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I was thinking about this last night on my drove home...
I drive a 'no a/c' 2nd gen metro, which unlike the first gen Metro, has no rear pop-out quarter windows.
Running my fan helps, but the problem is that the intake duct, the air plenum, the fan, the dash vents and entire delivery system are all hot from the car sitting in the parking lot, maybe 130 deg F. The other problem is the incoming air needs some place to go, ideally it would exit the rear of the car, to flush out and cool the interior space. In my case, the air comes into the system at the base of the windsheild, out of the dash and/or floor, and escapes out the side windows. (see what happens when your commute is more than an hour, your mind has lots of time to ponder these things). Rear quarter pop-outs would be a welcome addition to my car.
My experience with older 60's cars (with no ac) has taught me you need cross flow, front to rear air flow, to cool off the human cargo. Rear windows cracked or rear quarter window go a long way to help. In my '96 Metro, I can open both driver and passenger windows a couple inches each and it's ok, but there is no comparison in comfort to other cars I've driven that have better airflow.
An interesting factoid: VW offered some neat cooling features in their air-cooled models over the years. The '51-'53 beetles had vent intakes through the front quarter panels. Rear pop-out quarter windows were always a popular option. For the early buses, cooling options ranged from every window being a pop-out, a pretty elaborated air intake above the windsheild and overhead distribution system. There was also the famous 'Safari Window' option, where both front windsheilds, hinged at the top, could open. I have drive down the interstate with the both windsheilds locked open completely horizontal in my '63 Westfalia Kombi!
The way cars are designed today, the car manufacturers seem to expect everyone will use a/c almost full time. With many models, the rear side windows don't even roll down.
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