5. Elaborate Sunroofs

Automakers are coming up with all sorts of new tricks for opening up the roof to the sky, seeking more light and a sense of openness, especially for backseat passengers.

New sorts of “double sunroofs” and panoramic moonroofs are arriving. The new Jeep Liberty offers a huge new type of canvas roof, the Sky Slider, as an option.

Other recent examples include Cadillac’s panoramic Ultra-View sunroof, available on the SRX. It comes to the all-new 2008 CTS this fall. Nissan’s Quest minivan and Maxima sedan both offer extended roof glass called the Skyview. So does the Scion tC.

A similar, but sliding arrangement is the Vista Roof — the name evokes 1950s buses or station wagons — on the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX twin SUVs. The Vista Roof combines a fixed window in the ceiling, with a sunroof that slides and tilts so that front and rear passengers both enjoy light and open sky. There is also a set of cloth shades that dim the whole glass area. BMW has offered a similar sunroof on its X5 for a couple of years now.

“The Vista Roof was inspired by the openness of urban lofts," says Ed Golden, design director for the Edge and the Lincoln MKX. This is appropriate, since the target market is the young urbanite. Ford imagined the vehicle as a rolling version of a city loft. “A loft often has large open rooms, so we were looking for that feel,” Golden says.

Ford’s design director Pat Schiavone says he loves the new roofs. “With panoramic roofs, you get a feeling of more comfort and room. If I had my druthers I would have something that comes up or down on every top. I want it all.”

Improved glass technology and novel mechanisms have made it possible to create new kinds of sunroofs, Schiavone says. “This is not a short-term trend. In the near future we may see the return of the glass bubble,” he says. “Or you could get the best of both worlds, open and closed, just with changing color in the glass. You may eventually be able to dial in the sunscreen, like Polaroid glasses." Maybach already offers a liquid-crystal roof that incorporates this technology on its super sedans and Ferrari experimented with the same on its ultra-rare 2006 Superamerica sports car.

“Eventually, there might be bubble-top-like vehicles. Think futuristic, Syd Mead style,” Schiavone says.