How luxurious it is to be able to look up and see the sky above you as you travel across the countryside. Whether it is the increased feeling of space in the cabin, the extra natural light that pours in from above or the extra loud whooshing of air that fills your ears as you're motoring down the highway with the roof open, there is nothing quite like a sunroof.
Back when cars were new, having a top to keep out the rain and sun was a luxury. By the 1920s most cars designed in Britain were fully enclosed yet owners in a land where every second of sunlight was precious still craved having the sun beating down on them. Bentley was among the first UK brands to offer a sliding roof panel in coach-built 'saloons' but it was Hillman that in 1931 made an opening roof optional on its Aero Minx.
While the glass 'moon-roof' which remains popular today was an American invention that first appeared in 1970s Lincolns and other high-specification Fords.
Today, a sunroof is almost an assumed necessity on every top-spec vehicle you can buy or at least an option to tick on the mid-spec variants. While they come in many shapes and sizes, we've turned the dial, flicked the switch, opened up the sky and have listed five cars you can buy on carsales with a large sunroof to let the sun shine in on your next road trip.
The all-electric Jaguar I-Pace stuns not only with its futuristic styling and drivetrain but with its gargantuan glass roof. The full-size, fixed panoramic glass sunroof enhances the sense of space and light, as well as providing uninterrupted views of the surrounding environment.
The toughened glass is also tinted to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the cabin and to protect the passengers as well as the interior materials from the sun’s rays. While not standard, the fixed panoramic roof is a $3,580 option for the car which is priced new at around $150k.
One for the families who love going on long drives. The Hyundai Santa Fe has gone upmarket and offers a massive panoramic sunroof which will definitely help keep the kids off their devices and looking up at the clouds instead.
For a small SUV, the Mercedes-Benz GLB really packs a lot in. Not only does it come with a suite of safety and tech gadgets, but it also has seven seats and a massive dual section sunroof. One for the front passengers and one for the rear.
Who wouldn't want a dual-pane electric panoramic sunroof in their big American pickup truck? The RAM 1500 has space aplenty and the addition of the large glass panoramic roof only adds to this. And with most American exports, bigger is better.
While not really a feature needed to do your job as a tradie, it is a great luxe feature for your weekend plans chauffeuring the family or your mates around.
Want a massive sunroof amongst other must-have luxuries but don't want to pay the price? The Haval Jolion SUV might be the car for you. The decent-sized sunroof reaches both front and rear passengers so no one will miss out on that glorious sunshine from above.