A similar panel but its panel is made of glass and can let light in even when closed the term moonroof was coined by ford in the 70s.
the term moonroof was used in the 70 s to describe a glass panel inbuilt electric sunroof and is now used generically to describe all glass panel inbuilt sunroofs an inbuilt sunroof is one where the operable panel slides between the vehicle roof and headliner and is often powered but may be manually operated a sunroof is a sliding or a venting opening in the roof of the automobile right above the passenger seats which is either manually opened or motor driven in order to allow air and sunlight enter the passenger area diffen automotive cars a sunroof is an operable metal panel in a car roof that slides back to let in light and air a moonroof is a similar panel but its panel is made of glass and can let light in even when closed the term moonroof was coined by ford in the 70s but is now used generically to describe glass panel inbuilt electric sunroofs in vehicles by all manufacturers to use the moonroof in light only mode all you need to do is slide back the fabric covered panel to expose the glass today sunroof is simply a generic term used to describe any panel in the roof of a vehicle which lets in light and or air moonroof is now most commonly used to describe glass panel inbuilt sunroofs where the panel slides between the vehicle roof and headliner the majority of new cars technically have moonroofs as what was originally considered a sunroof has pretty much gone out of style all moonroofs are sunroofs but not all sunroofs can be called moonroofs sunroof is a term which refers to a hole cut in a car roof which can be opened or closed they can be made of steel or glass and they may pop up slide on tracks on the car roof or slide open between the car roof and headliner
http://autorepair.about.com/od/glossary/a/sun_vs_moon_roof.htm http://www.wikidifference.com/difference-between-sunroof-and-moonroof/ http://www.diffen.com/difference/Moonroof_vs_Sunroof http://columbuscaraudio.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-sunroof-a-moonroof/ http://www.sunroofinstallation.net/sunroof-vs.-moonroof.html
what is a moonroof