Although I plan on test driving one soon, I am impatient. I am curious on the space availiable for back seat passengers. Will I actually be able to fit two people back there? Me and my friends often car pool, so making use of the backseat will be essential.

 

The back seat is very comfortable! However, if you pushed the front seats all the way back, they meet the front seats. This may sound small, but i'm 5' 9", and I couldn't really use any of the pedals. If you're a tall motorist, and do drive with the seat pushed back, as long as you "Jack" the seat up as far as it goes, there is plenty of room from someone to sit still in... Be warned though... I wouldn't recommend forcing 2 adults to sit back there for mush past an hour!

 

Everyone who has ever sat in the backseat of my Mini expresses surprise at how much room there is. (Well, except for my roommate's girlfriend, but that's because he put his seat pretty far back.) Even my grandparents (one 76 years old with artificial knees and the other 84 years old) managed to get in and out of the seat and find it comfortable. I had a friend of mine (a 21-year-old college student) in the back seat this weekend for an hour-long drive and he found it just fine. We even crammed three college students in the back seat for a ten minute drive, and even that wasn't unbearable. (In fact, being in the middle of the backseat puts you in a wonderful position to stand up out of the sunroof -- not that college students would ever do anything like that. )

 

I had my Dad and his wife ride in my Mini, along with my wife (and me driving of course). I had to put the seat not quite back as far as normal (I am 5'11&quot and everyone fitted.
But I don't know how long it would be comfortable ... My dad commented on how harsh the ride is in the back, compared with the front passenger seat.
So maybe if the roads are smooth - but such roads don't exist here in Massachusetts.

 

I read in one of the reviews about the new mini that the back seats are only good for people who are good at yoga and are able to put their feat round behind their head. It's not quite that bad but there isn't much space for an adult passenger(s).

 

We fit a 6 ft. person and a 5'2" in the back seat with 2 medium hight /wide bodied people in the front for a 2 hour drive (each way). While it may have not been like riding in a Cadillac, they were comfortable enough to fall asleep on the way back home. Though they did comment it was more bumpy back there, sitting atop the back wheels. Though that is after a small bump woke them up.