Buyers of all ages are drawn to vehicles with panoramic sunroof for a variety of reasons.
At the push of a button, those who want a convertible-style experience without the absence of a roof structure can take in the fresh air!
Before you get it installed to your vehicle, let us weigh the pros and cons of owning a panoramic sunroof.
Keep reading!
What Is A Panoramic Sunroof?
What distinguishes a sunroof from a panoramic roof?
A panoramic roof is normally composed of laminated glass and extends over both the front and back seats to give natural lighting and a spacious interior.
This system, which is included on some new cars and high-end models, may have numerous panels that are either permanent or movable for front- and rear-seat occupants.
A panoramic sunroof is a huge sunroof that extends across almost all of a car’s roof. It can be clear or coloured and is a lot bigger than a typical sunroof.
A single solid glass panel or several panels can be used to create a panoramic sunroof. The single-panel kind will simply move toward the back of the car when the driver opens the roof.
In the alternate design, the several panels will stack on top of one another behind the roof opening.
The lack of space prevents panoramic sunroofs from disappearing inside the vehicle’s roof like standard ones do.
The Maybach and other European luxury automobiles frequently have panoramic sunroofs, but North American luxury cars like the Pontiac G6, Malibu Maxx, and Cadillac SRX SUV are also increasingly widespread.
They might be aftermarket accessories for some other cars.
Why Should You Get One?
- Provides an extra style
The glass on panoramic rooftops is frequently tinted to some extent, making it darker than regular windows.
This can not only protect passengers from harsh sunlight, but it can also give a car a sleek, occasionally athletic look—especially when the automobile is painted a lighter, contrasting colour like white or silver.
The Tesla Model 3 has a large glass roof, but it’s not immediately apparent because it blends in with the bodywork (particularly on darker coloured cars).
- Provides extra light to your vehicle
When the blinds are open, of course, one of the major advantages of a panoramic sunroof is that it lets in more light into the car.
A panoramic glass roof might therefore give the impression that the interior of a car is larger.
Some even contend that a brighter interior might enhance the spirits of both drivers and passengers.
- Provides extra visibility to the vehicle
Not to be overlooked is the fact that seeing what is on the other side is one of the key advantages of any glass.
Panoramic roofs give a car’s occupants far more possibility for sightseeing when the vehicle is parked.
They can also aid you in ensuring that you won’t scrape the roof if you attempt to drive a very tall vehicle into an area with low ceilings, such as a multi-story parking garage.
- Additional ventilation
On hot or very sunny days, cars with panoramic opening roofs provide a great way to ventilate the interior.
Opening the roof is a fantastic technique to allow hot cabin air escape because heat rises naturally.
Similarly, raising a glass roof while driving can cause less wind noise than opening windows, making it easier to enjoy your favourite dance floor fillers.
More fresh air may be brought into the vehicle by keeping the windows closed, while also preventing small children from throwing objects out the window.
Cons Of Getting A Panoramic Sunroof
- Less headroom in the vehicle
We don’t blame you for believing that adding a panoramic sunroof as an option to your car would increase your headroom, but this isn’t the case.
You see, your car will most likely have less headroom than if you went without the panoramic sunroof due to the extra space needed for the sunshade rollers and the motor system.
The discrepancy can occasionally reach 50mm (2 inches).
As the aperture itself doesn’t go far enough across in proportion to where the driver’s head is placed, retracting the sunshade or opening the sunroof frequently doesn’t resolve the problem either.
In order to have their head positioned within the panoramic roof opening and clear the headliner, taller drivers would merely have to bend their head on an angle towards the centre of the automobile.
The only other option for tall drivers is to further recline their seat in an effort to increase headroom.
But doing so may lead to ergonomic problems with the steering wheel and pedal reach.
Therefore, if you’re fairly tall, you should definitely try the seating position in a car with a panoramic sunroof before you decide to order or buy one.
- Increase temperature in the car
Although it may seem obvious, a panoramic sunroof essentially creates a huge window through which heat from the sun can enter your car.
The severity of this problem depends on where you live, how hot it gets during the summer, and how clear the sky is, which affects how intense the sun is.
Putting any car in the sun for 15 minutes or more will cause the inside temperatures to soar, but a car with a panoramic sunroof will undoubtedly be the hottest of the bunch because the heat from the sun directly overhead has a direct path in.
Tinted glass could seem to offer some assistance, but it has minimal impact.
Tinted glass essentially forms a big, black, super-heated element across the top of the vehicle by operating on the basis of directly absorbing UV radiation rather than allowing them to flow through into the inside.
Some of this heat is kept from entering the cabin by the retractable cloth sun shades that are installed just below the panoramic sunroof.
- It adds extra weight to the vehicle
Automobile makers put a lot of effort into lightening their vehicles since it improves acceleration, braking, and fuel efficiency.
In order to increase the stability and control of the vehicle, they also strive to place heavy objects (such the engine, transmission, and fuel tank) as low as they can.
Therefore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that having a glass roof that weighs more than 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds) running across the top of the car isn’t the best choice.
They are substantially heavier than steel or aluminium roof panels.
This is because glass is much thicker and heavier in addition to the additional reinforcing bars, electric motors, and drainage channels needed.
Installing a panoramic sunroof on your automobile could be like adding a passenger who rides with you all the time.
- Structural integrity decreases
When it comes down to it, a panoramic sunroof is just a very large hole in the roof of your car.
While they do help to make the car more rigid structurally, they can never match the strength of a car with a regular roof.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the rubber sunroof seals aren’t completely watertight by design.
While the rubber seals do a good job of keeping the majority of the water out, panoramic sunroofs rely on water drainage channels built into the car’s roof to accomplish the same.
These drainage points occasionally have a tendency to clog, which could lead to drainage channels overflowing and letting water into the cabin.
- Increases in complexity and noise
Despite the fact that this could seem to be a similar problem to the one I raised above regarding weight, it deserves consideration in and of itself.
Vehicles with panoramic sunroofs are more complicated. Where there was formerly only a sheet of metal and a headliner, there are now two or more heavy glass panels, as well as the primary motor and sliding mechanism for the sunroof panel.
There are also electric motors, switches, channels, and rollers for the sunshade.
Each of these parts has the potential to break or malfunction, and because they are all located just above your head, there is a chance that over time, various rattles, squeaks, and flexing noises will develop and drive you absolutely crazy.
But worry not! If you’re looking for a company that offers high-quality services for sunroof installation, contact us at TopBody Auto Garage!
Our services are among the best and we are ready to provide the best service to the people of Klang.
Not only that, but we also offer additional services like:
- Car repair and service
- Car paint
- Engine repair
- Welding/ tapping
- Make-over such as polish, wax, car coating
- Interior work on vehicles
Visit our office in Klang’s Jalan Selamat and gain first-hand knowledge of our level of service.
