Panoramic Popularity Catches Ford Off-Guard

The surprising popularity of Ford’s panoramic Vista Roof system surpasses internal expectations and has the auto maker looking at other potential applications for the optional feature.

The roof first was offered on the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX cross/utility vehicles, followed by the Flex CUV and Explorer SUV. And take rates for the roofs “continue to grow,” Amy Marentic, Ford group marketing manager-cars and CUVs, tells Ward’s.

“The take rates continue to surprise us,” she says. “People like the open-air feeling.” Take rates for the Edge and Explorer are running at about 50%, the highest of the group. Ford expected demand at 30%-35% for the $1,500 option.

The Mustang sports car also is offered with a panoramic glass roof, but the take rate for that model is just under 10%. Marentic says that’s because the pony car also is offered as a convertible.

The installation rate for the panoramic roof is surpassing Ford’s other optional vehicle features, including 20-in. wheels, at 37%; adaptive cruise control (20%); and active-park assist (20%).

However, “as many people are ordering the roof as navigation (systems),” Marentic says.

Sun roofs in general have been growing in popularity. In the ’00 model year, just 20% of buyers opted for the feature, according to Ward’s data. Last year, the penetration rate jumped to 31.6%.

Marentic is mum on which future vehicles may be offered with the roofs, citing company policy not to disclose future product plans. But she does say the feature may appear in other segments, including the Focus C-car and Fiesta B-car.

Take rates for Ford Vista Roof similar to navigation systems.

Marentic doesn’t rule out that future panoramic roofs may have an auto-dimming feature similar to Mercedes’ Magic Sky Control, which allows drivers to switch the glass roof from tinted to transparent at the touch of a button.

The technology is “pretty interesting,” she says, “but very expensive. Never say never. We bring technology to the masses.”

Surprisingly, the panoramic roofs have proved just as popular in Midwestern states as in sunbelt states such as Florida and California. “Some (sunbelt consumers) don’t want them because the sun is always beating down,” she says. “Up here, you use it year-round.”

Although the roofs stretch nearly the length of the vehicle, Marentic says they are “completely” safe in the event of an accident.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety spokesman Russ Rader says there is no data showing such systems are unsafe. IIHS tested a Volkswagen Touareg equipped with a panoramic roof, and it earned a good rating in the roof-strength test and is a top safety pick.

“This doesn’t mean that vehicles with glass roof panels would be as safe in rollovers as vehicles without them,” he tells Ward’s.

“In a rollover crash, the glass panels could break or pop out during the roll,” Rader says. “That increases the risk of either ejection or the heads of occupants striking objects outside the vehicle.

“That would be the main problem with glass roof panels, if a rollover occurs in a vehicle that is otherwise rated good for roof strength.”

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