Dear Yahoo!:
What's the difference between a sunroof and a moonroof?
Heather
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Dear Heather:
Having just gone through the long and drawn-out process of purchasing a new car and asking that very same thing, we here at Ask Yahoo! felt uniquely qualified to answer your question. According to the helpful salesman at our local car lot, the difference is in name alone.
Of course, we all know you can't believe everything someone, especially a salesman, tells you, so we looked for confirmation. A search on "sunroof moonroof difference" promised to uncover the truth. Sure enough, the very first search result was a page of frequently asked questions from sunroofs.com, a site "devoted to public awareness and education about automotive sunroofs."
The answer?
"Sunroof" is the generic term used to describe an operable panel in a vehicle roof which can let in light and/or air. "Moonroof" is a term created by Ford in the 70s, yet is now used generically to describe glass panel inbuilt electric sunroofs.
Hmmm, so all moonroofs are sunroofs, yet not all sunroofs are moonroofs? We found further clarification -- "sunroof" is the term originally used to describe a metal panel that would only allow light or air in when opened. A "moonroof," on the other hand, is a glass panel that can allow light in even when it is closed (provided, of course, you slide back that nifty fabric-covered panel to expose the glass).
True sunroofs, those made just of metal, appear to have gone the way of 8-tracks in automobiles, and these days, most "sunroofs" are really "moonroofs" -- panels of tempered glass, usually tinted, that tilt up to allow a flow of air, or slide back into the roof entirely, giving the car occupants a brief but tantalizing glimpse of life in a convertible.
Seems like our friendly salesperson wasn't telling us quite the whole story...