Team-BHP - Sunroofs & their usage

Voted for option no. 1 - I love sunroofs and use them regularly. On a late night out in Bombay, it's usually open. And during the day, I frequently open just the sunshade so that the glass area lets more light in (it's tinted, so things don't get harsh inside).

If I drive an expensive car without a sunroof, I always feel something is missing. To me, it's as much a part of the premium experience as good leather upholstery is.

Although a sun roof was not on the list of features I was looking for when I was buying a new car last year, I have to admit I am actually enjoying it.

The Ecosport sunroof / funroof is quite small but it adds to the plushness of the cabin. I rarely open the sunroof since it's not practical in the city, but the sun shade is pulled back regularly and it is used more as a moon roof. I loved it in the monsoons and had lot of back seat occupants also comment on how awesome the experience was.

The few times I have opened it has been in the hills and on late night drives and the experience was again great. In short, my next car will definitely have to have a panoramic sunroof !

I have chosen option 1 though I think another option should have been there 'I use it as a moon roof' which is more applicable to my usage.

Considering I would keep my vehicles for a while, I`m okay to skip a feature if its going to give me a headache later. My friend`s Optra had a factory fitted sunroof, it worked for a good while but the vehicle being parked in the sun for the most part finally ruined the gaskets around it to an extend that the damn thing wont retract into the roof anymore.

I have two cars, one with a sunroof and one without.
Yes, it was a big part of our buying decision for the new car. I find it good looking and cool, my six year old loves it, makes for a nice cabin as it makes the cabin look bigger.
I don’t drive the car with the sunroof too often and when we do take it out, it’s for the fun of driving, travelling - not to get from one point to another.

In my opinion, manufacturers should offer it as an option and let the customers decide how they want to proceed.

But I do agree with the fact that it shouldn’t be a forced option. However, the other side of the coin means that the manufacturer will need to come up with one more variant which has everything else but the sunroof - not easy and cost effective.

Two of my cars have a sunroof. With one, the Mercedes W123 it came as an option), on the Jaguar XJR it came standard (at least for the US variant)

I bought both these cars second hand. Over the years I have come to the conclusion I should, if possible, avoid sunroofs alltogehter for several reasons;

Many sunroofs do lower the cabin height. At 1.96m I am already vertically challenged in just about any car. Another few centimeters of head room is a big thing to me!

Sunroofs, no matter what type, at some point in time will start giving problems. On traditional sunroofs the biggest problem is the drainage of the sunroof base. Usually just little tubes that run down the A, B or C pillars. Over time they get blocked. When that happens the water will find a different way out, into your interior or other places. With all associated problems, damage, rust, smells etc.

Sunroofs do need maintenance, the rubber gasket perish over time etc. Once they leak, it is very often costly repairs.

The most significant factor is I rarely use the sunroof. In an air conditioned car like the Jaguar it does not even make sense to open up anything, let alone the roof.

On the Mercedes, no air conditioning, but opening the sunroof does not get you better ventilation then opening the car windows. Also, it means you get the sun on your head. Which in my case is going quite bold as it is.

Driving top down in my rag topAlfa Spider I enjoy. I carry a collection of different hats and various sun creams to protect myself from the sun. Not in a sedan though.

So, I don’t have much use for sunroofs and they are a PITA on older cars, causing all sorts of problems.

Jeroen

Well, as for the argument that sunroof is something else to go wrong, there are umpteen electricals and features on expensive cars that can go wrong and I'd like to think the sunroof is just one of them.

I don't currently own a car with a sunroof, but, have travelled extensively in few of them. I'd certainly want a car with a sunroof. Also maybe because I live in a village with mostly open roads and cold (comparatively) climate.

I voted for option 4 I don’t want sunroofs and would be good if a manufacturer gave me a loaded car without it (cost savings)

While sunroofs do look good on any car on the inside and outside, the following downsides will always dissuade me from buying a car with a sunroof. It's mainly due to the kind of usage my car is subject to.

The air quality here is so bad that during peak hours even having the windows rolled down is a nightmare. Except a rare drive on a sunday morning or so, this will always be a factor.
As mentioned on the thread already, the fear of someone spitting or throwing garbage will always persist. This is a frequent occurrence here and I have personally seen people sitting in the window of the PMT buses and blindly spitting on the traffic besides the bus. They don't even bother to see whether the road is clear or not. Have had experiences in Pune with the roof of the car getting stained with tobacco. The same holds for garbage. Throwing it out of the bus window is a widely seen phenomenon here.
Except for early winter mornings, for most of the year the climate won;t be suitable to drive a car with the sunroof open. Summers are extremely hot in terms of both temperature and intensity. Monsoons would also make a sunroof unusable. This eliminates 99% of the car usage.
Given an option of having the desired variant without sunroof, it would have an impact the cost as well. For a feature that will be hardly used, it makes more sense not to opt for it.
This would be a rare occurrence but I have come across an instance where an acquaintance got his sunroof jammed in his Cruze in open position.

If I wish to get a sun-roof, it has to be a large one, panoramic, like in Endeavor 3.2 and not like the one in, say, the Creta.

I will use it with the sunshade open to let in more light and its usage will depend on lighting conditions.

Sunroof will not be a parameter for my next car purchase, but, it will be good to have, the large one if I may add.

Voted for #4.

Sunroof for an ordinary passenger car in a tropical climate is not going to have much use IMHO. People who don't know the use of it, allow their kids to spout their heads out through the contraption in a moving car and endanger their lives.

While we are discussing this topic, even leather upholstery for seats doesn't help in our climate, unless the car is equipped with ventilated seats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sutripta (Post 4681561)

How rigid is a car with a panoramic sunroof?

As rigid as one without a sunroof. Check this out.

However, should you roll the car with the sun roof open, then seat belts, airbags and other safety equipment will not help. Worse still would be when you land on the roof on boulders.