The brand that kicked all this nonsense off, Mini’s tradition of contrasting roofs dates back to its days as a giant-slayer on Europe’s rally stages. In more modern times, the brand has consistently offered owners the choice of a black or white roof, while sliver and red have made limited appearances on some models. Unusual for the industry (and perhaps a nod to the tradition behind it), Mini offers its alternative roofs free of charge.
The Ford Flex’s boxy shape has offered a contrasting roof for virtually its entire time on the market. A black roof is available as an option on both the SEL and Limited trims, although Ford dropped the silver and white roof options for 2018, which makes sense considering the Flex isn’t long for this world.
The newest member of this fraternity, the Nissan Kicks isn’t even on sale yet (we’ll be driving it in just a few weeks). That also means that the configurator isn’t live, so we can’t break down how to snag a contrasting roof. That said, Nissan trotted out a two-tone Kicks for its auto show debut, so we know the style is coming to this low-priced crossover.
Like Steve Buscemi in 30 Rock asking a group of teens “How do you do, fellow kids,” Toyota added a contrast roof option as part of the Camry’s big redesign for 2018. Available on the XSE trim (in both four- and six-cylinder varieties), customers can snag a black roof with either blue, silver, or white paint.
An adoption from the youth-oriented and now defunct Scion line, the Toyota C-HR is available with white roofs and three shades of body paint, including a very bright aqua shade. To complete the look, Toyota includes white mirror caps as part of this $500 option.
The Kia Soul is hardly a shrinking violet, but it didn’t adopt a two-tone look until several years after it debuted. Currently available on the Soul EV and the mid-range, gas-powered Soul + as part of the $400 Designer Collection Package, customers can grab a red, black, or white roof, provided they aren’t looking for flexibility – the red roof is only available with a black body on the EV or a white body on the Soul +, while the white roof is limited to blue EVs, and the black roof is exclusive to the red the Soul +.
The Volvo XC40 is the Swedish brands most youth-focused vehicle since the compact C30, so naturally, it’s going to get a trendy contrasting roof. All XC40 R-Design models wear a black contrasting roof as standard (except if you select a black body, obviously), while the base XC40 Momentum is available with a $300 white contrasting roof provided you’re happy with black, Amazon Blue, grey, or red paint.
New for 2018, the BMW i3s is a sporty take on the German brand’s upright all-electric, and it adopts a black roof as standard to point out its additional performance. While BMW does tend to nickel and dime its customers, every i3s wears a black roof as standard.
Another newcomer, the Jaguar E-Pace is the British brand’s first foray into the compact crossover ranks. Owners can snag a black contrasting roof for just $410 on the E-Pace S, SE, and R-Dynamic HSE. If you want a panoramic sunroof, though, you’ll need to settle for a body color upper.
Yeah, this is the first time we’ve thought about the Fiat 500L in a while, too. You’ll need to grab the mid-range Trekking trim and then select the $395 Urbana Appearance Package to snag a black roof that’s available with most of the 9 paint colors.
A black roof is a natural touch on vehicles that place a lot of emphasis on style, so it’s little surprise that the detail comes standard on the Jeep Renegade Limited and Trailhawk. The upright, boxy nature of this sub-compact off-roader makes the look difficult to notice, though.
The funky Fiat 500 Abarth is an aging hot hatchback that’s still a riot to toss around. Not unlike the Mini that kicked off the contrasting roof craze in the 2000s, the 500 uses its retro styling to great effect. Also like the Mini, there’s more than just one shade of roof available – owners can grab roof and mirror cap packages in black, grey, red, or white for just $495.
The Jeep Compass’ refined styling is a natural for a two-tone body. Black roofs are available as a cost option on the Latitude, standard on the Trailhawk, and are a no-cost choice on the Limited. Jeep’s decision to run a thick strip of brushed metal trim from the rear window, through the D-pillar to create a subtle floating roof, and up to the bottom of the A-pillar creates a pleasant visual separation that makes the Compass a natural for a two-tone body.
One of the newest cars to adopt this popular style, the new Hyundai Kona offers a black roof with a silver, light blue, or red body on the volume SEL trim, where it adds a modest $150 to the total price tag.
Land Rover makes life simple by offering a contrasting roof on every single model from the lowly Discovery Sport to the priciest Range Rover. This is mostly limited to black, although for a time, silver-roofed Range Rovers were a very attractive thing.
Contrasting roofs are enjoying a boom in popularity following a revival in the fashion during the early 2000s. While black roofs are increasingly common, some brands are throwing in white, silver, or even red. The result is traffic with more color, panache, and frivolity than the monotoned machines that are so common. Here are 15 cars that take a more stylish approach to their roofs.
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