The Vista Roof on the Lincoln MKX is two panels; the front panel retracts. (Ford)
The Magic Sky roof is shown on a Mercedes-Benz SLK350. (Mercedes-Benz)
Americans have repeatedly indulged in big views: picture windows in the ranch house, CinemaScope at the drive-in, wide-screen television in the media room.
A similar passion for the wider view is taking shape in automobiles. Huge double sunroofs are growing more popular.
Ford says orders for its expansive Vista Roof option are double what had been projected; in two crossover models, the Edge and Explorer, half of the buyers spent the extra money for it.
Gerry McGovern, head of design at Land Rover, gave the new Evoque a large sunroof. He says panoramic roofs make a vehicle's interior seem larger, opening it to the outside world.
"They bring in the urban ambiance," he says.
Super-size me
- From the Kia Optima to the Jaguar XJ, cars are getting the big-glass treatment. A few of the systems available:
- Ford: The Vista Roof, a split glass roof, is available on four Ford models and the Lincoln MKX.
- Cadillac: The UltraView sunroof, available on the SRX, Escalade and CTS, covers up to 70 percent of the roof.
- Chrysler: The Command View dual-pane sunroof is available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300.
- Mercedes-Benz: The Magic Sky roof, available on the SLK, can be darkened with the push of a button.
New types of glass have helped make the trend possible. Today's glass is treated to filter out ultraviolet rays and reduce heat load. The panoramic roofs have also fared well in independent safety tests.
"We have tested a couple of vehicles with panoramic-style sunroofs," says Russ Rader, vice president for communications of the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. "There is no indication that these roof designs aren't as strong as roofs without them."
He added: "However, this doesn't mean that vehicles with glass roof panels would be as safe in rollovers as vehicles without them." Glass roofs could break or pop out, he says.
The latest version of Cadillac's UltraView sunroof has grown on the new SRX; it covers 70 percent of the roof area and has a power retractable shade.
Volkswagen says that the glass roof of the 2012 Beetle is 80 percent larger than its predecessor's and that it blocks 99 percent of ultraviolet radiation and 92 percent of the heat energy.
The Volkswagen EOS even offers a sunroof within its folding hard top. The large sunroof appears to link with the windshield, turning the whole roof into a sheet of glass.
"It is an upscale feature," says Rainer Michel, vice president for product marketing and strategy at Volkswagen of America. "You don't have to give up the outside entirely when the top is up."
Acura says that the panoramic window of its slope-backed ZDX crossover is the largest in the industry. But the most dramatic and extreme treatment may be that of the Jaguar XJ sedan, whose glass sweeps from the windshield to the rear deck.
Jaguar says that the XJ roof, unlike a conventional sunroof, has a front section that opens upward and outward to prevent any loss of headroom. There are twin electric blinds for privacy.
The roofs of some cars with panoramic glass -- the Kia Optima, for example -- are painted in dark reflective colors or covered with materials designers call foils to give the impression of a roof made entirely of glass.
And some are just plain cool. The Magic Sky glass roof on the folding hardtop of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster changes from dark to clear at the touch of a button. Voltage passing through particles in the glass causes them to realign, lightening or darkening the roof.
Leave a comment