~ I've looked around PriusChat quite a bit, but can't seem to find the answer: Is it possible to put *temporary* roof racks on the v 5, mostly for carrying a luggage box on top? Thule? Yakima? Other? I'd prefer not to diminish gas mileage with a permanent rack system, but could find utility in a roof top box for some trips. Thanks! Rob
If you get the ATP, you might want to re-think putting luggage on the acrylic roof. The entire roof panel is one piece of acrylic with the moon roof, all the way back to the rear back door post.
Dang! I suppose that's an excellent point that I hadn't at all considered. When I was at the dealership, I didn't see one with the moon roof... just a nice expanse of metal. I'll just stuff everything inside, I suppose. Thanks!
It looks just like the Gen-3 Prius with the solar panel, solid black acrylic all the way back. I shudder to think what the panel costs.
As I recently posted in another thread, Toyota dealers in Europe sell roof racks and cargo boxes that fit all Prius+/v models including those with Panoramic roofs. Attached is an image; you can view the information first hand at Toyota Prius+ - The cleanest family car. Roof racks of the shown design have been sold by Toyota/Lexus dealers in Europe for at least 15 years but installation instructions sometimes require that doors be adjusted to provide adequate clearance for the roof rack clamps. Unless you have to carry long items like skis, I recommend avoiding roof racks/cargo boxes. The noise alone can make trips a noisy, unpleasant experience.
Very informative post "Offline" about the European installs. That is very interesting, as dealers in the US don't do installations of racks or hitches. As discussed in the thread with the link below, I am planning on a Thule roof rack this weekend on my Five with the advanced tech package. rhanson739: There seems to be quite a few people that have 'temporary' or what I think of as normal, after market roof racks on their v's on this forum. I don't see any reason, particularly without the moonroof, to give up on it so easily. Thule has the v right on their website with a fitkit... I have seen several discussions, recently, on here about it. Permanent roof rack and rear bike rack | PriusChat
See my thread.... 2 Kayaks on a Prius? Heck Yeah! | PriusChat You can Install in 5 minutes, or remove in 5 minutes. Once you have everything set up correctly, it's just a matter of loosening the footing and removing, then placing back on top, and tightening down. I can take pictures of the Install and removal if you want. Thule makes a GREAT system. The rack you see in that thread can fit on a "V" with just the purchase of a V Fit kit, so it's interchangeable between vehicles. Good luck.
Why kill your Prius mileage with a roof rack? TorkLift sells a Class II hitch for a Prius V, consider my take on how to carry cargo (my Combi is 13 cu ft, the size of a Corolla trunk). The Mods section of this forum has photos and a parts list of my application (although it's not a Prius V).
