Since we finally have been getting weather resembling summer, I decided to crack open our 2010 Volkswagen GTI's sunroof. I LOVE cars with sunroof controls like this -- knobs and markings -- where you can be precise about just how much of the outside you want in. None of this obsessive back and forth with a lever and just a smidge...more..THERE. Nooo! Don't close! Makes control freaks like me very happy. You can even ratchet up how high you want the moonroof to go. Love it.
Sorry about the blurry detailed shot.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 10,209 miles
ptcdawg says:
11:35 AM, 07/29/10
VW controls are nice, but I like my sunroof either open or shut. The venting is nice for helping to keep the car cooler in the sun.
throwback says:
11:43 AM, 07/29/10
You would have loved the manual crank sunroof in my buddy's old BMW.
7driver says:
11:44 AM, 07/29/10
I vaguely remember when I was a kid my dad's GTI had a manual sunroof that you had to open/shut yourself directly by hand. How's that for ultimate control?
bc1960 says:
11:50 AM, 07/29/10
Even better, the first manual sliding roofs were canvas, or later, vinyl. Even into the 1980s the Renault 5 aka Le Car had such a roof.
lostboyz says:
11:55 AM, 07/29/10
thats a really small sunroof
tmanz says:
12:08 PM, 07/29/10
saw that switch on a test drive last weekend. Thought it was kinda cool.
justinlink says:
12:08 PM, 07/29/10
i've never had the 'nudge nudge miss my favorite position' problem with my sunroof. then again, i usually prefer 'open' or 'closed'. as long as there's an auto-open auto-closed option, i'm good.
gsarngad says:
12:12 PM, 07/29/10
It does open a bit more than that. You have to turn the knob past the last stop and hold it for it to go the last part of the way. I used the sunroof most days this spring, and my only complaint is that you have to crack the windows a bit or there is a weird unpleasant sort of resonance thing that happens around 40 mph. I think it could use one of those pop up wind deflectors they have in a lot of cars.
06scooby says:
12:45 PM, 07/29/10
I've always liked VW's control for their sunroofs. If you want it all the way open, you just max out the knob and it opens all the way... or you turn it to a spot in between and it just goes there. It's really handy!
tmanz says:
12:49 PM, 07/29/10
the pop up wind deflectors help some but the full ones that go on the outside do an amazing job.
caroscuro says:
01:08 PM, 07/29/10
gsarngad,
I think that annoying resonance thing happens with most if not all cars. At least it has for every non-convertible vehicle I've been in.
audisport says:
01:46 PM, 07/29/10
That is a pretty small sunroof. Makes the one in the A4 seem downright big.
jli585 says:
02:29 PM, 07/29/10
I'm with others on this one. I use my sunroof in one of 3 settings: open, shut, or vent.
caroscuro says:
03:09 PM, 07/29/10
jli585,
I like having many options! :)
bimmerjay says:
05:31 PM, 07/29/10
"It does open a bit more than that. You have to turn the knob past the last stop and hold it for it to go the last part of the way. I used the sunroof most days this spring, and my only complaint is that you have to crack the windows a bit or there is a weird unpleasant sort of resonance thing that happens around 40 mph. I think it could use one of those pop up wind deflectors they have in a lot of cars."
The reason you have to turn the knob past the last stop and hold it is that you're bypassing the maximum open position that prevents the resonance. That's why it has that last stop. The resonance happens on most cars with sunroofs if you do this.
ptcdawg says:
07:23 PM, 07/29/10
No resonance on my car when it's wide open...
allthingshonda says:
08:36 PM, 07/29/10
Who opens a sunroof partially? Everyone I have ever met usually opens it all the way or leaves it closed. The best sunroof control I have used was in a Mitusbishi Galant. One switch simple logic push back auto open, push forward close, push up and it raised to tilt position, pull down and it lowered back to closed position.
majin_ssj_eric says:
10:44 PM, 07/29/10
I love the knob-style aproach of our IS350 as well (though the new ones use a switch)...
jacton says:
07:05 AM, 07/30/10
You guys must be living under a rock. VAG has been doing this for so many years now. I'll bet the long term A4 Avant has it, hell my 2003 A4 had this same feature!