Why has some cars decided to stay with sunroofs that open outwards whereas some make them retract inside the car?

Roofline design limitations most likely. Even among cars of the same platform, the sweep of one forces the sunroof to open outwards (Grand Prix) while others allow full astroroof retraction (Regal/Intrigue). I very much prefer the fully-retracting kind. Yeah, it eats up an inch of headroom. Not only is the effect of the open-top experience better typically, but it looks far classier when the roof is open.

My Prelude has an incredibly low roofline. There's basically no way to have the retracting type without... me not being able to fit in my car. It's worth it, the car's designed to look good with the sunroof closed just as convertibles are designed to look good with the tops down.

My STS has a sunroof/moonroof (the differance is just a marketing term right) that retracts inside the car adn the roofline is damn low already. Personally these days I'm very much over the novelty of sunroofs. I've only owned one vehicle wiht T-tops (my Firebird) but those are still wicked cool. The sunroof thing is more compromise than it's worth in most cases. When you own a lot of high milage cars sunroofs tend to give you some trouble occasionaly. Although to be fair my T-tops leaked a bit in my Firebird but I've never seen a leaky sunroof except for a Toyota Paseo at the dealership. Leaked like a damn faucet, and it was a factory roof before you start defending Toyota.

My STS has a sunroof/moonroof (the differance is just a marketing term right) that retracts inside the car adn the roofline is damn low already.

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yeah, there's a huge difference between Cadillac low and Honda Prelude low...

But is it sort of cheaper to make it open outwards?

I thought the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof (or AstroRoof in 70's GM speak) was that the sunroof was metal and the moonroof was glass.

I had to buy my Cobalt with no sunroof, because I didn't fit with the 1 1/2" bulge it adds to the roof.

I don't see that much of a differance. :mellow:

wrong year prelude plus, the proportions "might" be similar, but the prelude is so intensely SMALLER! you must sit in both or at least park them next to each other for a full appreciation. i'm like two inches away from being able to drive under toll booth gates.

roughly the same height as a Camaro roof

I would think a sunroof would be fixed glass (mainly aftermarket) while a moon/astroroof is opening. At least that's what I think.

But then the sunroof on the G6 is electric powered and opens...

Meh. I suppose they meant something at some point, but its all marketing now. Astroroof still does sound cool, though. GM has always had a way with words - Dynaride, Dynaflow, Hydramatic, Twilight Sentinel, even OnStar. All convey that same sort of aeropaceyness and high-tech without sounding clunky.

I know for a fact that a few cars even in the 80s came with "sunroofs" that opened. My dad told me as a kid the differance was that the moonroof was a lot bigger... but I'm sure that's probably just his preception on the term from advertising.

Edited October 12, 200520 yr by Sixty8panther

Then in this case the G6 Panoramic Roof should have been called "moonroof"...

BTW, I found the definition here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonroof

Gotta love Wikipedia... Helped me BSed through my work term report...

"An electric sunroof will have the facility to be closed manually if the motor or control circuitry fails." I hope this is true for all cars... I know it is for a few German ones but my STS seems to leave you SOL if the motor breaks... it has gotten stuck before but only momentarily. If the motor ever shits the bed I hop it can be closed manualy.

Love the sig BTW Toni, I keep meaning to comment on it. :P

esp this: 4. It's not biodegradable like a Lexus!"

The first factory sunroof that went over the car came from Honda with the 1985 Honda CRX Si. The concept was perfected with the 1990 Saturn, which had a glass panel that went over the roof. The main benefit of these up-and-over sunroofs is that headroom is not as compromised. But also some sporty cars, such as the Prelude, do not have a long enough roof for the panel to slide into. Sunroofs that slide into the roof have gotten thinner, so the penalty in headroom is not as great as before.

Love the sig BTW Toni, I keep meaning to comment on it. :P

esp this:  4. It's not biodegradable like a Lexus!"

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Actually I stole that from you. I remember you were the one who made that pic. I just reworded it a bit to suppress my negative feeling of my car :P

Edited October 13, 200520 yr by ToniCipriani

Yup... I thought you used it to good humor in your sig. :D

For those who have not seen these:

MMmmm thats a mighty fine Prelude.

Duh, you guys, it's only a moonroof at night.

Duh, you guys, it's only a moonroof at night.

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i tried making a moonroof... but it stayed even in the sun!!!! SOMEONE HELP ME

Technically, a sunroof is a metal panel that allows light in only when opened, a moonroof is a glass panel.

Yup... I thought you used it to good humor in your sig. :D

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Well that too... :)

Technically, a sunroof is a metal panel that allows light in only when opened, a moonroof is a glass panel.

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Yeah, you basically beat me to it.....a moonroof gives you the ability to look up in any kind of weather....sunroofs are for dry, warm enough conditions ONLY.

But yeah, my preference on two-doors is a targa top....even the bar in the middle is gone, and there's nothing cooler....in this side curtain airbag world, however, we can't have that kind of fun anymore (the crap we have to go thru to protect ourselves from people who can't drive SUVs).

The 911 Targa (pick a generation, any generation) is one of the vehicles I aspire to own. An old, beta up one or one of the new ones with the sliding glass panel, either way, yo quiero.

I've never really cared for Targas or T-Tops..too much work to take the panels off and stow them. My Jeep has a moonroof (retractable glass panel) and my BMW has a metal retractable sunroof). I open them frequently when it's not too warm or cold out... I love convertibles also..

eh who cares t-tops are better or a targa