Just about to order my car and im undecided which to go for, cant find decent pics of the elec sunroof open etc and ive tried one with the fixed roof still not sure if the head rooms tight or its my mind playing tricks as it seems my heads quite close compared to the normal roof, im 5ft 11 so not overly tall, any opinions folks or should i just go for a normal metal roof? oh its a campovolo grey abarth im going for so wasnt sure how the glass roof would look on it either.
General fixed glass roof or elec sunroof
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General fixed glass roof or elec sunroof
i think on a plus note the abarth comes with a black headlining which is a significant improvement on the one on the other models, i went for the lounge based on its fixed roof as the headlining was the only bit inside that really let the car down (yes i know i could have specced it on a sport)
i think the glass roof does add something to the 500 be it fixed or electric in terms of its visualimpact
i'm the same height and realy liked the impression it gave, however, i'm not a huge fan of opening sunroofs given issues i have had in the past on other cars
i think the glass roof does add something to the 500 be it fixed or electric in terms of its visualimpact
i'm the same height and realy liked the impression it gave, however, i'm not a huge fan of opening sunroofs given issues i have had in the past on other cars
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Head room should be fine but sit in one to be sure (do you have short stubby legs and a long body?). Also, do the Abarth chairs sit lower than standard 500 ones?
Beyond that it is mostly down to cost/benefit analysis, personal choice and if you worry about leaks (which I wouldn't).
Edit: do go for one or other though - the light that it brings in transforms the car (in my view). Probably even more so with the black headlining that Wigit mentions. And it looks good from outside open or closed.
Beyond that it is mostly down to cost/benefit analysis, personal choice and if you worry about leaks (which I wouldn't).
Edit: do go for one or other though - the light that it brings in transforms the car (in my view). Probably even more so with the black headlining that Wigit mentions. And it looks good from outside open or closed.
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I don't think you can spec it on the 500 other than if you buy an Abarth.
It was a lounge i sat in and it had a light coloured interior which helped make it much brighter but i didnt sit long enough to get a good idea on head room, the seats seem the same height in the abarth as the lounge but i just got the feeling i was close to the roof, maybe me and not being used to a sunroof for ages. Im guessing from what your both saying is that the fixed roof is identical to the electric in size so i wouldnt be losing out on light if i opted for one over the other?
In terms of size they're the same, but with the opening roof you lose headroom. I'm 5'10" and headroom is not a problem in a lounge
Ah thanks for that, hmm dilemma time now as i want to go order it today, had a test drive last night but it was too late to get deal sorted which i was pleased at as it gave me time to think over whether to go for the roof or not.
I seem to remember someone mentioning on the forum that the electric roof takes up more headroom than the fixed glass so best to check out properly before you order to avoid disappointment (and a sore neck!)
The car definitely feels more spacious with a glass roof. It's one of the toys I wish I could have on my Panda.
On an air conditioned car, I'd say your choice depends on whether you like driving with the roof open.
I had a Ford Ka with an electric sunroof and A/C for 10 years and in the whole of that time I doubt if I drove with the sunroof open on more than a dozen occasions, so for me the opening roof would be a waste of £££. I'd definitely want the fixed glass one, though, for the reason above.
With the fixed glass roof, you can gain another half inch or so of headroom if you pull the blind back.
On an air conditioned car, I'd say your choice depends on whether you like driving with the roof open.
I had a Ford Ka with an electric sunroof and A/C for 10 years and in the whole of that time I doubt if I drove with the sunroof open on more than a dozen occasions, so for me the opening roof would be a waste of £££. I'd definitely want the fixed glass one, though, for the reason above.
With the fixed glass roof, you can gain another half inch or so of headroom if you pull the blind back.
sorry i meant speccing the glass roof on sport not headlining to clear up any confusion
i know this sounds daft but in the heat of the moment on test drives you never get an ideal position, on my first which felt a bit rushed the drivers seat felt a little high, on my second from dealer i bought from i was a bit more relaxed and spent a bit of time lowering and adjusting the seating position
Hmmm i did that too when i had the sunroof, never really opened it, maybe a little tilt but mostly used it for letting light into the cabin. Yeah noticed that when the blind was back it made a bit of a difference, might be the one to go for then.
I never knew you could lower the seat in them, i thought mine was a bit too high, i just thought it was the norm as the gearstick is up on the dash slightly and you always read nowadays about cars seating positions being a tad high, will have to have another sit in one now and try and lower the seat, its looking like i will most prob go for the fixed roof then, will sit in the lounge they have and try lowering the seat, that should make up my mind. Thanks for all the replys and advice
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It's more of a tilt than a lower.
agreed robin, but worth spending some time on wheel adjustment and seat position including rake on back rest if your going in to buy to make sure its for you
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Oh yes, I totally agree - in fact the seating position of the 500 is typically Italian Orang Utan (to the point where a friend of mine did not buy one as he could not get comfortable) so it is worth having a fiddle. I just didn't want the OP to have too high expectations of the complexity of the seat machanism...
wreckmaster
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I chose the opening skydome roof and have not regreted once in 2 1/2 years I drive withthe roof open often. On country roads I have it all open and on motorways I have it on tilt, because of the noise So as long as you fit in the car( not too tall) I would absolutely recomend you to buy the skydome
I drive withthe roof open often. On country roads I have it all open and on motorways I have it on tilt, because of the noise So as long as you fit in the car( not too tall) I would absolutely recomend you to buy the skydome- Joined
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When I had the Sport I never missed the roof. But from seating in a LOT of 500s last month I found you sit higher in the Lounge than the Sport. The half leather seat allow you to seat lower in the car. That said when I sat in a 'by diesel' model which is a mix of the lounge and the sport spec that had a retractable roof I found my hair touching off the edge of the sunroof. Now I'm only 5' 9'' but have a long body with short legs (!)
I love the glass window roof but you really need to spec Climate to keep a handle on the yo yoing temperature at a hot day.
I would also love to have an opening sunroof and judging from a previous thread they're impossible to retrofit.
If you can afford the extra dosh and you're not more than Maxi's height and you're keeping the car for 3 years I would go for it.
I love the glass window roof but you really need to spec Climate to keep a handle on the yo yoing temperature at a hot day.
I would also love to have an opening sunroof and judging from a previous thread they're impossible to retrofit.
If you can afford the extra dosh and you're not more than Maxi's height and you're keeping the car for 3 years I would go for it.
If I were you I'd go for the opening sunroof, definitely.
The opening sunroof robs a bit more headroom than the fixed glass one but if you are going to be the driver you should* be okay with the headroom, and anyway the seat can be lowered.
I had a similar dilemma – I really wanted the opening roof but my other half is 6 ft 2 and he would mainly be in the passenger seat which cannot be lowered. So we went to sit in one to check the headroom and his head was kind of slightly brushing the roof (exactly as multispoke mentions above) – we probably could've got away with it, but I thought if we went over a bump he would hit the roof and it might be annoying. I didn't really like the feeling of being near the roof either, but I think I'd have got used to that.
I decided against the fixed glass roof because though it was fine height-wise I thought it might make the interior of the car a bit hotter on a warm day, and that it would always bug me that it couldn't open – I am not an aircon fan (though thankfully I have it thanks to the kind advice of these forum people!).
So I have the solid roof car which is great for me, I think it looks better (on the outside), but if headroom was no issue I'd certainly have the opening roof.
I just saw what mutispoke wrote - that the models differ because of the different seats - the car we tried out with the sunroof was a Lounge model, so maybe its different in other models - I guess the only way to really know is to try out one that's exactly the same as what you might order?!
*As others have mentioned, I guess it really does depend if you have longer legs or longer body - my sister-in-law is 5ft 9 and her head practically touches the roof in the passenger seat of my solid-roof 500, so you never can tell!
The opening sunroof robs a bit more headroom than the fixed glass one but if you are going to be the driver you should* be okay with the headroom, and anyway the seat can be lowered.
I had a similar dilemma – I really wanted the opening roof but my other half is 6 ft 2 and he would mainly be in the passenger seat which cannot be lowered. So we went to sit in one to check the headroom and his head was kind of slightly brushing the roof (exactly as multispoke mentions above) – we probably could've got away with it, but I thought if we went over a bump he would hit the roof and it might be annoying. I didn't really like the feeling of being near the roof either, but I think I'd have got used to that.
I decided against the fixed glass roof because though it was fine height-wise I thought it might make the interior of the car a bit hotter on a warm day, and that it would always bug me that it couldn't open – I am not an aircon fan (though thankfully I have it thanks to the kind advice of these forum people!).
So I have the solid roof car which is great for me, I think it looks better (on the outside), but if headroom was no issue I'd certainly have the opening roof.
I just saw what mutispoke wrote - that the models differ because of the different seats - the car we tried out with the sunroof was a Lounge model, so maybe its different in other models - I guess the only way to really know is to try out one that's exactly the same as what you might order?!
*As others have mentioned, I guess it really does depend if you have longer legs or longer body - my sister-in-law is 5ft 9 and her head practically touches the roof in the passenger seat of my solid-roof 500, so you never can tell!
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