Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier

I'm so glad that I eventually decided to go for a Motion XT L after debating with myself for more than a couple of weeks. In the end, I found that this is the very best choice for my 2024 Subaru Crosstrek.On the Internet, there is very little information that I could find that touches the topic of how well a Thule cargo box would fit a Crosstrek, let alone the latest 2024 Crosstrek. I was worried that L would be too big for my Crosstrek (one of the smallest SUV on earth). Initially, I decided to go for the currently only M cargo box available from Thule, which is Pulse M. However, as soon as I saw it in person, I realized it was not the best/right size for my car.Now I can confidently say: An M from Thule (like Pulse M) would be a little too small, and an XL from Thule (like Force or Motion XL) would be a little too big. This Motion XT L is perfect in terms of its size and look on the rooftop of my 2024 Crosstrek.As for the weight of the Motion XT L, despite that its overall weight is officially 42lbs, it is not nearly as heavy as I thought. This is understandable, given that 40 pounds is roughly the average body weight of a 5/6-year-old boy in the US. Two adults should be able to handle this weight with little effort. And it's vey doable for one person to handle it without assistance. If there is a challenge, it is only when you try to lift the bulky box onto a high vehicle rooftop. Fortunately, you can slide it along the crossbars. So, to most people, this should be at most only a minor challenge.So far, I have only done a quick test drive with this cargo box on the top of my car. I will put it to work in 2 days for our weeklong camping trip that will cross several states.By the way, below is a lot of numbers that I collected when I was debating with myself on which cargo box I should buy:Thule Pulse L ======================================External dimensions: 76 x 33 x 16.5 inches;Internal dimensions: 71.25 x 31 x 14.5 inchesLoad capacity: 110 lbs;Product weight: 36 lbsHeight off crossbar: 15 inchesDimensions for deliveryShipping Weight 47.95 lbsShipping Dimensions 6.25'L x 2.91'W x 1.35'HThule Pulse M ======================================External dimensions: 67 x 35 x 16 inches;Internal dimensions: 61 x 33 x 14 inchesLoad capacity: 110 lbs;Product weight: 34 lbsHeight off crossbar: 16 inchesDimensions for deliveryShipping Weight: 45 lbsShipping Dimensions: 5.68'L x 2.97'W x 1.42'H => 68" x 35.6" x 17"Thule Force XT L =================================External dimensions: 74.75 x 33 x 18 inchesInternal Dimenions: 70 x 28.75 x 16.25 inchesLoad capacity: 165 lbs; Product Weight: 41 lbsHeight off crossbar: 16.9"Dimensions for deliveryShipping Weight: 56 lbsShipping Dimensions: 6.42'L x 2.83'W x 1.67'H => 77" x 34" x 20"Thule Motion XT L ================================External dimensions: 77 x 36 x 17 inches;Internal dimensions: 69 x 31.5 x 15 inchesLoad capacity: 165 lbs;Product Weight: 42 lbsHeight off crossbar: 15.5"Dimensions for deliveryShipping Weight: 65 lbsShipping Dimensions: 6.78'L x 3.3'W x 1.54'H => 81.4" x 39.6" x 18.5"Hopefully the above information will be helpful to someone who feels a bit lost (like I was earlier) in deciding which cargo box to go for.

We had an issue and they were amazing to work with!

My family has smaller cars due to our proximity to the city, but the XXL fit our Impreza. I had to move the crossbars and carrier forward so that I could open the hatch without touching the backside. Plenty of storage for camping and road trips. Very sturdy cruising at 80mph. It adds some wind noise, but if you close the sunroof sun shade, it’s pretty muted.The crossbars I use are the Thule AeroBlade Edge Raised Rail Racks.I also use the Thule One-Key System to lock everything. You’ll need a pack of 6; 2 for the carrier, and 4 for the rail racks. But using just one key for all of them is extremely convenient.On average for long distance highway driving, lost about 2mpg, so from 38mpg to 36mpg which is very good for a rooftop cargo carrier. Truth be told, I was drafting about 8 car lengths behind other vehicles. Driven several thousand miles so far and still loving our Thule XXL.

We have a 2018 Volvo s90. I was concerned the xxl would be too big. In my opinion it wasn’t. It was a great fit for our car. Helped with an 1800 mile cross Country move. Through pouring rain, freezing rain, and snow, our stuff stayed dry and it was much quieter than I expected. I was able to go 80mph for most of the trip. the wind noise was noticeable after 60mph but considering how much you have on your roof it was not as bad as I thought it would be.Cross winds are more noticeable at high speed. But also not as bad as I thought it would be. It will depend largely on your car and how much weight you have inside. When the car was fully weighed down the wind was far less noticeable than when I ran it empty. Overall our car was very stable and I’m super happy with this purchase. I’m recommending it to all my friends for road trips.It seems expensive but I hope it lasts long. I’m planning to carry it over to the next car when this lease ends.Mileage is affected. I normally get about 26mpg on overall highway. At higher speeds this tends to be more like 24. I noticed with this thing it’s about 1mpg lower. Again we have a sedan so it’s not a huge deal and 1mpg is worth the cargo space to us. We have a huge trunk(I thought) it’s 13.5cu ft. This box gave us an additional 22cu ft.Few things to keep in mind.1. Weight limit of your car roof2. Weight limit of your roof rack (make sure to not buy a knock off. )This has to be either OEM, Thule or other major brand. I got a Volvo OEM one for about $250 online.3. The Thule can hold 165lbs inside regardless of size. IF YOU ROOF CAN HOLD AT least 210. The Xxl weights about 45lbs (maybe even a little more). Our roof holds 220 as do the roof rails. The roof rails weighed almost nothing so we were able to fully load the roof carrier without any trouble.However I didn’t know any of this when I bought the car. It took time to research all of it so I hope this helps you in your decision.

I did a lot of research before purchasing this item. I could have gotten by a little cheaper but I am glad I did not skimp!This item is quality! it has a nice design to allow you to move the inside roof rack grippers to fit various possible locations and they do not leak.I also loved the positive positions on the slides when opening the unit and that you cannot accidentally not engage the locks or the key will not come out.There was no increase in noise and it did not seem to affect my mpg.This was worth the expense.