Thule Cargo Box recommendations ??

[23109VC]

I am in the market for a cargo box for my X5.

I will be mostly loading luggage and other assorted stuff for long road trips with the family including - me, wife, and three kids.

We don't ski and when we snowboard we usually rent equipment at the site. I'll use the box mainly for loading things for long trips. It will get used a handful of times per year.

I've seen most of the boxes are aroind 16 to 18 ft.³ some are longer and thinner some are shorter and fatter. Aside from possible cost what would be the benefit of the smaller boxes?

I guess if you were hauling "stuff" and bikes or other items - a skinnier longer box might leave room up top for other items?

I've never had a cargo box before and I would assume bigger would be better if your just loading up luggage ?


Thule makes a box called the Pulse and another one called the force - they are relatively similar and I seen many of them on sale under $400 even for the biggest one. Good deals on barely used ones are even cheaper on CL / offer up . In the used market there really is no significant Price difference between the sizes it's really based on the condition.

For those of you who have used these boxes before and traveled with them on trips I'm curious what you recommend ?? And why.

I just ordered the BMW OEM crossbars and will be putting those on this week... road trip after Christmas!

Thanks!!!

Maybe the big box can fit really whiny kids who need a time out?? Ha! J/k

[DuSh]

From my experience, it's better to have a slightly bigger box than find out that you don't have space to fit extra bag up there. You are going to buy it and mount it, go through all the hoops - so might as well go for a descent size one, so at least a box can accommodate all stuff you need. I see no point having a small box - MPG difference between big or small box will be not even worth mentioning. They are all aerodynamic nowadays, all have strong mounting brackets, locks, all are rigid enough and waterproof, and almost all open from both sides (so you can access it from either side of car). It basically comes down to size and looks/finish/color of box. The only minor issue to think about - is the weight of box you can lift to mount alone. You never know when you'll need it - so for example for me it was about 45lbs that I can lift myself carefully and mount on top of my x5 as it's not always convenient to call someone to help.

So here's a fun visual website to see how it looks on x5: https://mr-box.com/us/car/bmw/x5

This is the one I chose, but it's on Subaru and music is annoying:

[redline9001]

Thule hyper XL is the box I have, it’s the best balance of aero, wind noise , size and strength of box

[Brent Dalton]

Here is the Thule Motion XT XL on an X5. I purchased it a few weeks ago from REI when they had a 20% off sale. I found the box in stock in Orlando while I was on vacation at Disney with the family. The aeroblade mounts were out of stock so I went with the square bars as an interim solution. I couldn't find any definitive information on whether or not the Motion XT XL would hang over. Good news... it's a perfect fit! I have been trying to find some time to put some more detailed information up, but work is really busy right now. WRT wind noise, I fully expected to hear a good bit of howl, but surprisingly is was really silent. I averaged 77mph on the drive home and over the last 1500 miles of trips, I've averaged 27.7mpg's(diesel).

Thule recommends the crossbars be between 27-34 inches and suggested the further back it is placed, the less wind noise we would have. I placed these at 29.75 inches apart and got lucky on the front to rear spacing to be about an inch away from the rear hatch when fully raised just from eyeballing it. With the crossbars left on(another trip planned at Christmas), I do have a noticeable amount of wind noise that is not present when the box is on the top of the X5.

Here are a couple of pictures in the meantime.

2018-12-02_09-41-08 by Brent Dalton, on Flickr

Perfect fit:
2018-12-02_09-40-24 by Brent Dalton, on Flickr

[chumbedi]

Recommend Cargo box for bike carrier.
(My car Shows european model of Thule bike carrier + cargo box)

Roof top boxes are pain in the ….;
cons why I do not use roof top boxes anymore: difficulties loading / unloading, very limited space, driving (noises + car stability), fuel consumtion goes up


If you do not go skiing, best alternative for me.

[CatalinP]

How dirty does that rear cargobox become after a rainy day / winter trip? How do you still have access to the trunk?

[9mmkungfu]

Originally Posted by CatalinP

How dirty does that rear cargobox become after a rainy day / winter trip? How do you still have access to the trunk?

Regarding the second question, it folds downward (this model does, at least).

https://www.amazon.com/Thule-Transpo.../dp/B07CTHD8GF

[chumbedi]

Originally Posted by CatalinP

How dirty does that rear cargobox become after a rainy day / winter trip? How do you still have access to the trunk?

Had no problems with dirt on rear cargo box, as it is installed in better protected location than roof top box. No problem accessing trunk, as cargobox folds down.
Just check out thule website, youtube