Well what can I say. These yes/no or "versus" threads conjure up a lot of good stuff. If the pano roof has been discussed in this context before I'm sorry for the repetitive nature of this. Trust me I will not bring up similar threads for parktronic which is a must have for me because I do a lot of parallel parking, nor distronic or lane assist.

That being said, because I intend to order an E550 in Arctic White, I feel that the pano roof will give an awesome cosmetic effect and I am sold on that idea. However, given the fact that I rarely open the sunshade on the sunroof, will this cosmetic need bring about things I am not used to. I hear about the sun not being totally blocked out.. As I live in the NYC area, the thermal effects only come into play from April until September. I would like to hear from the Southern California, South Texas, and Florida guys about this. If they are cool with it, then it should be a non-issue.

Also, one of the tech reps warned about the gears being a problem over time. I guess that is what extended warranties are for.

Lastly, I suppose the cabin will always be different from a lighting standpoint, so there may be some getting used to this.

 

The pano roof shade is a thin fabric liner, so yes, you'll have light seeping through, especially on lighter headliners (not sure what USA does, Canada has black headliner standard).

I wouldn't be concerned about the motors/mechanism. E-Coupes have occasional issues with the sunshade but the E-Sedan design seems to be less problematic (split roller design in the sedan versus a single long shade in the coupe).

While I personally wouldn't drive an E-Class without the pano roof, you could get the same look with a standard sunroof (which as an opaque shade) and black vinyl covering the remainder of the roof. I don't support this idea, just putting it out there as an option.

 

I have an arctic white with pano roof. While the contrast looks great the functionality is highly subjective. I rarely have rear seat passangers and even then there is no functionality to the roof but its just a "cool" or "wow" factor.
The one thing I have noticed and verified at the dealership is the increased wind noise from the rear deck window at high speeds(>75mph). It sounds almost as if there is an air leak from the trunk but alas its just a nuisance that you have to deal with when you have a pano roof. I actually verified this by driving a car without pano and then driving one with pano(to make sure its just not my pano).

 

I have a pano roof in southern Louisiana. Have had the car since early October so not the hottest time of the year but we have had a bunch of 80+ days and so far AC has been able to easily keep car cool. I would not think it is any issue at New York level during any time of the year.

Pano gives the car an awesome look and this is very important when (if) you trade the car in one day. Pano roof is very important for resale value.

 

That's weird, as I don't notice any unusual wind noise on mine.

Pano looks great, especially with the right colors. "Functionality" is all about the "wow factor", and it gives an airier vibe in the cabin. You, as a driver, can't really notice much of its benefits from inside (aside from the extra light or "air"), and I never have backseat occupants, but whenever I do, I'm sure they'll dig it.

Issues with it are, more things that can go wrong, seemingly more possibility for certain noise intrusions (mine car is totally quiet, but I did notice some interesting sounds when rain seemed to trickle down its rain "ducts"), more weight being in a non desirable area (so less "performance" capabilities, maybe MPG suffering, hampered "balance", etc.), and my biggest fear: Possible creaks/rattles/sacrificing of the cars structural integrity. Mine is solid so far, but I hope it doesn't start "loosening up" up there. Also, M-B doesn't really reveal crash tests with the Pano, so I'd be curious to know how it compares with fixed roof (hopefully flawlessly!).

That said, with my particular car, color, and setup, I couldn't have it without Pano. Now that I have it, when I see white W212's without it, they almost look like total different cars almost IMO, they just lack some of the additional allure.

It's a personal thing. However, do know that getting Pano is making lots of functionality sacrifices, there's absolutely nothing smart about it, aside from personal aesthetic taste, or interior vibe taste.

About the sun, I leave cover open all the time (unless it's REALLY hot), and I rarely used to open my moonroof's cover. It doesn't block out the sun completely, which could be a good or bad thing: Bad, because it doesn't block out the sun all the way, and Good, because you can have it closed, yet still get subtle "benefits" of the pano/light effect.

 

I don't know if there are any technical advantages to a pano roof but once you have had one you will never go back to the regular sunroof. The best part is the bright interior especially on cloudy days. It also makes the car more distinctive since few manufacturers offer the full glass roof panel.

 

I love my Pano roof, especially up against my Paladium Silver sedan. No noise or light issues to complain about. I have the sport package with the black liner and I love having the light in the winter.

In Central California, we have had a few 100+ degree days and I close the pano roof liner, the back window shade goes up, and I put up a reflective front window shade. When I return to my car in the late afternoon, the temperature guage is frequently over 100, but the AC kicks in and I'm comfortable before I exit the parking lot. And away I go ...

 

KA, can you do me a favor and take the car on the highway and take it up to 80mph then lean towards the space between the seats and listen to see if you hear any "whooshing" sounds from the back particularly from the bottom where the rear window meets the trunk. Thanks!

 

Will do! So far it seems perfectly silent, but I'll try and analyze closer.

 

Pana is great if you love light - next best thing to a convertible. Sort of.
We did not get Pana because of the mesh cover. On a hot summer day, you would get a lot of light. And heat. Benz dealer told me they have mesh because it is easy to roll since there would be no practical room for 2 hard tops to 'roll out'. I sat in a Nissan Altima with Pana that covered the roof with a real hard top roof sliders. I did not pay attention how they went out of sight when it was totally open.