I know that this has been touched on before - but I just want to chime in with photos in case this can benefit someone else. I opted to go with the permanent rails and Yakima towers/racks. I could not be happier. Yes, I was a little nervous having racks installed permanently....but its really the way to go. The cross bars/towers pop off in seconds and I have no noticeable loss in MPG with only the rails. I shopped around for a good storage pod as well and settled on the Yakima Skybox 16. It fits the Prius perfectly - no interference with the hatchback or antennae and zero visible overhang from the front seats! I had the rails installed at Rack Attack in Portland, OR.
May I asked how much does it cost you total? It looks very good ! Are holes need to be drilled thru the roof?
Looks good and I bet saves some hassle compared to the removable solutions! I had sent a question to Toyota and haven't heard from yet - but do you know what's the roof load carrying capacity of the Prius? Thanks, Mihir
This looks great. I intend to buy a Prius 2010 soon and to have a similar setup. Bumping this issue a little bit. Can someone confirm the solar roof really does prevent installing the rails? I saw on a different thread ("Thule vs. Yakima Roof Rack for 2010 Prius") that it is possible to install some roof racks with the solar roof while closed, but I am hoping for this permanent solution for a no-hassle install/removal.
