Cayenne Coupe- no sun screen for glass roof?

[ocflyer]

I would like to order a coupe- but live in sunny, Southern California. From the configurator, it appears the Cayenne Coupe does not have a retractable sun shade (like we have in our Macan 4s). I know Porsche claims UV filters reflect heat, but sunlight still comes through, and I would be quite certain parking the car in the sun would result in a very warm cabin.

Of course, an option would mitigate this problem (for $3,400- the electrochromatic sunroof), but I had this on a BMW iX and it didn't work all that well, and a rock on the highway chipping that roof resulted in a $10k repair. So I'm not keen on this expensive, half-solution. Anyone have any info on this? Thank you.

 

[Moheisen(FirstEV)]

I would like to order a coupe- but live in sunny, Southern California. From the configurator, it appears the Cayenne Coupe does not have a retractable sun shade (like we have in our Macan 4s). I know Porsche claims UV filters reflect heat, but sunlight still comes through, and I would be quite certain parking the car in the sun would result in a very warm cabin.

Of course, an option would mitigate this problem (for $3,400- the electrochromatic sunroof), but I had this on a BMW iX and it didn't work all that well, and a rock on the highway chipping that roof resulted in a $10k repair. So I'm not keen on this expensive, half-solution. Anyone have any info on this? Thank you.

The electrochromatic roof is sadly without any practical function. It doesn’t reduce any heat or UV-radiation and is only for show. Might reduce a little glare but nothing else related to heat.

But, the positive thing is that it is nothing to worry about. We’ve had 35-40 degrees Celsius for a while and it didn’t make any difference in our Cayenne EV in comparison to our old Macan EV or any Cayenne e-hybrid we’ve driven with the sun protector. However, I’ve optioned for full thermal heat and insulated glass, so it might make a difference as well because of that.

For what it’s worth, it can be mitigated just as easily by turning on the cooling from the app before you leave, it works really fast and takes maximum 5 minutes.

 

[ocflyer]

The electrochromatic roof is sadly without any practical function. It doesn’t reduce any heat or UV-radiation and is only for show. Might reduce a little glare but nothing else related to heat.

But, the positive thing is that it is nothing to worry about. We’ve had 35-40 degrees Celsius for a while and it didn’t make any difference in our Cayenne EV in comparison to our old Macan EV or any Cayenne e-hybrid we’ve driven with the sun protector. However, I’ve optioned for full thermal heat and insulated glass, so it might make a difference as well because of that.

For what it’s worth, it can be mitigated just as easily by turning on the cooling from the app before you leave, it works really fast and takes maximum 5 minutes.

I am most concerned about protecting my head and face from sunlight. People familiar with mohs might empathize (-:

And the configurator says thermal glass doesn't affect the sunroof, only the... "Windshield, front and rear side windows, rear quarter windows and rear windshield with thermally and noise insulated glass for increased comfort..."

 

[Clod Reed]

Light weight package it’s is then ….solid roof
bonus no passenger glare from the curved screen

 

[W1NGE]

I would like to order a coupe- but live in sunny, Southern California. From the configurator, it appears the Cayenne Coupe does not have a retractable sun shade (like we have in our Macan 4s). I know Porsche claims UV filters reflect heat, but sunlight still comes through, and I would be quite certain parking the car in the sun would result in a very warm cabin.

Of course, an option would mitigate this problem (for $3,400- the electrochromatic sunroof), but I had this on a BMW iX and it didn't work all that well, and a rock on the highway chipping that roof resulted in a $10k repair. So I'm not keen on this expensive, half-solution. Anyone have any info on this? Thank you.

Same issue on Taycan and Cayenne EV SUV - no shade.

The VLC upgrade is the only (expensive) Porsche option and claims:

"Thanks to the multi-layer structure of the glass roof, it offers highly effective UV and infrared protection, meaning that the heat input into the vehicle is so low that a mechanical blind is not necessary.Variable Light Control also offers glare protection. When the vehicle is switched off, the roof automatically switches to the opaque, matt setting and stores the last setting for the next time the vehicle is switched on."

 

[Clod Reed]

Same issue on Taycan and Cayenne EV SUV - no shade.

The VLC upgrade is the only (expensive) Porsche option and claims:

"Thanks to the multi-layer structure of the glass roof, it offers highly effective UV and infrared protection, meaning that the heat input into the vehicle is so low that a mechanical blind is not necessary.Variable Light Control also offers glare protection. When the vehicle is switched off, the roof automatically switches to the opaque, matt setting and stores the last setting for the next time the vehicle is switched on."

Got one …not worth the money IMHO

 

[mirto]

@Clod Reed do you mean VLC is basically useless?

 

[Clod Reed]

@Clod Reed do you mean VLC is basically useless?

Yes
I’ll be ordering a carbon roof

 

[ashP]

I got the variable light roof because I want the flexibility to darken the interior in day time and not have the roof always transparent, did feel forced into buying one due to the non existence of roller blinds.

 

[dba]

Seems the VLC option should be much better for a hot climate.

The important point is that the liquid-crystal layer isn’t merely a fancy electronic tint. The multi-layer glazing itself is designed to reject UV and IR, while the liquid-crystal layer controls how much visible light passes through. Porsche specifically describes the Cayenne Electric roof this way.

And there’s some useful evidence from Porsche’s earlier implementation of essentially this technology in the Taycan. Porsche subjected its Variable Light Control roof to a simulated South African summer sun test. At head level, it remained 9°C cooler than even Porsche’s best conventional roller shade after 45 minutes. That’s not a Cayenne-specific measurement, so I wouldn’t assume exactly 9°C in your Cayenne, but it demonstrates what the glazing technology is designed to accomplish.

 

[Wivenhoe]

On a practical note - driving today in bright direct sunlight I checked that the heat through the thermic glass windscreen and VLR in my Coupe were the same. If anything, the roof let in less heat.

 

[Clod Reed]

On a practical note - driving today in bright direct sunlight I checked that the heat through the thermic glass windscreen and VLR in my Coupe were the same. If anything, the roof let in less heat.

Was you south facing?

 

[Wivenhoe]

Absolutely no idea !!!!

 

[wemct]

The same debate about heat and the lack of a sunscreen occurred when the Taycan was introduced. Many of us with the early Taycans did thermal readings and the debate went back and forth. I did not have the thermal glass option on my Taycan mainly because I wanted to ensure the windshield allowed the full reception/transmission of signals for my radar detector and tollway transponders. The glass roof had thermal protection as standard for all Taycans. The glass roof was very good at blocking thermal transmission. The top of my head never felt heat radiating from the roof unlike the windshield that allowed a lot of heat to hit my face and arms in the sunny Atlanta summer even when I had the air conditioning on. I addressed the windshield and side window heat transmission with the installation of nano ceramic window films.

When I ordered my Cayenne electric, I was on the fence about the VLC. For me the issue with the lack of a sunscreen is not the heat from the glass roof (it will be fine like in the Taycan), but rather the inability to block the bright sunlight in the cabin when desired. As much as the VLC looked like a nice party trick, I did not include it in my build due to the cost and the limited degree of light filtering it did compared with a solid physical sunscreen. The cabin will never be as dark with the VLC versus a physical sunscreen. I guess I have a convenient excuse to shop for a new pair of nice sunglasses.

 

[Mark G.]

I have had my new Cayenne Electric Base for about a week now. I didn’t realize there would be no sun shade on the panoramic roof and I did not order the VLC. When I picked up the vehicle and noticed it for the first time I was a bit worried. I started researching about after market sunshades immediately. However THE GOOD NEWS is that I have not noticed any issues at all on some very hot sunny days. The tinted glass on the roof miraculously blocks out the heat and the bright sunlight. I have felt no heat radiating from the roof. So I’m very relieved that my initial worries were unfounded. I see no reason to try to modify it at all. So I guess once again Porsche knew what they were doing. Now you can relax and not order the overpriced VLC.