if you want technology features or leather upholstery, you’ll have to pay extra.

The standard model has a 6.5-inch infotainment screen integrated with its signature center console. Bluetooth comes standard, but you’ll have to pay extra for an 8.8-inch screen, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Apple CarPlay connectivity, and wireless device charging.

The 2021 Mini Cooper comes with good safety features — automated emergency braking is standard. You can pay extra for adaptive cruise control, park assist, and automatic high beams.

What’s new for 2021?

We mentioned the return of the popular six-speed manual gearbox for the 2021 Cooper and Cooper S models. You can also get it with the three- and five-door hardtops and convertibles. 

The lineup expands with the new 1499 GT special edition to give the base Mini hardtop new features courtesy of the sporty John Cooper Works model. Also, expect expanded availability of the Oxford Edition model. Once upon a time, the Oxford model was exclusively for recent college graduates and U.S. military members. Now anyone can get one.

With so many choices, you might wonder which Cooper is for you? The folks at Car and Driver like the extra horses and excitement that the manual transmission brings. They recommend pairing it with a three-door model because there’s not much difference in interior space. 

But if you’re a tall person, consider a 2021 Mini Cooper convertible. It takes only 18 seconds for the power top to fold down, and — voila — you have unlimited headroom on sunny days.