One of the configurations you're sure to pay attention to when buying a car is the sunroof. Its existence can be summed up in one sentence: "I can not use it, but it must have." "So, do you know why cars have sunroofs?" In this article, we will talk about this interesting topic.
For car marketing, the sunroof can be described this way: "There is nothing more magical than driving along a scenic road and being able to stop and look up at the mysterious night sky." As a result, sunroofs became the marketing pillar of the automotive industry, and as early as the 1990s, cars designed sliding roof systems.
The picture above is the Lincoln XL-500 concept car, which was born in 1953, and you can see that the roof is in an all-glass style, so that you can still enjoy the scenery without any obstruction when you don't have to open the roof. Subsequently, in 1954, Ford's Creationline Skyliner also appeared a similar design, but the roof glass size was relatively small.
Today's sunroofs are diverse, ranging from very ordinary sliding sunroofs to panoramic glass curtains that cannot be opened. For example, some models of Tesla, as well as some of the brand models that we commonly see in China. Of course, there is a more unique one, called "targa roof", the most famous of which is the Porsche 911 targa, the rear is glass, the front is an open top, the open top and the panorama into one.
Ordinary sunroof
Ordinary steel sliding sunroofs, usually placed above the heads of the front passengers, are usually operated by pressing a button or knob. There will be several different modes, starting with the tilt function. The rear of the glass sunroof will to create a gap, which can be ventilated in the car, such as if you are smoking, this ventilation method is especially suitable for high-speed road conditions. Another way is to slide it on completely, allowing more sunlight to enter the car.
In many cases, this sunroof is also equipped with a windshield at the front. When the window slides on, the windshield automatically cocks up from the front section, which reduces wind noise and air disturbances at high speeds.
Openable and large glass canopy in panoramic sunroofs
The panoramic sunroof appeared to allow rear passengers to enjoy the sun, but also to greatly increase the ventilation speed in the car. Panoramic sunroofs are roughly divided into two types, openable and unopenable, in fact, it has three main types. The first is a large piece of glass, which is a panoramic canopy that extends from the front row to the back row, and all the occupants can enjoy the sky and sunlight above their heads.
Then there is the openable panoramic sunroof, which is divided into two types, one is the all-over type and the other is the segmented type. Either way, the openable part is mostly in the front.
Today, Tesla has led the way in the new trend of roof sunroofs – all-over fixed glass roofs, such as the Model 3 and Model Y, which extend from the A-pillar to the rear window for greater visibility of the surrounding environment. In fact, Mercedes-Benz is better at using the latter, such as the corner master GLC is a segmented sunroof. Of course, there are many more, such as the Nissan Old Nobleman MPV, which has a five-stage sunroof design.
Targa roof in a sports car
The advent of the targa roof is a solution to replace the sunroof in sports cars, which is to combine the sunroof with the convertible concept. The TARGA roof is typically used in coupe cars and consists of an openable roof, a fixed roll cage and a rear seat windshield.
The popularity of the targa roof must be thanks to Porsche, porsche 911 has a model called 911 targa. The car not only features the targa roof as a highlight, but more importantly in the name is a tribute to the Italian classic endurance race "Targa Florio".
In addition, in the 1970s and 1980s, a T-shaped roof structure was particularly popular, which was connected by a central steel beam structure between the front and rear windshields, and the detachable roof was placed here. Representative models include the Nissan 300ZX, the second-generation Toyota MR2, the Chevrolet Corvette, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird.
Today, there are still cars that continue to use the Targa roof, in addition to the Porsche 911 Targa, there are Also Mazda MX-5, Chevrolet Corvette C8 and so on.
The sunroof is one of the most useless
In the eyes of most people, the sunroof is one of the most useless configurations, but in the eyes of some people, although it is useless, it must be there. The benefit of the sunroof makes the interior of the car more transparent and minimizes ventilation noise when driving. However, from the perspective of practicality, the sunroof is not the best choice.
First of all, the sunroof occupies space, especially the traditional sunroof, the motor, slide rail are installed on the roof, compared to no sunroof, the roof inside the sunroof will be lower. In addition, the addition of glass, motors, and other related structures will increase the weight of the body, which is also located on the roof, which will have an impact on the adjustment of the vehicle's center of gravity. This is one of the reasons why high-performance cars, such as the BMW M3 or M4, use carbon fiber roofs.
Improper maintenance of the sunroof will produce unpleasant noises when used, and more serious water leakage will occur. In addition, some panoramic sky curtains are not matched with sunshades, and the temperature in the car will be very high under the summer sun.
The useless sunroof is constantly innovating
You say that sunroofs are useless, but many automakers innovate on sunroofs. Nowadays, most car voice commands can control the sunroof, "Hello! XX, open the sunroof", and then the sunroof will automatically open. Some manufacturers have even innovated the sunroof control buttons, using a touch sliding type for control.
Nowadays, some suppliers have added a crystal layer to the sunroof, which can adjust the light transmittance through voice or car machines, such as Toyota Lingfang, Lantu FREE and so on.
In order to pay tribute to the Rolls-Royce Starry Sky roof, BMW also added the concept of "Starlight Sunroof" to the X5 and X7 SUV models, with 15,000 LED light sources distributed in the panoramic sunroof, which used mood lights to present different colors.
Master Horn wants to say:
Do you pay attention to the existence of sunroofs in car buying and choosing cars? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section.