What Is Wonderful And What Is Not So Good About Sunroofs?

by IndianAuto Team | 26/11/2018
Share this post:
A sunroof is undoubtedly pretty and it is getting more popular. But is it worth the hype? Let’s discover the pros and cons of sunroofs in this article.

A sunroof is a generic term that is used to refer to any panel in the roof of a car that allows light and/or air to get in the cabin. A sunroof is usually made of glass and can be motor driven or manually operated. There are a lot of shapes, sizes, and styles of sunroofs available on the market. If you have ever encountered the term “moonroof” and wonder what is the difference between moonroof and sunroof, here is a short answer: there CAN be no difference because the moonroof is one type of sunroof. The moonroof is the panel glass that is inbuilt and is able to slide between the vehicle roof and headline, and the sunroof is every panel that is in the roof that allows light and/or wind in no matter what it is and how it is operated. Actually, moonroof is the most common type of sunroof, so in a lot of cases, you can use the two words interchangeably.

The sunroof has gained the love of Indian car owners and many would not buy a car that does not have a sunroof. For that reason, which has been a feature of luxury cars now is available in more affordable vehicles from Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra, or Ford, just to name a few. Let's read on to discover the pros and cons of the sunroof.

How To Install Sunroof/Moonroof

PROS

1. The undeniable beauty

Sunroof adds an element of style to the car it is in. A lot of car owners want to express their individuality through the design of the car they drive, and choosing to include the sunroof feature is an option. Rather than imposing as strong of an impression as the trim or the colour, sunroof is a nice little touch. It can mean a strong or sporty hidden side to an overall feminine and elegant white four-wheelers. Actually, this is the approach that Priyanka Chopra has for her Mercedes-Benz S-Class and no one can deny that her car stands out a lot.

Apart from the beauty of juxtaposition it offers, sunroof also makes the overall look of the car more sleek and futuristic. Most car owners would love their cars to look this way, so the increased affinity for sunroof is completely understandable. Moreover, having a sunroof most of the time implies a luxury car, so your car may be appreciated more for its classiness.

Side note: If your car does not have a sunroof from the beginning, we strongly do not recommend installing a new sunroof for your car. While adding a sunroof would look nice and all, installing a sunroof is an extremely difficult job, and you do have multiple risks in case you choose a retrofit sunroof. Some of the risks include an ill-fitting sunroof, leakage, ruining the car’s aerodynamics, noise problem, and electric issues. Before you decide whether to install a new sunroof in your car or not, you should take all of these risks into consideration.

ajar-sunroof

A sunroof adds a nice futuristic touch to your car

ALSO READ

10 Cheapest Cars in India With Sunroof - Hyundai Venue to Honda City

2. The electricity saver

The primary purpose of the sunroof is to allow air, wind, and light to get in your car, and if you use the sunroof for what it is supposed to be used for, you can save some electricity for your car.

The sunroof is made with special glass so that it can let in more sunlight than other glass areas such as windows. But the sunlight through sunroof does not blind the passengers and driver and also does not heat up the cabin because the sunroof glass is usually tinted black or some other dark colours.

In the summer, when the temperature is super high, you can utilise the sunroof to ventilate your car and let the hot air inside the cabin out before getting in. Blasting the air conditioner in the summer is not good for your health and for your vehicles, so we recommend you take a moment to open the windows and sunroof, allow nature to take its course and freshen the hot and humid air that resides in the interior, otherwise, you either waste a lot of electricity to cool the cabin or risk yourself being toasted by your own vehicle.

open-sunroof

Opening the sunroof can save you some electricity that is supposed to be used on lighting and air conditioner

CONS

1. The aerodynamics wrecker  

In non-technical straightforward no-nonsense terms, a sunroof is literally a hole in your car’s roof. If you wonder if a hole in a car’s ceiling is a should or a should-not, the answer is the latter. A car’s structure is a single moulded unit and all parts support one another, so making a hole here and there undermines the strength of a car. The equivalent of a sunroof is drilling a hole and creating a door for an egg (translation: unnecessary).

If you open the sunroof to enjoy some light and wind, you are sacrificing the aerodynamics of your car. The airflow on the top is disturbed and creates a drag for the car. Moreover, sunroof is bloody hell heavy due to the material choice, and the additional weight, if ever necessary, is at the wrong place, further meddling with the aerodynamics and speed of the car. Because the aerodynamics is wrecked, your car is less fuel-efficient and the mileage will be negatively affected as a result.

aerodynamics-of-an-open-sunroof

An open sunroof is the equivalent of a door carved on an egg

ALSO READ

This Old Toyota Fortuner Gets a Massive Panoramic Sunroof

2. The money devourer

Sunroof is very expensive, and that is part of the reason why it only appears in luxury cars… until now. Many non-luxury car manufacturers have caught on with the affinity for sunroof of Indian people, and they come up with a wide range of cars that have sunroof, from Honda City and Hyundai Verna to Ford EcoSport and Jeep Compass. But if you look at those offerings close enough, you will notice that the car companies “conveniently” bundle a bunch of added features and functions together with the sunroof to hide the real cost of that hole in your car’s ceiling. For example, sunroof is only available in the automatic gearbox variant of Hyundai Creta, in Limited Pass variant of Jeep Compass, and in Titanium S and Signature Edition variants of Ford EcoSport. If you have not figured it out yet, these are the more expensive variants of the models, so in one way or another, sunroof is still a luxury added feature.

Therefore, if you love a car for as a whole, choose it; but if you choose one car mainly because it has a sunroof, we would advise you think twice. And in case you insist, you would be paying a considerable amount of money for a hole in your car’s ceiling that is made of heavy glass, wrecks the aerodynamics, and meddles with the mileage.

Moreover, suppose that the sunroof is cracked or broken, prepare your wallet and your sanity. Having a sunroof repaired or replaced is extremely expensive, and it is very difficult. If not done properly, your car will have some leakage and noise issues.

-taped-up-broken-sunroof

A sunroof costs a lot to buy and a lot to fix

Read more tips and guides from IndianAuto

Alloy Wheels: Pros and Cons

Car Electronic Handbrake (Pros and Cons Analysis)

Tracking icon
Would you like to receive notifications with latest news and car deals from IndianAuto?