Sunroof Vs Moonroof

Many people often wonder what is the primary difference between a sunroof, and a moonroof, as these two words are often used interchangeably and has led to a lot of confusion. In the automobile industry today, there is no significant difference between the two as they are both used to describe the same thing.

Literally speaking, a sunroof simply refers to a sliding or venting opening in the roof of the automobile right above the rear passenger seats. It can be opened to allow air and sunlight to enter the rear passenger area, and over the years it has become synonymous with some high-end luxury cars. In fact, a lot of vehicles have begun to adopt this concept as well, as it is quite an attractive feature from the customer's point of view.

In the 70's, moonroof was a term used to describe these very openings. Today's market does not differentiate between the two terms and they are taken to mean one and the same thing. In a sense, one could say that moonroofs are simply a type of sunroof. By definition and by industry norms, sunroofs are opaque and can be operated either manually or electronically, depending upon the model of the vehicle. Moonroofs, on the other hand, are not opaque but are glass panels that are always electronically operated. Thus the main difference between sunroof and moonroof is the way it is operated, manually or electronically.

In Depth...

During the 1970s people started getting the idea of putting a panel up on the roof that could be opened at will. Since this was not a feature that was provided by the manufacturers of vehicles, they would put a panel in the roof themselves. Inadvertently, these were either metallic panels or highly opaque panels that could be operated only manually.

The trend soon caught on and the manufacturers of vehicles decided to install these sliding roofs for the benefit of people. Initially the technology to operate these electronically was not available so all the roofs were operated manually. Pretty soon the design became more and more popular, and the features became more and more advanced. The material of the sunroof, the way to operate it, and the size and location of it, all started becoming standardized and common. The more advanced versions were made of glass and other materials, and as a sign of their advancement, they began to be called moonroofs.

Around 1973, the American Sunroof Company (now known as American Specialty Cars) made the first official moonroof. As mentioned before, this was simply a sunroof made of glass, and electronically operated. Ford used this in one of their vehicles and they have not looked back since then. The difference between the two has become lost in translation now, and not many people use them in the right context anymore.

The sunroof is usually opaque, so they are almost always heavily tinted. As a result they let in no air or light as long as they are kept shut. On the contrary, the moonroof can let in light if the fabric covered panel of it is opened through the electronic controls on the vehicle. Another interesting thing about this feature is something known as the 'panoramic sunroof'. This is a sliding roof that covers the entire span of the top of the vehicle instead of just a small square or rectangular area, and it looks quite magnificent when it is entirely open.

Hopefully this would have solved your dilemma, as the differences between the two are quite simple to comprehend. It does not really make that mush of a difference anyhow, as today both pretty much mean the same thing, as almost all sunroofs are made of glass today and are electronically operated.