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I posted a few days ago that I just got a new c300. My c300 has the premium package, leather package, multimedia package & the sports package. So it's almost fully loaded! Minus a few things...
I've driven Mercedes cars for 8 years now and this is my third car. I have always had a sunroof, and I always thought a Mercedes should have a sunroof.
Well, I have changed my mind... My new car does not come with one, and I couldn't be happier. It was a decision that was rather forced on me by a buddy of mine. He explained to me that a sunroof increases drag. And that I would have more headroom and a quieter cabin. All while saving me money that I can better use on other packages. (such as the leather which I chose this time around)
In my opinion, he was right. The best change I've noticed is sound. The cabin is noticeably quieter than with a sunroof. Especially when going over 50 MPH. I bet not having a sunroof does reduce drag, but I don't really have a way to test it lol. The headroom is indeed increased as well. Basically, I don't miss the sunroof. I live Texas, and its way too hot to use it 8-9 months of the year. I also like the added darkness in the cabin.
So what about you guys, what do you like about the sunroof besides the fact that you like to have there for piece of mind lol (like I once did).
I have always wondered why people want them (unless they are smokers). I never could get any answers from dealers. I went to Germany to avoid having to get one (and pay for it) on my 2007 C280. (In the U.S., a sunroof was a "mandatory option".) I think sunroofs may be popular because about 80% of cars have black interiors. (I was given the 80% figure by a dealer.) Those cars need the light. Maybe now, some commenters will tell why they like sunroofs.
I'm a 2 sunroof type of guy! Love them. When you live where the nights get long a sunroof is a must. Also its great additional ventilation when just cracked open, much better than opening a window. On my F150 I ran with the roof cracked open and the rear slider open all the time. Opening the rear slider almost complete eliminates the wind noise from the open roof. Unlike in cities in the in the boonies where I live we have real clean air.
Porsche Macan S SportDesign / Ex M-B's: 11 & 10 & 06 E350's, 02 S500
Less weight in the place you need it least, better structural rigidity, less propensity for rattles and squeaks.... Yeah I'm glad when ANY car gives us the option for no sunroof. It also allows us to save money on an option a lot of us don't want.
The big kicker for me, being tall, is headroom. There isn't really a car on the market that I can comfortably and safely fit my head into, that has a sunroof. The added space without a sunroof is paramount to my comfort and truly fitting in a car.
M-B's tend to have the worst headroom in the industry for my mainly torso height. The C with sunroof was astoundingly cramped, and even with sunroof, extremely cramped as well, but I could at least somehow fit into it by rolling my seat all the way back and having my head forced to be grazed against the roof.
Seems like every car I've bought in recent years came with a sunroof as part of a package that I wanted. I never use the sunroofs so they just sit there providing more glass surface to clean. I was thrilled to find that the sunroof was a stand alone option on the new C class so I was able to pass on it and use the $$ for other options that I really wanted. Thanks Mercedes!
2014 C Class Saloon C250 Diesel AMG Line RWD, Nissan GTR
In the UK, I wanted the Keyless Go option, which meant I to take the Panoramic Sunroof, as part of the package.
After not having a car with a sunroof for years, it is great to have the option again and thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to let some light in and open the roof, if you want. Great to have the option.
.........while the sunroof is not on my short list of desirable features, the C250 coupe offers this as standard. I won't use it much (and I hope it doesn't leak anytime soon).
I like the coupe. It's much more fuel efficient than I would have imagined. Good looks don't hurt either (MHO).
I didn't really care, but I couldn't find a car with the options I wanted that had a solid roof. I am tall, but headroom in the front seat is a non-issue. Headroom in the rear is less with the sunroof.
I don't hear any noise from the roof area at all, so I'm not sure if there's really a significant difference in the noise level with or without the glass roof. Also, I'd be skeptical of any aerodynamic claims since the closed glass is flush and offers no aerodynamic compromises that I can see. If there is a difference it can't be much, especially since the published drag numbers don't show two sets of figures.
So, in the end, I think it's just a question of whether or not you like the bright look of an exposed roof, and the ventilation of an open one in the summer months. If you don't like that, or don't want to spend the money, it's an option you obviously shouldn't get.
I bought my c400 with a sunroof, personally I like that it adds lighting, ventilation, and most of all a nice exterior detail to the car. I think the car looks sportier and feels more premium with it. It's a good option to have but it's just a personal preference.
My 2009 W204 had one in the package. I opened it once when I got the car in 2008, and the next time it opened was when the new owner took it in August.
Hell yeah I'm a sunroof kinda guy! I don't really care for convertibles but I appreciate a bit of sunlight and wind in my hair. I won't consider a car without a sunroof, I don't care if everything about the car is perfect, if it doesn't have a sunroof I'll pass.
Less weight in the place you need it least, better structural rigidity, less propensity for rattles and squeaks.... Yeah I'm glad when ANY car gives us the option for no sunroof. It also allows us to save money on an option a lot of us don't want.
The big kicker for me, being tall, is headroom. There isn't really a car on the market that I can comfortably and safely fit my head into, that has a sunroof. The added space without a sunroof is paramount to my comfort and truly fitting in a car.
M-B's tend to have the worst headroom in the industry for my mainly torso height. The C with sunroof was astoundingly cramped, and even with sunroof, extremely cramped as well, but I could at least somehow fit into it by rolling my seat all the way back and having my head forced to be grazed against the roof.
It does add weight. But it does absolutely nothing to the chassis stability since the aluminum that it replaced is about the thickness of a soda can. The structural elements are all the same regardless of sun roof or not.
Hell yeah I'm a sunroof kinda guy! I don't really care for convertibles but I appreciate a bit of sunlight and wind in my hair. I won't consider a car without a sunroof, I don't care if everything about the car is perfect, if it doesn't have a sunroof I'll pass.
+1
Particularly sine every year I have less hair for the win to flutter!
Aren't they called moonroofs because of the glass? Sunroofs are metal.
I like them for the winter. Really brightens up the car on those cold, dark and dreary days. If fund that I mostly keep the shade closed for the summer as it gets too hot when open (and too much glare when driving). Only when "fun" driving do I open the shade or roof (ad windows!). For the C, I would be happy with the regular moonroof as the panoramic takes away too much rear seat headroom (and for the few times people are back there, they won't miss the extra light).
Porsche Macan S SportDesign / Ex M-B's: 11 & 10 & 06 E350's, 02 S500
Originally Posted by c4004matic
It does add weight. But it does absolutely nothing to the chassis stability since the aluminum that it replaced is about the thickness of a soda can. The structural elements are all the same regardless of sun roof or not.
Perhaps, maybe it's just the perception of rigidity. Every car I've had makes the most creaking from the sunroof area. My E Class with Pano groaned a lot and you could hear the flexing when going over driveways. With fixed roofs you don't really get that.
Aren't they called moonroofs because of the glass? Sunroofs are metal.
I like them for the winter. Really brightens up the car on those cold, dark and dreary days. If fund that I mostly keep the shade closed for the summer as it gets too hot when open (and too much glare when driving). Only when "fun" driving do I open the shade or roof (ad windows!). For the C, I would be happy with the regular moonroof as the panoramic takes away too much rear seat headroom (and for the few times people are back there, they won't miss the extra light).
True, but real sun roofs have essentially disappeared so the moonroof nomenclature has disappeared.
It does add weight. But it does absolutely nothing to the chassis stability since the aluminum that it replaced is about the thickness of a soda can. The structural elements are all the same regardless of sun roof or not.
The chassis is not involved, but for these unitized body construction vehicles, the roof structure is. Note the below image, originally made for some other purpose, but will make the point.
There is a header at the top of the A-pillars. Then, behind them are two cross-braces. When a sunroof is substituted, the vehicle still meets roof crush regulatory requirements, but they are compromised versus a steel roof as the cross-brace design has to be modified to allow the sunroof module to be inserted.
The chassis is not involved, but for these unitized body construction vehicles, the roof structure is. Note the below image, originally made for some other purpose, but will make the point.
There is a header at the top of the A-pillars. Then, behind them are two cross-braces. When a sunroof is substituted, the vehicle still meets roof crush regulatory requirements, but they are compromised versus a steel roof as the cross-brace design has to be modified to allow the sunroof module to be inserted.
In fact no.
If you look the holes between the members is where the "windows" reside. The glass resides above the members themselves and retracts outside the vehicle while the mechanicals are in between or slightly below (thus robbing headroom). If the design were any different the side crash behavior would be different which would be a major engineering PITA. The metal top and glass top have exactly the same structural design. The sunroof is simply additional hardware and strategically made holes in the covering sheet metal.
Here is a link to the correct structure of the 2015 c class
In fact no.
If you look the holes between the members is where the "windows" reside. The glass resides above the members themselves and retracts outside the vehicle while the mechanicals are in between or slightly below (thus robbing headroom). If the design were any different the side crash behavior would be different which would be a major engineering PITA. The metal top and glass top have exactly the same structural design. The sunroof is simply additional hardware and strategically made holes in the covering sheet metal.
Here is a link to the correct structure of the 2015 c class
As I said, the image was generic and does not apply to all cars. And, I understand you are deducing from the information you can find. But, over the few decades I watched body-in-white build in the pilot and final assembly plants and also impact development (the roof is a side impact load path), what MB may have accomplished with the C Class is not universal. Roof structures with and without sunroofs are different in many (although I can not say all) vehicles. And, the science may have progressed since I last was working inside a manufacturer. But, I can recall some engineers who told me early on (I am not an engineer) that they would not take a car with a sunroof due to the potential difference in impact behavior.
11-25-2014, 12:20 AM
