Hi All, I'm new to the forum and we've just had our prius for a couple months and love it. I know when we put a rack and cargo box on top we will go down on our mpg, but 35-40 miles a gallon still beats the 17 mpg I will get if I pack my family into my Nissan Armada for a week of fishing and sight seeing. I'm having problems finding any Yakima/Thule dealer that knows the right size to use on a prius. I prefer the Yakima Skybox Pro, and the 16 cubic foot is 81 inches long, while the 18 cubic foot is 92 inches long. I'm thinking the 16 is the way to go, but I want to make sure that I don't have to take off the antenae, and the hatchback still opens. Has anyone used one on their Prius, and know the right size to use? We love the 51 MPG we've consistantly gotten on our car, and plan on taking the cargo box off when not on a trip. I appreciate you're input. Steve
I bought Yakima Space Cadet but still haven't mounted it. I chose it because it's shorter than most other boxes to accommodate shorter roofs and hatchbacks. It should allow you to access the hatch but not sure if it would interfere with the antenna. The downside is that since it's also wider than most boxes it will likely cause more drag than the long boxes, thus bigger mileage hit.
By way of introduction, I'm a 15 year REI employee ... That said, the fit books for Thule and Yakima are unlikely to specify a particular roof box as their concern is most typically about the weight limit for an individual model of car's roof, and the Prius isn't any more limited than most sedans in that manner. That said, you can do one of two things; call the Yakima 1-800 number, which is what we'll often do at the store for questions like that -- Yakima is super, super helpful and having tested every single combination out there, can tell you what will work best, (as long as the question you are asking isn't something that would violate their recommendations, like say, trying to put two canoes and four bikes on the top of a Ford Pinto). Or head for a dealer that'll be willing to go out in the parking lot with you and test fit a box or two in person (hint: don't go on the weekend -- Mondays are the slowest, which means fewest customers/more employees with the time to go the extra mile; if you call ahead, explain the issue and ask to schedule some time with someone from the bike shop to do it, we'll be even happier when you come in ;D). Being at home and away from the fit books and the like, I can't give you a definitive answer, but I have a feeling what you'll really want is the *narrowest* box, so that you could put slightly wider bars on the car (just watch your head stepping out, but legally, as long as your bars are no wider than the side mirrors of the car, you're cool) and mount the box far to one side or another.
Thanks for the input. I emailed Yakima and they recommended the 16 cubic foot skybox or skybox pro. We found a local place that has put the boxes on other prius's and they agreed that the 16 was the right size, so we went with the Skybox Pro 16 and have it on the car now. The hatch still opens competely, and antanae isn't affected. It looks great and the silver matches our silver car. We are going on our trip this Sunday, so I'll report back on the mileage and post some pics. So far after a couple hundred local miles we've only gone from 51 to 47 mpg with the box on top. We'll see how she does fully loaded with fishing poles, ice chests and a couple screaming kids. Six nights away from TV, phones, and computers will be small sacrifice for a nice trip in our prius to a lakeside cabin. See you all in a week!
Just got back from a weekend of mountain driving,and fishing with the family, and the cargo box worked great on our prius. We stayed consistanty in the 41-43 mpg range, with the car packed to the gills with kids and gear. We were traveling in the Cascade Mountains of northeastern Washington, so I was very happy with mileage.
That's the one I've got and on our trip from Indianapolis to Panama City Beach we got about the same mileage that you did. I was expecting less, so was pleasantly surprised.
I joined this forum just to thank you. I'll be driving with a friend and two Austrialian Shepherds from Los Angeles to the Seattle area two or three times a year . Installing this cargo carrier will make it possible to drive my Prius. Best, Ed
Another wishing to offer thanks for a great set of posts! Thinking about taking advantage of the REI sale and taking the plunge, and your pics take a lot of the anxiety out of it! Rob
