Pano roof or no?

[supratachophobia]

Sun roofs add weight at the worst possible location from a performance stand point.
The Tesla double size glass roof adds 100-150 lbs of weight at the highest point of the car, while many high performance cars like BMW-M series delete the sun roof and use a carbon fiber roof. Something to consider if you order a P90D and you are paying for every 1/10th of a second.

Meh, at most the pano roof would be a 1-2/10th of a second. This is not a track car, it's a performance sedan. Get the sunroof and enjoy the openness of the car.

 

[FlatSix911]

Meh, at most the pano roof would be a 1-2/10th of a second.
This is not a track car, it's a performance sedan. Get the sunroof and enjoy the openness of the car.

Meh, 2/10 tenths of a second is worth $10K if you want to upgrade to ludicrous speed ...

 

[studiojon]

so by that logic, you should spend 1500 for the roof and then 10000 to offset the performance hit. Brilliant.

I agree. Screw it. Go with the roof - the car is much nicer with it (trust me I've had both). Then save the $10000 in ludicrous and the other $10000 in fines from law enforcement that you would have had if you had Ludicrous.......

 

[FequalsMA]

if you're going to be opting for other features, you might as well get the pano roof.
The car does feel a lot more modern and airy.
The only downsides really is the added weight and the possibility of something else breaking.

 

[Lex]

Bottom line now that I have it and know all about it (and the possible foibles of having any sunroof / T-bar targa whatever) is that this car was designed with the panoramic roof, not without it.

And for me the amount of paint to protect is something that must not be understated as the MS paint is sooo shiny and sooo soft. I have new scratches to deal with on the hood which might have been wind debris ugh.

 

[Lex]

(then again it is the less visible roof, I suppose... but soo shiny)

 

[mikeash]

I feel like the car is not complete without the pano roof. It really opens up the interior and makes it feel much larger and brighter. Even if you never open it, it's still great. And the ability to open it on nice days is wonderful too.

Obviously, this is a personal thing and opinions will differ. For me, I wouldn't consider it any other way.

 

[Gizmotoy]

For my usage, the Model S has two must-have options: the pano roof and the power liftgate.

The pano roof sits higher and opens up the cabin, lets nice light in, and is fun to have open in the summer. The effect on cabin temperature seems to be negligible with the dark tint, but you can go darker if desired. If you have tall people riding in the rear seat, the pano roof may be crucial to their comfort for the few extra inches of headroom it provides. Younger kids in carseats sit looking up, and having something to look at seems to help.

I know it adds quite a bit of weight, and in the worst possible place, but I'd order it again in a second.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

The OP goes by soundchaser, so if noise is an issue, and your not over 6' tall, then I'd pass. It adds weight, noise (mine rattles), can leak, and is just one more thing to break. When looking for a CPO, I found a solid roof, all black enterior just the way I wanted, except for a 60Kwh battery - so I passed.

To me the contrast of the all black interior forced the views directly out the windows around me, and I felt more connected to the driving experience. The lack of the roof, and all black interior made it feel very much like a driver's car.

Now that I have a CPO with the pano, I still don't like it (the pano), but everyone else in the family does. So, I'd say try your best to drive both.

 

[BaileyDog12]

I have not had the car for long, but on hot days, I feel the sun coming through the panel roof onto my head and ears. I've thought about getting high quality tint for added protection and heat rejection to see if it helps. But the glass is already quite tempered so it may be overkill. That's my only con.

 

[SDRick]

I am really on the fence on this one. There is no doubt I can feel additional heat and radiation and hear additional wind noise with the glass top. The 17 inch console also is slightly more washed out due to the writer ambient light.

That said, the cool factor and resale pulls me the other way. What to do?

 

[davidc18]

Ours has the pano. It is "noisy" at 75+ but we all love how it opens up the car. I also use it on vent to cool the car at the end of the day with the tesla app. Mine sits in the sun all day while I'm at work and venting the roof along with turning on the a/c cools it down quickly. South Florida.

 

[FlatSix911]

I had a Porsche with the Glass Pano roof ... it was a costly nightmare to repair. YMMV.

 

[mattwhite]

It's personal preference but I decided against it when I configured my P85D. Here are my thoughts:

- Extra weight, to the tune of several hundred lbs in the absolute worst place to add it. Coming from M series BMWs as my daily drivers, I just can't wrap my head around this - the car is heavy enough already. This by itself was enough to make me skip it.
- In a hot climate like exists in Texas, it is definitely going to allow more heat/UV into the interior. Sure you can add the screens but doesn't that defeat the point?
- Many people have reported squeaks, leaks, rattles, etc.
- In the cars that I've owned that had sunroofs (it's been years) I've never opened them.
- It makes the interior headliner look cheap - instead of one molded panel, it adds a fabric bar across the middle of the headliner and there are gaps where it joins the rest of the roof. The non-pano headliner is one nice solid panel.
- While it may make the interior more open for back seat passengers, the pano doesn't actually start in a way that makes it visible to the driver. It does, however, allow more light into the cabin - another negative in my book as it lessens the focus on the road ahead.
- While headroom is better in most places, the Pano actually reduces headroom at the front to back sides of the headliner.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

It's personal preference but I decided against it when I configured my P85D. Here are my thoughts:

- Extra weight, to the tune of several hundred lbs in the absolute worst place to add it. Coming from M series BMWs as my daily drivers, I just can't wrap my head around this - the car is heavy enough already. This by itself was enough to make me skip it.
- In a hot climate like exists in Texas, it is definitely going to allow more heat/UV into the interior. Sure you can add the screens but doesn't that defeat the point?
- Many people have reported squeaks, leaks, rattles, etc.
- In the cars that I've owned that had sunroofs (it's been years) I've never opened them.
- It makes the interior headliner look cheap - instead of one molded panel, it adds a fabric bar across the middle of the headliner and there are gaps where it joins the rest of the roof. The non-pano headliner is one nice solid panel.
- While it may make the interior more open for back seat passengers, the pano doesn't actually start in a way that makes it visible to the driver. It does, however, allow more light into the cabin - another negative in my book as it lessens the focus on the road ahead.
- While headroom is better in most places, the Pano actually reduces headroom at the front to back sides of the headliner.

Yup, X10. Well articulated. I would have paid more for my CPO if it didn't have it, and a little more for all black interior. The negative space that black creates forces vision out of the car, where it needs to be. Gee, now I know how to configure my next car. No pano, springs - no air, black interior everything.

 

[jerry505]

I caught myself ducking the sun on test drive in pano roof P85D.

So I thought, why duck? I don't want sun on my skin, but I do like the look of the pano roof.

Most Model S seem to have a pano roof, so ones without pano will be harder to find.