dusty Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 hi, new to the forums, i am very close to buying a cmax. [ i was thinking about a escape SEL, but the recalls and the lower mpg bother me] , i have been waiting to see the real world mpg and other thoughts by new owners. since i do most city driving, i think the high mpg numbers will be realistic.... the car is very nice to drive. i am going to buy a SEL, with the sync. anyone have the glass roof? what do you think, since it doesnt open? [ in so.cal. my other sunroofs were almost always open for the calif sun.... do you miss not being able to open the glass?... is it worth another 1000 buckys for that piece of glass? thats the only thing holding me back now. i will miss the open roof, but i know in hybrids, a sunroof will cut down on final MPG.... thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgentCMAX Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hi Dusty, I have the SEL model w/ glass roof. I like it a lot. It adds more light into the vehicle (especially on cloudy days like lately!). My kids love it too. I have own cars in the past with sliding moon/sun roof as well as a T-Top. Personally, I don't miss not being able to open it. I rather like it because I get the light w/o the wind noise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMS13 Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I have a SEL w/ 302A package and the glass roof. The glass roof really lightens ups the interior by letting the sun light in. Haven't tried it at night about sky watching. My wife thinks it is worth the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CassidyB Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I love it at night.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I've got a huge panoramic sunroof in my current Jetta Sportwagen, but I almost never open the glass. It's nice to quickly vent the heat out on a hot day, but I close it as soon as I'm moving at any speed. I went ahead and asked for the sunroof on my pending Energi, mostly so I and my passengers can enjoy more light and a better view of the sky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaners Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 We have it on our car but only because we bought the car out of dealer stock. I would never have considered ordering a car with it. Now that we have had the car a month it is actually pretty nice because it makes the car feel much larger than it really is. The power sunshade in the summer will be nice too since it will block alot of the suns heat. I am glad I bought off the lot now and didn't order now... Fits2at 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I too have a panoramic glass roof on my current car, and I'll echo what the others said about liking how it brightens the car. Like the others, I don't drive around with it open very often, and I close it as soon as I'm going very fast. Is it worth it? For $1200, probably not. I ordered my car with it but I'll admit that it's probably not the smartest spending decision I've ever made. For me, I can afford it and I want it, so I got it. But if I was stretching to buy the car or financing a large part of it, I would skip the pano roof. $1200 is a lot of money. One thing that I was concerned about with my current car was whether the glass roof lets in a lot of heat. I live in an area where the sun shines all the time, but it turns out that this was not a big deal. The glass they use nowadays is really effectively tinted to block heat without being overly dark. And the sun shade is pretty effective, too. Heat and glare has not been any kind of issue for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLdr1 Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Almost every car I've owned has had a sunroof I never opened, except to see if it worked, so the Panoramic Roof is just fine for my needs.. Is it worth $1200? That depends on what you want...I like how it lightens up the interior. I agree with shaners it seems to make the cabin area "feel" larger... I had my Panoramic Roof tinted the same as the windows and now I enjoy the extra light it lets in...without the UV concerns and glare now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNCGeek Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 (edited) A couple things to consider with the sunroof - if you plan on getting a roof rack, it would be wise to verify the load capacity with the sunroof option. I have a co-worker who did not order the roof on his Escape because it dramatically cut the load capacity of the roof. The other consideration I'd have is if the sunroof will change the crashworthyness of the vehicle - I hope they crash test it with and without the sunroof, but I kind'a doubt that will happen. The only test I've seen so far was the EU version and it did pretty good, but they used a stock C-max. Edited December 7, 2012 by CNCGeek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dusty Posted December 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 hi, thanks for all the reply's being in so.cal. we have sun and warm 300 days a year, so the temptation for a open sunroof is great. but the trade off of getting at least 40 mpg is the thing, as my explorer gets around 15, so i will forgo the roof, and enjoy passing all those gas stations, and all those pokey prius'!.... la to sf on one tank sounds really great to me...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 Dusty I wasn't going to get it, but changed my order two days later and ordered it. Love it! Nice and airy looking and makes the interior seem lots bigger than the demo we drove without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdefny Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 I got my Energi off the lot and had to take the roof or leave the car. I took the car and the roof and so far I am enjoying both. If you can afford the roof you probably won't be sorry you got it. Unless, as CNCGeek mentions, it affects crashworthiness or loading. I am not sure where to find that information right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhackwyatt Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 I live in Phoenix and decided against the sun roof. Seems to me that it would allow even more heat in :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScooterS Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 I'm like zhackwyatt. I'm in Austin. It is hot as He!! here in the summer. I don't need the light, I need the ventillation. Although I've had a roof in every one of my cars over the past couple of decades, I decided against it for this one. I couldn't see spendng $1200 for an immovable piece of plastic. If I lived in a cooler "Grayer" area, I might go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrelld Posted December 13, 2012 Report Share Posted December 13, 2012 I'm like zhackwyatt. I'm in Austin. It is hot as He!! here in the summer. I don't need the light, I need the ventillation. Although I've had a roof in every one of my cars over the past couple of decades, I decided against it for this one. I couldn't see spendng $1200 for an immovable piece of plastic. If I lived in a cooler "Grayer" area, I might go for it.Same here in Dallas, getting hotter every summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfruth Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 How about theft, that is my big concern - could a car thief use a bat and break it, is it flimsy ? (I don't leave anything valuable in sight) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valkraider Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 How about theft, that is my big concern - could a car thief use a bat and break it, is it flimsy ? (I don't leave anything valuable in sight) It is not flimsy, it is thick safety glass. However, It is one of 11 windows in the car. I would bet that if someone is taking a bat to a window the ones easy to reach through would probably be their first choice... TxWally 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtberman Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Um yeah. Thieves are too lazy to climb on top of a car and try to break a piece of thick laminated glass where there are thin, easily breakable side windows within easy reach. Heat is not a factor either. In fact, quite the opposite: The glass reflects more heat than a regular metal roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yark99 Posted January 5, 2013 Report Share Posted January 5, 2013 Just drove one with the sunroof-- at last! That's what we ordered, but as we hadn't seen one, I didn't know if I would be happy with the decision, because we hadn't seen one. As others have said, it makes the car feel much more open and light-filled. I like it. IMHO, the big plus is for the folks in back. From the back, it feels like you can see the whole sky, whereas the driver and front passenger just feel the light. I think our kids will be even happier than us! I don't think the cost is a purely rational decision. We're not getting the cheapest car possible (nor the most expensive) and it's more like: does 5% cost increase make me feel like YAY when I get in the car? Yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
har Posted January 8, 2013 Report Share Posted January 8, 2013 Like pan roof as stated by many others lets in large amounts of light. I live in FL. so I'll let you know how hot it becomes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fits2at Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 We bought our SEL 303A package out of dealer stock and it had the glass roof on it. I love it. In the winter time, it helps to warm the interior of the car by letting the sun in. Keeps me from having to use the heater so much. My other cars have had sunroofs which I would use to vent the car but then close once I was up to speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxWally Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 (edited) Just got my C-Max SEL 303A. Not a lot to choose from in the Houston area (come to think of it, haven't seen another on the road). The sunroof was something I originally didn't want if it didn't open being new to TX summers. But it also seems there weren't many around in the Houston area, and I wanted an SEL with the light interior, so I had to get the sunroof. So far, It's ok. My son is enjoying it more than myself. I wouldn't have spent the money, but I didn't let it stop me from getting it. Edited January 30, 2013 by TxWally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamba2000 Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 I have an SEL with the panoramic roof in Phoenix. I like the light and open-ness it provides.Will check on heat intrusion with summer coming, seeing of the rollout power cover blocks any heat. I had a Honda Element with the sunroof in the rear ( quirky car) and it was not deeply tinted, but I found vinyl window film that was non-adhesive to apply which helped on heat transfer. Will use that also in summer on the C-Max if the A/C can't handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhackwyatt Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 I have an SEL with the panoramic roof in Phoenix. I like the light and open-ness it provides.Will check on heat intrusion with summer coming, seeing of the rollout power cover blocks any heat. I had a Honda Element with the sunroof in the rear ( quirky car) and it was not deeply tinted, but I found vinyl window film that was non-adhesive to apply which helped on heat transfer. Will use that also in summer on the C-Max if the A/C can't handle it.Hello neighbor! I would suggest tinting it with a good quality tint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wamba2000 Posted January 31, 2013 Report Share Posted January 31, 2013 Zhack, thanks/ I remember with the Honda there was express warning about not tinting the glass roof. Have not seen anything on other vehicles. Phoenix has unique circumstance compared to other parts of the country, given the intense summers. I will observe this year and see if A/C needs help or not. Where did you get your C-Max? I got one from Power Ford that was inbound, also talked with Sanderson but they did not have stock of what I wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.