A mechanism is provided to determine if a short-range automotive radar detection is a direct reflection or an indirect (also known as “multipath”) reflection from a physical target object. The multipath information is further used to perform a height estimation of the object. Embodiments provide a radar system having a range resolution smaller than a path difference between the direct reflection path and the indirect reflection path. Both range separation techniques and Doppler separation techniques are utilized to provide a reliable and accurate estimation of the height of the object.