[ToadVine]

For some reason, sun/moonroofs have become standard on the higher trims of many cars/trucks. I would be happy if I could opt out.

A sunroof adds a lot of weight up high, shifting the center of gravity so much that, in some vehicles, it can only be used with the counter-weight of a 4/all-wheel drivetrain.

Sunroofs, when they are options, are expensive.

The first time I had a car with a sunroof, it seemed like a pretty snazzy item -- I could look up and see the clouds (or the moon and stars.) As you can imagine, the 'new' wore off of that pretty quick!

I have only found one real use for a sunroof: to vent the hot air out of the cabin -- the very same hot air which was created by the 'solar heater' in the ceiling. Depending on how far north you live, this feature might be a bonus for some part of the year.

In my Element, the sunroof has no inside sliding cover. It is above the rear seat area and passengers always complain about the sun shining directly down onto them. I added dark tint but that simply made the glass itself as hot as a pancake griddle -- they weren't any happier having that hotplate a couple of inches above their heads! Many do have inside slides to block the light, but what is the point of it if you need to keep it closed. The one positive point it had -- the view -- is then gone.

I suspect that the real purpose of sunroofs is only for car dealers: to brighten the interior of otherwise gloomy passenger cabins while potential buyers are shopping.

So, whadaya think? Other than sightseeing on a trip to a national park with neck-craning views like Arches, Bryce, or the Redwoods, what redeeming points do sunroofs have?

 

[JMII]

You nailed it - a sunroof seems like a nice feature but in the end you pretty much never use it. I've had several vehicles with sunroofs, including the wife's current car... its just a novelty that quickly wears off. And this is coming from someone in FL where the weather means you could use it about 4 months a year. I've never needed to see what is above me while driving. As you mentioned venting out hot air and brightening up the interior are the only advantages. I pretty much just used mine to increase air flow in the cabin without putting the windows down which gets noisy. Similar to leather seats the sunroof become a "luxury" item apparently added to vehicles purely for the up-sell. They can break and leak so long term (if you can) opt-out, you will not be missing much.

 

[Walking Black Bear]

I have always hated on sunroofs, for many reasons. Reduced headroom is one. Eventually, they ALL leak and cause issues. Any time I'm driving a vehicle with a sunroof, I close the cover, if there is one, because I hate having sun blasting the back of my glasses through it. And the number of times I've heard of people forgetting them open and coming out to a really soaked interior after a rain storm ... yeah, not a fan. But the only way around it in Canada is the base model. Which wouldn't be so bad, but there are a few options in the Trend package I really want - like the digital dash and adaptive cruise ... but that also comes with a sunroof and leather seats. I'm not big on leather seats either. I've rarely sat in a set that I found more comfortable than the cloth options in the same vehicle.

I wish the old days of being able to factory order just the options you wanted were still here. I hate getting saddled with "features" I don't want just to get the ones I do.

 

[JMII]

I wish the old days of being able to factory order just the options you wanted were still here. I hate getting saddled with "features" I don't want just to get the ones I do.

The economies of scale have made customizing certain options just too pricey. However on the Maverick the sunroof is a separate option that isn't bundled so apparently Ford's market research pointed them in the right direction. In another post some of us noted that the Asia automakers (Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc) tend to do these trim packages with locked in choices where the US manufactures have traditionally been more flexible in what can be added or removed. So this is clearly a corporate mind set on how best to configure, sell and build vehicles for the masses.

A sunroof is a pretty big production change, its not like bolting down a different seat on the assembly line, so having it as a stand alone option must be challenging.

 

[Walking Black Bear]

A sunroof is a pretty big production change, its not like bolting down a different seat on the assembly line, so having it as a stand alone option must be challenging.

Agreed. Then there are the things that make no sense, because from a production standpoint, they don't make a big difference. IE: a couple of years ago I was looking at compact cars. Accent/Rio/Micra sized stuff. Using those three specifically as examples, I wanted a couple of basic "must haves" - manual transmission, cruise, and air conditioning. Of them, the Rio was the only I could get AC and cruise on with a manual transmission. The Micra required the CVT to get air conditioning. The Accent, same story. Automatic to get AC. To the Hyundai dealer's credit, they DID suggest I could have the AC dealer-installed before delivery and covered by factory warranty. In every case though, the motor is identical between the manual and auto transmission options ... sooooooooooooooooooooooooo why can't you get a manual with air conditioning?? Makes zero sense - especially when the dealer is able to install the factory parts to get the job done. (In case you haven't guessed, I'm saddened by the death of manual transmissions ... even if today's automatics are more efficient. They're just less fun. Especially in small cars with small engines. I'm hoping that wet DCT responds well to the flappy paddle shifters!)

 

[HSC4ME]

Enjoyed convertibles and sunroofs when I was younger and used them as intended often. Now that I'm up there in years, the heat from the sun isn't something I enjoy as much. I can recall leaks and wind noise issues form aging sunroofs, as well as electrical and cable failures that where a real PITA to fix yourself. Also it's very expensive to have the dealer do sunroof repairs. Going with a non-sunroof model myself for all the reasons mentioned here and above.

 

[JASmith]

The economies of scale have made customizing certain options just too pricey. However on the Maverick the sunroof is a separate option that isn't bundled so apparently Ford's market research pointed them in the right direction. In another post some of us noted that the Asia automakers (Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc) tend to do these trim packages with locked in choices where the US manufactures have traditionally been more flexible in what can be added or removed. So this is clearly a corporate mind set on how best to configure, sell and build vehicles for the masses.

A sunroof is a pretty big production change, its not like bolting down a different seat on the assembly line, so having it as a stand alone option must be challenging.

I disagree, as they are making non sunroof bodies one way or another, so it really is about bolting in different interior bits that differentiate trims. If they can offer top trims of a Kia Seltoa with and without sunrood cheaply, they could do the same with the SC.

 

[ToadVine]

Oh boy! In that "Tucson Limited Detailed Interior Review" video, it looks like the sunroof is a picture window taking up about half of the ceiling.

 

[fuzzehwuzzeh]

Y’all need to stop buying garbage cars. After a decade without one, a sunroof is absolutely on my spec list. Biggest mistake we made to save money. I will not buy another car without one.

 

[Walking Black Bear]

Y’all need to stop buying garbage cars. After a decade without one, a sunroof is absolutely on my spec list. Biggest mistake we made to save money. I will not buy another car without one.

And if you like them, that's great. I just hate having a feature forced on me that I don't like or appreciate in any meaningful way. Sorry, but there are plenty of "garbage cars" out there WITH sunroofs. One has absolutely zero bearing on the other.

 

[*Darci*]

In 1984, my sister bought a totally maxed out Toyota Celica Supra. The wedge looking one. it was Blue Sliver metallic and had every conseivable option. Sun roof and a graphic equalizer from NASA! (joking) THAT CAR WAS JUNK! A JUNK TOYOTA! Yeap! The leather seats,power seats screwed up after two days. The power moonroof stuck open and it rained inside the car after she got the seats fixed, before she could get to Toyota. Ruined the leather seats and electrics. The headlights stuckin the open position..... and FINALLY the engine seized after 4300 miles. YES correct. The oil sensor was bad, That inline six burnt oil. She had other issues with that car. She owned a 1979 Toyota Truck before that and loved it. She never bougth another Toyota. I have never owned one because of how Toyota treated her. But anyway, all car companies have rotten eggs, its about how they treat you AFTER sale that counts. I forgot ...she didn't have that Supra for a year...she sued Toyota....to get it fixed, they wanted 4000 dollars from her. So.....document all your issues on paper freinds, just for your self.

 

[FFEMT6]

Y’all need to stop buying garbage cars. After a decade without one, a sunroof is absolutely on my spec list. Biggest mistake we made to save money. I will not buy another car without one.

I completely agree with that, however it would be nice if you could have your cake and eat it too. I would love the weight savings and lower center of gravity the sunroofless vehicle provides to you. At least the standard sunroof weighs less than the panoramic variety though.

 

[FFEMT6]

In 1984, my sister bought a totally maxed out Toyota Celica Supra. The wedge looking one. it was Blue Sliver metallic and had every conseivable option. Sun roof and a graphic equalizer from NASA! (joking) THAT CAR WAS JUNK! A JUNK TOYOTA! Yeap! The leather seats,power seats screwed up after two days. The power moonroof stuck open and it rained inside the car after she got the seats fixed, before she could get to Toyota. Ruined the leather seats and electrics. The headlights stuckin the open position..... and FINALLY the engine seized after 4300 miles. YES correct. The oil sensor was bad, That inline six burnt oil. She had other issues with that car. She owned a 1979 Toyota Truck before that and loved it. She never bougth another Toyota. I have never owned one because of how Toyota treated her. But anyway, all car companies have rotten eggs, its about how they treat you AFTER sale that counts. I forgot ...she didn't have that Supra for a year...she sued Toyota....to get it fixed, they wanted 4000 dollars from her. So.....document all your issues on paper freinds, just for your self.

I talked my father into buying an 83 Celica GTS also with the Nasa equalizer. Basically those cars were identical from the A-pillar back. The 4 cylinder in the Celica was bulletproof. My father has only bought Toyota's and Lexus's ever since.
I am sorry your sister had that kind of experience with hers.

 

[JASmith]

Y’all need to stop buying garbage cars. After a decade without one, a sunroof is absolutely on my spec list. Biggest mistake we made to save money. I will not buy another car without one.

"Look at this junk below. No hole in the roof. Try to stick your head out of the roof. Can't. Literally garbage car. Poor sob could have had a 2013 Ford Fiesta SE with a hole in the roof and experienced true luxury." - random golden retriever, probably

 

[Chuck]

In another post some of us noted that the Asia automakers (Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, etc) tend to do these trim packages with locked in choices where the US manufactures have traditionally been more flexible in what can be added or removed. So this is clearly a corporate mind set on how best to configure, sell and build vehicles for the masses.

I think the big thing that comes into play in Domestic vs Asian brands is that the domestics have historically made it easy to order your vehicle so that you can spec it pretty much exactly as you'd like. For the most part the Asian brands haven't had much of a real ordering system, instead to try to keep build combinations down, its a matter of if we add a feature that only some people want, will having it be a deal breaker for those that don't want it - like at this point only building the 2.5T models as AWD. Do all of us NEED AWD? Will we not buy it because its only AWD? It seems for the most part we will take something we don't need as long as it doesn't interfere with our must haves.

 

[JMII]

I think the big thing that comes into play in Domestic vs Asian brands is that the domestics have historically made it easy to order your vehicle so that you can spec it pretty much exactly as you'd like.

It seems for the most part we will take something we don't need as long as it doesn't interfere with our must haves.

Just a different mindset and thus maybe a cultural thing? And once your business model is built around assembling and selling vehicles a certain way its nearly impossible to pivot to a different methodology. For the consumer both ways have their pros and cons.

 

[st_cruzin]

Have had a sunroof forced on me the last three cars from Hyundai. It is irritating but clearly a profit margin generator for the OEM, or they would not keep forcing it on people.

 

[monogodo]

Of the 10 cars I've owned over the years, only three had/have sunroofs. Our current car (2012 Veloster) has the panoramic sunroof. When we first got it, we used it a lot, much more even than we used the sunroof in the New Beetle that it replaced. Then the sunroofs had a recall because they were randomly shattering. We closed the (powered) sunshade with the reasoning that, if it does shatter, the glass will be caught by the shade, and not dumped all over us. When we took it in for the recall test, it passed. We still drive with the sunshade closed, because, like @Walking Black Bear, I hate having the sun beat down on me, which in Texas, is regularly. The only other aspect of the Veloster sunroof that I don't like is the sunshade - the one in the New Beetle was manual, so I could open it by simply "flinging" it back, and could close it quickly. Or I could easily adjust how closed I wanted it with the roof open. Since the Veloster's sunshade is powered, it automatically opens all the way whenever the roof is opened, and the only way to have it partially closed is to have the roof closed. I should also note that none of the sunroofs on any of my past vehicles leaked (BMW, VW, Hyundai).

When the Concierge called after I placed my reservation, he asked about the sunroof. I told him that I didn't care one way or the other. I said that I'd prefer to not have it, as I probably wouldn't use it much, but understood that I may not have a choice at certain trim levels. Since I'm getting an SEL Premium AWD, I'm getting a sunroof.

 

[monogodo]

Just a different mindset and thus maybe a cultural thing? And once your business model is built around assembling and selling vehicles a certain way its nearly impossible to pivot to a different methodology. For the consumer both ways have their pros and cons.

I suspect it's because, historically, import manufacturers had longer lead times on delivering vehicles to the US than domestic manufacturers have, so it made more sense to "load them up" at the factory and ship them than to wait on an order that may not come. Assuming similar production times, it takes less time to ship a Ford/GM/Chrysler vehicle from a US factory to a US dealer, than it does to ship a Honda/Toyota/Nissan/BMW/VW/Fiat from the Asian/European factory to the US dealer. When they started manufacturing their vehicles in the US, they never shifted that mindset.

 

[FFEMT6]

"Look at this junk below. No hole in the roof. Try to stick your head out of the roof. Can't. Literally garbage car. Poor sob could have had a 2013 Ford Fiesta SE with a hole in the roof and experienced true luxury." - random golden retriever, probably
View attachment 1494

That POS can't even match the Tesla Model S Plaid in the 1/4 mile. Total garbage car. 😂