Hyundai invented panoramic sunroof airbags and now I'm wondering if maybe panoramic sunroofs are death traps

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 01/02/2018 at 10:56 • Filed to: None

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I love sunroofs. The only car I’ve owned without a sunroof was a Miata. While I haven’t owned a car with a panoramic sunroof, I like panoramic sunroofs, because a bigger sunroof is obviously better than a smaller sunroof. Except, maybe, having a movable glass panel over your head in a crash isn’t safe?

Hyundai’s in-house parts division Hyundai Mobis just announced that they’ve invented and patented a panoramic sunroof airbag. They also put out this video.

According to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ,

When the vehicle is overturned, the airbag is deployed in 0.08 seconds, preventing passengers from being thrown out of the car through the roof.

As the sunroof airbag prevents the passenger from spilling from the car in a rollover accident, it can reduce the risk of sustaining serious injuries. In a road test using dummies, when the airbag was deployed, it prevented the passenger from being flung out of the car and cushioned the impact on the head. Serious injuries likely to result in the death of the passenger were reduced to minor injuries.

Wait a minute Hyundai Mobis, are you meaning to tell me that cars with panoramic sunroofs but no panoramic sunroof airbags can cause serious injuries likely to result in the death of the passenger? Because, uh, I like sunroofs, especially big ones, but I also don’t like serious injuries likely to result in my death.

Panoramic sunroof cost/benefit analysis:

PRO:

Bright, open feeling interior

More wind in my scalp with it open

CON:

Costs money

Higher center of gravity which is less good for track days, bro

Potential serious injuries likely to result in the death of the passenger

Hyundai Mobis doesn’t have a timeline of when cars will start getting these panoramic sunroof airbags, or which cars will get them, or since Hyundai Mobis patented them, if any non-Hyundai/Kia brands are going to buy them. But they’re on their way at some point.

It’s almost as if the car companies who are all selling us panoramic sunroofs decided that they could come up with a feature that sunroof-loving consumers would gladly pay a couple extra thousand dollars for without stopping to think if maybe there was a downside other than negatively impacting trackdaybros.

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 11:16

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Problem solved.

Textured Soy Protein > Party-vi 01/02/2018 at 11:18

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But what if the dummies in the test were wearing their seatbelts?

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 11:20

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One of the first panoramic roof vehicles I remember is the early ‘00s C230 Kompressor hatchback. Beautiful car, loved the way they looked.

Had one get towed into the shop from a rollover at speed on the Baltimore beltway in ‘03 or so. One quick stroll around the vehicle and a peek inside, and I determined I’d never own anything with a panoramic roof. Structurally, it held up well (roof didn’t collapse into cabin).

What did it for me was the amount of broken glass still inside after rolling over, sliding down the beltway, passenger extraction by rescue squad, and tow/recovery rolling back over onto it’s wheels and dragging it to me.

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 11:21

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If the dummies had on seatbelts you could make the airbag out of dildos and they would still be fine.

If they were wearing seatbelts in the test above, then Hyundai needs to figure out why their seatbelts aren’t working.

ivnic8 > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 11:22

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I find this discussion interesting. I don’t like sunroofs, and it is a royal pain in the butt to get a new vehicle without them. So, what are the problems with sunroofs?

1 - They leak - While all the cars that I have owned with sunroofs have never leaked, I have many friends’ that have had problems.

2 - They break - let’s talk about an expensive fix, for a non-essential part of a car.

3 - They are expensive - I just bought a new Explorer. While the dual moon roof is an option, it is very difficult to find a well optioned car without them (the option is $1700)

4 - Adding weight, high on a vehicle, is bad - sunroof/mechanism/added structure weigh more than the metal/headliner that it replaces

5 - They reduce structural strength - cutting a hole in the roof of your vehicle will reduce the structural integrity of the vehicle.

6 - sunburn on the top of your head SUCKS!

The Explorer is for my wife (she didn’t want the sunroofs either). I currently drive a Focus RS without a sunroof.

I would be interested in seeing how the OPPO community feels about sunroofs.

facw > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 11:23

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Then presumably they wouldn’t go flying? Couldn’t see the driver’s side, but I definitely didn’t notice any belt on the passenger side dummy. Presumably being ejected from the sunroof is no more likely than being ejected from a Miata, or any other convertible with shoulder belts.

bob and john > ivnic8 01/02/2018 at 11:28

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I like it. Makes the car feel a lot more open. And I only use the car when I really cant use my motorcycle.

if I’m buying a car: I dont care if it has it or not. I’m not going to say no to a car because it has/doesnt have it.

Would I personally option it? on some cars yes, not on all cars.

fintail > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 11:29

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I love pano on my E, and although not a deal breaker, it is an option I prefer - it really adds light to typically dark and dreary German interiors, and helps brighten things up a bit on dreary PNW days. The odds of an E rolling appear to be so slim, and the horror stories virtually non-existent, that I’ll roll the dice.

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Party-vi 01/02/2018 at 11:30

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Finally, a solution for how to kill time while waiting for emergency personnel and tow trucks.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ivnic8 01/02/2018 at 11:35

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I am not a fan for many of the reasons you mention, but one reason you did not: additional glare on the instrument panel from the sun streaming in from above. It’s especially bad on the touch screens which become unreadable at best, a source of blinding glare at worst. I’ve had several rentals with panoramic roofs and ended up driving them all with the roof closed.

facw > ivnic8 01/02/2018 at 11:43

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I love sunroofs and would never buy a car without one (except a convertible).

I’ve never had one leak, though my understanding is that most leaks are easily fixed by blowing out the drain tubes.

They are expensive, and expensive to fix (I’ve never had to have repairs, though the sunroof motor on my parent’s awful ‘95 Taurus did need to be replaced), but for me it is well worth it.

I love the light, it makes the car feel much less cramped, and I love driving with the roof open to get more of a breeze.

Spanfeller is a twat > Party-vi 01/02/2018 at 11:56

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Oh party, always the voice of calm and reason...

Party-vi > Spanfeller is a twat 01/02/2018 at 12:04

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#fact

BigBlock440 > ivnic8 01/02/2018 at 12:16

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I bought a used car with one,the price was right ($800). I never had any water intrusion while driving, but I’d wind up with a lap full of water if I backed out of a parking space too quickly after a rain. I also left it closed aside from opening it once or twice to see if it worked. Colder in the winter, hotter in the summer, wetter in rain, what’s not to like?

Quadradeuce > ivnic8 01/02/2018 at 12:25

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They also reduce headroom. As someone who is 6'5", this is more than just a preference. For instance, when we bought our 500, I couldn’t fit in it with the sunroof. I was fine without. So that limited our options greatly.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 12:37

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I feel like cars with sunroofs are like paddle shifted automatics. They function sort of the same as the real thing (a manual) but just do not give the full experience. Might as well just choose between a convertible or a car with a roof. This compromise thing is a cool idea but has all the downsides of compromising. Ive just found sunroofs to be kind of gimmicky, just like paddle shifters. Of course some convertibles are also a further compromise of the car’s structural rigidity and/or weight but at least you get a real top down experience rather than just a windy hole in your roof.

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/02/2018 at 12:45

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Good paddle shifters aren’t a substitute for a manual but they are a viable option if you don’t want to have to physically manipulate a clutch and shifter all the time, but still want a responsive manual mode some of the time.

A sunroof is not a substitute for a convertible but it does make a closed-roof car feel more open without the compromises that come with a convertible.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 12:57

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Well thats where I make the comparison. Both are not really a suitable substitute for the other, but both provide kind of the same experience if you arent picky about it. Along with trying to eliminate the downsides of the real thing. In the end, both suck and I would rather just pick the real thing either way.

On the other hand, I’d rather have a good torque converter automatic the same as I would rather just have a solid roof car vs something in between. I find T-tops to be a better compromise than a sunroof. Still not quite a convertible but also way better than a sunroof. Although they usually leak even more lol.

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 01/02/2018 at 13:16

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Sometimes a compromise is necessary. I’ve done the 2 car thing before and it’s not practical right now. I also DD’ed a Miata for 4 years and that is also not practical right now.

So I “settle” for my 335xi with awd, a bunch of mods, and yes a sunroof, which is a good year-round car. Now that I fixed my annoying interior rattles and swapped my shitty Kumho PS91 summer tires for my Michelin PA4 winter tires it almost feels like a luxury car, albeit one with a stiff-ish ride and a loud exhaust. I’m going to have to get some better summer tires in a few months to preserve the civility of the winter tires. Stupid PS91s.

My 335xi is a stick, but my 135is was a DCT and I liked it. I picked that car because at the time I was so sick of my prematurely rusting, every-rattle-in-the-world Mazdaspeed 6, and also kind of bored of shifting all the time. I was planning to drive it year round but then 6 months later decided I was going to get my Grand Cherokee for winter rather than spend 4 figures on a set of winter wheels & tires for a leased car. Maybe if I planned on 2 cars from the beginning I would’ve chosen some other fun car. Oh well.

I went back to stick with my 335xi because it’s not a rustbucket Mazda and (now) it doesn’t rattle like crazy. It’s just enough refinement for me. But if I lived somewhere with similar winter weather, had to commute in a bunch of stop-n-go traffic, and had to stick with 1 car, I would probably get something with a good paddle-shifted automatic, whether it was a DCT or torque converter.

Btw, and I feel like I’ve been telling a lot of people on Oppo this lately: just because you don’t like something, doesn’t mean it sucks. It’s one thing if you don’t like an entire category of a thing like a sunroof or automatic transmission. But there are such thing as good or bad sunroofs or automatic transmissions, even if you don’t personally like them.

Textured Soy Protein > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/02/2018 at 13:33

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All you have to do to make the glare go away is close the shade. The glare only happens at certain times of day when the sun is at certain angles. Even in cold-ass Wisconsin winter, I prefer having the light coming in from above with the shade open, but if glare starts to bug me, I close the shade.

My wife is more sensitive to glare than me and often she’ll be riding in the car and want the shade closed when I feel totally fine about it.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 13:54

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Yup, the “good and bad” versions of both are especially important. I think I am especially salty since most paddle shifted automatics I have driven have just been absolute crap. Or in the automatic Z4 that I drove, the regular automatic mode was so good that the paddles just seemed pointless. But yeah I agree that in some cases a sunroof can be pretty cool and makes sense for some people. I understand that they do not just universally suck. I nearly bought a car with one, it would have been pretty cool I suppose.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 13:54

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When designing a car with a panoramic sunroof, they should understand and mitigate for glare off the instrument panels when the roof is un- shaded. It seems to me that the people designing the dash don’t take into consideration the possibility of sunlight streaming in from the roof. That tells me that panoramic sunroofs are little more than an afterthought in the overall design.

Textured Soy Protein > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/02/2018 at 14:07

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You want to talk about stupid glare-inducing design? Allow me to show you the shiny-ass wood dash option on the designed-as-a-convertible BMW Z4.

Even the usual brushed aluminum trim is pretty bad with the top down on a sunny day.

The only way to fix the problem is with the optional carbon fiber patterned leather trim on the Z4 M.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 14:20

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This does not earn kudos for automotive interior designers.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 19:22

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Yes, cause a big piece of glass as your roof is a good thing...

Though you could just not roll your car.

MichaelGauby > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2018 at 23:42

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Now you have me afraid of rollovers in my non airbag sunroofed sedan. Better take it easy.  

MINIGTI > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/03/2018 at 08:36

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I’ve never had trouble reading the displays in the MINI, even with sun blasting right on them. Prius my parents used to have, invisible most of the time. And it didn’t even have a sun roof.

TheRealBicycleBuck > MINIGTI 01/03/2018 at 08:44

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Interior design done right.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Textured Soy Protein 01/03/2018 at 09:45

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My ZHP is the first car I’ve owned that lacks a sun/moon roof. I was (very) mildly concerned about it when I got the car, but now, 5 years on, I don’t miss it. It’s nice having the extra headroom, especially for track days, and I like not having to worry about the sunroof drains getting clogged, which happened on both my e30 & e36 resulting in a wet floor in the backseat after it rained.