Glass roof or no glass roof?

[EasyPass]

I've had retractable moon roofs in my vehicles for decades prior to acquiring my '21 Premium MME. If I could have deleted the glass roof I would have as it serves no purpose for me since I can't even see it from the drivers seat. I really cannot think of a single positive for it in my view. I can understand why a moon roof that retracts would cause turbulence and reduce range in a EV, but I would have liked the option to have that choice if it suits me. Having the air circulation from an open roof with the windows fully up is something I've enjoyed in all seasons. A glass roof squashed that entirely.

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[First Electric01]

I'm looking for a bit of help with a decision. In May I ordered a 24 MME GT without the glass roof. I've had past cars with glass in the roof, but grew tired of leaks and rust. I'm also not too fond of having glass over my head if I wind up in an accident where more broken glass could be created and the structural component of the passenger cage that ought to be there isn't.

Five months in and Ford hasn't seen fit to schedule the car for production. I think it may be my selection of the steel roof, but can't get a confirmation on this. Well, I can't other than there seem to be GTs in the wild for sale and all of them have glass roofs.

There have been random posts about seals cracking, minor leaks, and chips and other damage to the roof along with the very steep cost of replacement...which only fuels my opinion on this topic. But I want one of these cars now too!

I'd be interested in hearing from you folks. How bad is it really?

I have a 2022 Mach-E Select with all the options, including three years of BlueCruise. I considered getting the Premium model with a glass roof, but since temperatures in Texas often exceed 110°F during the summer and storms with occasional hail are common, I decided a metal roof would be more suitable. That said, the glass roof does look nice, and some comments here mention positive experiences with it. In the end, it comes down to personal preference

 

[Snakebitten]

I impulse purchased my Mach-E on a Friday evening on the way out of town for the weekend. Admittedly I had already desired a GTPE, but hadn't made even the slightest move towards doing so.

So there I stood in the showroom of the dealership with my 6 year old granddaughter telling me "Pawpaw, you should ask them if we can take it to the beach for the weekend"

It was a GTPE and she's often my excuse for all kinds of tomfoolery.
It just so happened to have a glass roof. I would have left with it that night regardless.

 

[RWG]

My MMe came with a glass roof, at the time there was no option to not get it, based on the trim package I ordered. From a Product Management and Engineering standpoint, I think it is a questionable design. Since one of the main issues of owning an EV is battery range. Why would they build a vehicle with massive heat loss feature like a glass roof? I live in Minnesota, and when we get to sub zero temps, 20% to 25% of the battery capacity goes to heat the cabin. So why build the roof of glass that conducts heat out of the vehicle cabin? I have not calculated the thermal loss of the glass roof vs a metal insulated one, but I am very sure it is significant.

In a regular ICE vehicle, there is lots of waste heat available to heat the cabin, since roughly half of the energy of the fuel is rejected as heat to the atmosphere via the radiator and exhaust pipe. With an EV, all of the heat must come from electricity/battery, it is basic thermo dynamics/physics.

I suspect that the marketing spec of the MMe was glass roof included because of competitive reasons. It surely was not an engineering spec to maximize battery range.

We have never had any problems with the glass rough on our MMe, but I believe it has a negative impact on battery range during the winter months. So if I ever buy another MMe, I would probably not spec a glass roof, for battery range reasons.


PS: I have never seen or heard of Ford publishing the thermal performance of a glass roof vs. a metal insulated one. However, a qualified engineer could calculate the theoretical performance if they had the thermal specs of the glass and metal insulated materials for the roof.

 

[Womps]

My guess it was made as standard equipment at the beginning because now you have to pay for it without a choice. Then the Mach E wasn’t selling like Ford thought it would so now its an option.

 

[Thesmoothdome]

I'm looking for a bit of help with a decision. In May I ordered a 24 MME GT without the glass roof. I've had past cars with glass in the roof, but grew tired of leaks and rust. I'm also not too fond of having glass over my head if I wind up in an accident where more broken glass could be created and the structural component of the passenger cage that ought to be there isn't.

Five months in and Ford hasn't seen fit to schedule the car for production. I think it may be my selection of the steel roof, but can't get a confirmation on this. Well, I can't other than there seem to be GTs in the wild for sale and all of them have glass roofs.

There have been random posts about seals cracking, minor leaks, and chips and other damage to the roof along with the very steep cost of replacement...which only fuels my opinion on this topic. But I want one of these cars now too!

I'd be interested in hearing from you folks. How bad is it really?

The glass roof has been great. 3 years in and zero issues.

 

[YeOldeTraveller]

Just FWIW, I am glad the Rally does NOT come with a glass roof

 

[HuntingPudel]

Just FWIW, I am glad the Rally does NOT come with a glass roof

I can just see a lot of angry owners who had to replace glass after blasting the car on a gravel road. ??

 

[SolarAB]

I'm looking for a bit of help with a decision. In May I ordered a 24 MME GT without the glass roof.
---
I'd be interested in hearing from you folks. How bad is it really?

Hi, I've had no issues with the roof since I got the original re-glued in a factory recall shortly after I purchased my 2021. It does let more light into the car, but after the novelty wore off, I never actually look at it anymore. For me, it's a take it or leave it option when considering future vehicle purchases. In cold climates like Canada, an insulated roof helps keep the cabin warm during winter cold snaps.

 

[CopperRobot]

My glass roof had to be replaced shortly after taking delivery. A rock managed to hit the very front curve of the glass and it cracked from front to back about 3 feet. Couldn't be repaired, had to be replaced. It is very expensive but my insurance hadn't put a cap on glass replacement yet. I suspect I won't be so lucky next time.

I'm in Phoenix AZ and heat hasn't been a problem. Rear passengers enjoy the view but it does nothing for me as the driver. Rocks are a constant menace here. The front grill and front of the hood are pitted from a regular barrage of rocks. Star cracks on windshield are pretty common and usually can be repaired, but the pitting gets pretty bad after a year or two, leaves me wanting a new windshield anyways.

If I could choose solid or glass roof, I would opt for solid metal roof. This is mostly due to so much debris and rocks being on our roads. With the frequent need to replace the windshield of all cars here, adding another humungous and expensive piece of vulnerable glass to the car just isn't practical for me.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

My glass roof had to be replaced shortly after taking delivery. A rock managed to hit the very front curve of the glass and it cracked from front to back about 3 feet. Couldn't be repaired, had to be replaced. It is very expensive but my insurance hadn't put a cap on glass replacement yet. I suspect I won't be so lucky next time.

I'm in Phoenix AZ and heat hasn't been a problem. Rear passengers enjoy the view but it does nothing for me as the driver. Rocks are a constant menace here. The front grill and front of the hood are pitted from a regular barrage of rocks. Star cracks on windshield are pretty common and usually can be repaired, but the pitting gets pretty bad after a year or two, leaves me wanting a new windshield anyways.

If I could choose solid or glass roof, I would opt for solid metal roof. This is mostly due to so much debris and rocks being on our roads. With the frequent need to replace the windshield of all cars here, adding another humungous and expensive piece of vulnerable glass to the car just isn't practical for me.

I would probably have an entirely different opinion if our roads out here were the rock and pebble laden boobytraps found elsewhere. In the 3 1/2 years with the car I have one extremely small rock chip in the grill area that never broke the color coat. I’m also the only one that can see it. The windshield and glass roof are still pristine.

if I lived in the real world things would be different.

 

[WallyS56]

I'm looking for a bit of help with a decision. In May I ordered a 24 MME GT without the glass roof. I've had past cars with glass in the roof, but grew tired of leaks and rust. I'm also not too fond of having glass over my head if I wind up in an accident where more broken glass could be created and the structural component of the passenger cage that ought to be there isn't.

Five months in and Ford hasn't seen fit to schedule the car for production. I think it may be my selection of the steel roof, but can't get a confirmation on this. Well, I can't other than there seem to be GTs in the wild for sale and all of them have glass roofs.

There have been random posts about seals cracking, minor leaks, and chips and other damage to the roof along with the very steep cost of replacement...which only fuels my opinion on this topic. But I want one of these cars now too!

I'd be interested in hearing from you folks. How bad is it really?

Bought a 2024 Premium AWD extended range off the dealership in Olympia. I had some of the same concerns about the glass roof you do, which was supposed to be standard on the Premium. Was actually pleased that it had been de-contented. My point being that in all my research, reviews recommended the Premium as the best all-around MachE. So have you considered canceling your GT order and getting a Premium without the glass roof?
.

 

[n2585722]

I guess I have been lucky since I got my first car in 1971 I have only had the windshield replaced twice due to hail damage. The second time I was in the car and it also was tearing through the convertible top. It shattered the back window and cracked the windshield. That was from softball size hail. The first time the car was parked in the driveway. So the thing being cracked never entered my mind when buying the car. I have never heard of a car having an insulated roof. Every one I have had when you remove the liner is the metal part of the roof is visible. I have never seen any insulation. But my last car before the Mach E was a 2006 Mustang GT convertible. The one before it was a 1996 Mustang. I guess they could have started insulating them several years back since it has been a while since I bought one with a metal roof.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

de-contented

The glass roof was not decontented. It was made an option. Parking assist was deconteded, it no longer exists as a feature. Kick to open or close liftgates were decontented. They’re no longer a feature either. Decontenting is done to reduce costs and/or deal with parts shortages. The lower costs may or may not be passed on to the end customer (We are not Ford’s customers — dealers are).

 

[WallyS56]

Yes, it is currently an option, but when I was doing my research to buy a 2024, right up to the day in August when I went to purchase it, the glass roof was still shown as part of the Premium package on the Ford website, as were the aluminum sills and hands-free hatch, which, of course were also missing. Isn’t that de-contenting, or are you saying the dealer ordered it that way? Everything I’ve read indicates corporate dropped the package content to keep prices competitive.

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