should i order the sunroof?

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pastyboy

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2014
Messages
56
Location
South west UK
I have ordered a Rex (if I can be brothered to wait for the Oct delivery) and cannot decide whether to spec the sunroof. My thought is that in the summer it will let hot air out on those rare hot sunny days, but it will add weight and cause drag (so useless on the longer faster runs on the motorway of 130 miles each way). Is the air-con sufficient or will it take too much power, especially if stuck in a queue for an hour on a hot day?

330Ci
R1200RT
I3 Rex eventually
 
You are going to save so much fuel over your 330Ci. My other half has the same which will be handed down when the i3 arrives.

We didn't go for the sun roof. Used to have it in Vauxhalls and have never missed it when switching to bimmers. UK based.
 
Ross said:


Lol... no here to ... but this is the UK. . How many hot days do we get which can make use of a sunroof. About 2 days per year? Then there is a surprise shower out of nowhere and you get a drenching... i opted no... but it does look neat.. and you get a few extra buttons to press.
 
I am UK based. When I borrowed one and did about 200 miles in a day it was quite warm, even in April and I needed to use the air con. If that was the case in April I wondered what it would be like in July. My last tin top was an Alpia with a sunroof and I opened it at every opportunity. Thanks for all the comments. Maybe I will just invest it in the Harmon Kardon. I have got it in the 330 and it is brilliant. I found the standard system a little weak, especially on low volume, or am I just getting deaf?
 
pastyboy said:
I found the standard system a little weak, especially on low volume, or am I just getting deaf?
Nope, it's not brill. I'd go for the HK before the sunroof if it's a choice between the two.
 
I have the sunroof on a BEV i3. On the one or two sunny days we had since early April I'd say the aircon is a bit puny so opening up the top lets out the hot air a bit quicker. The car is also much lighter inside and there are blinds to give shade if necessary. The roof doesn't open very far though. Overall I like it.

Fred
 
pastyboy said:
I am UK based. When I borrowed one and did about 200 miles in a day it was quite warm, even in April and I needed to use the air con. If that was the case in April I wondered what it would be like in July. My last tin top was an Alpia with a sunroof and I opened it at every opportunity. Thanks for all the comments. Maybe I will just invest it in the Harmon Kardon. I have got it in the 330 and it is brilliant. I found the standard system a little weak, especially on low volume, or am I just getting deaf?

I'd say if you've had a sun roof in the past and used it at every opportunity then go for it. If like me you've had one in the past and never used it, then no.

Bill
 
I've never had a sunroof but always fancied the panoramic roofs that are available now, so I did order the sunroof. When I realised that the is roof was split to two port holes, heavier, and slightly more drag I was prepared to cancel however, I kept it and drove it today for the first time and am happy that I stuck with it. I think it will come into its own once the sun comes out.
 
Indeed the sun did come out yesterday which made the cabin pretty warm. I was just about to put the air con on but remembered that I had a sun roof. It was spot on, released the hot air and filled the cab with fresh air. There was a bit more wind noise and I think that the mesh wind break will collect some insects but I'm well pleased with it.
 
Thanks BoMW - they always generate a bit of noise, but I expect it is more noticeable in a near silent car. I am finalising the order on 17 May (dealer says it won't affect the ridiculously long delivery time) and will probably add the roof, along with HK, sun protection glass and the park assist, which I did not want but her indoors thinks will be helpful, because neither of us can see the front and they won't let you have front sensors without a hugely expensive package. We already have the professional nav (just missed the freebie), winter pack, DC Prep (we will be doing Bristol to Plymouth several times a year, so hope Ecotricity put those fast chargers in to the services by October) and 428 wheels. I would have liked the cruise control to be intelligent (i.e. slow down when a car gets in the way and speed up after, but refuse to pay £790 for the driver assist package just to get the sensor that other manufacturers provide with their cruise systems. I think they would sell far more if they made the various extras available separately instead of in stupid packages that contain things you don't want.

Really jealous that you have taken delivery - we have been told October (from mid March). Enjoy the sunshine!
 
Pastyboy, I completely understand about paying for overpriced items. The park assist plus which gives you adaptive cruise, can only be added if you upgrade your interior, so in addition to the £790, you have to find an extra £1000. I really wanted the adap C but not keen on a light interior so I stupidly went for leather, another £2000 extra :(.
I did drive yesterday with the adaptive on and I was pleased with its operation.

I'm lucky to have had an April delivery, I managed to hijack a December order in January, I changed the spec completely and then changed it again in March which did not effect the delivery date. My dealer was desperate to register the car in April's sales quota (i was waiting for my private plate to become available) and offered me a free charging cable and reduced credit card fees, a total freebie of £435! :)
 
This quote comes from another forum, it's quoting a Swedish review:

"The equipment list includes a sunroof which the I3 developers however advise against because it adds quite a lot of weight on top of a car where you worked hard to get the center of gravity low."

Something to consider...and since the body "life" cell is so much lighter than a conventional car, the moonroof may add a disproportionate amount of weight, also at a higher than average point in relation to the car's centre of gravity.

I would still order it, but it looks like it will add more body roll, among perhaps other handling detriments.
 
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