30.7.2018

Looking into top boxes is to open a can of worms. What starts out as wondering if you’d benefit from the additional space soon turns into an expensive activity during which you realise you’re casting admiring or disparaging glances at fellow motorists. Seriously, I didn’t think I’d reach a point in my life where I’d get top box envy.Halfords is the obvious place that most people will start their search, as it was with me. They’ve got their own cheap Halford branded boxes, the middle of the road Exodus boxes (I’m pretty sure they’re still own-brand) and the market leading Thule boxes. I was coasting towards something cheap before I started doing research and speaking to other owners.Things to consider:Storage by volume - You can get some big volumes of storage,but do you really need it? The bigger the box, the more it’ll effect your car.Storage by weight – Don’t confuse litres of storage space with the weight of what the box can hold.Cost - You could spend just over £100 all the way up to £1000. I’ll assume you have more sense than money and keep things realistic.Practicality – Can you access it from just one side or both sides? How easy is it to fit to your car?Safety – How strong is the box and the mountings. What’s the locking mechanism like?Performance – What effect does the box have on your car’s aerodynamics? Handling, braking, acceleration and fuel economy will all be effected to some degree.Aesthetics – Does it look like you’ve strapped a wardrobe to the roof of your car?After much consideration I realised that although it was more expensive than its direct competitors, the Thule Motion XT range was the clear winner in every other area. There are several sizes of boxes in their range, such as the XT Sport, XT M, XT L, XT XL and XT XXL. The Sport and the XT XL are the two most popular, and it was a tough decision to choose the storage volume offered by the XL over the price and aero gains of the Sport. I chose the XL as at the end of the day it’s the desire for more storage that drove me to wanting a top box in the first place.The XL has 500 litres of storage space, and can hold 75kg of weight inside. I’ve had mine fully loaded on several occasions and have always been glad of the space available. Physics dictate that you’ll keep the heavy stuff in the car where possible and put the softer, lighter stuff up on top. And it swallows rucksacks, sleeping bags and bedding (probably small children too). It also has enough room for our porta-potty so the car now has en-suite facilities.The box is exceptionally easy to fit to your roof bars (I use Thule aero bars and feet) by means of four pincer-like feet that tighten as you turn corresponding chunking dials inside the box. You can’t over-tighten the dials either as it has a torque setting that clicks once you reach the correct tension. You’re also unable to take the box off without first having access to the inside. The locks themselves are very good, and can be replaced to match the same key for the Thule feet should you wish. The key must remain in the lock while the box is open, which is a safety feature to ensure you don’t drive off without the box securely locked. The latch when you close the box seems suitably chunky and reassuring. The ability to open the box from either side of the car should not be under-estimated. I’ve been grateful of that ability on many occasions. The box shuts securely and so far has proved water tight in use. We’ve just come back from an extremely wet weekend in Snowdonia where we drove through some pretty epic weather and everything inside remained dry. Inside there are also three lashing straps that can be used to stop things rolling around. Do note that a top box is an awkward shape to manoeuvre and even when empty can be quite heavy. Although I can just about struggle it around on my own, to get it up on to the car is definitely a two-man job. The pair of you will pick it up from either long side and walk either side of the car with it lifted above your head. Even then, it takes a bit of muscle. Once past the physical shifting of it though it is very easy to fit, but you’ll soon realise that the reason why you’ll notice a lot of people driving around with top boxes is probably because they can’t be bothered to take it off. That’s certainly the case with mine.Performance wise, I was expecting to take a noticeable hit. However, having now done around 3,000 miles with the top box on I’m happy to report that I rarely notice it’s up there. Wind noise is virtually nil. You’ll occasionally get a small decibel raise when the wind is in particular direction but very rarely. I’ve not yet experienced any situation where there has been any noticeable side winds try to move the car out of lane, and this weekend was very windy. I also notice very little difference in the overall drive of my car, but then this is subjective to the individual car. My car is a 2.2 litre diesel Mazda 6 Sport estate, so it’s got plenty of torque and reasonably stiff suspension. As for fuel economy, I really was fearing the worst. Again though, I have noticed little to no difference. The Mazda was returning 46.5mpg when I bought the box, and 3000 miles down the road it’s still registering 46.5mpg.Aesthetics. It’s purely subjective but of all of the boxes I looked at the Motion XT range were the most attractive that I saw. The black gloss finish looks great, the aerodynamics of the box give it a sleek and purposeful stance and frankly I reckon it looks pretty good sat up on top of the car. It doesn’t look like it’s just been dumped on there. I’ve had several people comment that it looks pretty decent. I’m not saying it’s beautiful, but it’s not ugly like some boxes.As I keep mine on the car all of the time, even though that was never the intention, I quickly realised that spending the extra money on a well designed and practical box was money well spent. I highly recommend the Thule Motion XT range. I also highly recommend that you know how tall your car is with the top box fitted before you park up in your local multi-storey. I’ve had to stop myself a couple of times!

7.3.2021

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.

10.8.2018

My Thule Motion XT Rooftop Cargo Carrier replaces a roof bag that I've been using for family trips. Setup was easy and straightforward. The PowerClick Quick-Mount takes all the guesswork out of securing the box down. The Secure Slidelock system takes a bit of practice, particularly after loading the cargo into the box. Some bulky items may prevent the lock from securing but once you are aware of the issue it's a simple process of repositioning the cargo. You will know if the locks won't secure as the key won't release from the lock. Personally, I love this feature.I installed mine on a 2016 Honda Pilot, it fits perfectly,

24.7.2018

This unit was larger than I thought, it worked out perfectly to carry all my daughter's stuff she couldn't fit in the car when she moved back from back to California.She was running into a lot of rain, but everything inside the cargo container, stayed toasty dry.Be careful, they do scratch easily, as my daughter proved by dragging it along a painted stucco wall, the first day she had it before it was even on the car, scratching the top. But I had those scratches buffed out. It makes it easy to tell if is locked. The secure, three snapping lock system, is great, because you can't take the key out until all the locks are snapped tight closed with a loud click.

30.7.2020

Excellent revised opening and closing mechanism, securing the lid to the base, before being able to remove the key once the lock has been turned to lock. Also excellent Thule One Key system, allowing you to change both locks for the roof box (one either side) as well as all 4 Roof Bar Foot Pad locks (as long as they are also Thule). For the roof box you have to turn the barrel lock to 45 degrees between Locked and Unlocked position before being able to withdraw the original barrel lock's key, rather than to the unlocked position for the Roof Cross Bar Foot Pad barrel locks. You then insert the Thule Master Key to be able to remove the Thule barrel lock from the roof box moulding (warning persevere as this is fiddly to remove the existing barrel lock from the roof box with the Master Key),

10.9.2019

I took this on a cross country, 3,400 mile road trip. At first I was nervous and cautions with it, after reading the bad reviews here. I kept my speed below 70mph and checked on it at every stop. After 1,000 miles I had zero issues so I started getting up to 85mph where the speed limits permitted it. I had zero issues the entire trip, it's easy to open and access and my mileage was only hit by about 10%. I also had it loaded to its max weight capacity the entire trip.I bought the XL so that I could carry skis, I didn't expect it to be so long (my fault for not measuring). However, it is just short enough that it was not visible from the driver seat nor did it block my automated back hatch from opening on my 2016 Tucson.Do note that driving through storms your center of gravity and drag /

7.7.2020

The box is very easy to install and seems sturdy and functional. I had to purchase it from another retailer as the one I purchased from Amazon arrived crushed. I bought it from Amazon for about $623 and by the time the box arrived the price had increased back $779. Amazon would not exchange it and would only accept a return because the price changed. So I ended up returning it and purchasing it elsewhere.Update 08/15/20:Took it on an 800 mile round trip. This cargo box was very easy to install, load, and unload (I used the Thule Gopack Duffle Set). No issues whatsoever. We didn't even notice it was on the roof while driving. Did not notice any difference in wind noise or gas mileage.

28.3.2020

Let’s be honest, it’s expensive (I think I paid $500 on sale). But, with a baby (now toddler) and with all the accompanying stuff, I could barely see out the back. With all the traveling I was doing (Chicago-nyc, Chicago-NC, etc), it’s been worth it. Spend the extra and get the accompanying duffel bag set, believe it, it makes things easier. Each person gets a duffel (mom, dad, baby, dog) and it fits snug.I’ve got a outback and haven’t noticed much of a drop in terms of mileage (maybe 0.5-1mpg). How do I know this? Well I drove to nyc without it, got fed up of not being able to see and had it delivered to my address in nyc, installed it, and compared the mileage when I got back.

13.8.2018

Took this cargo box on an 8 hour road trip and was nothing but impressed. We have a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica and could not have been more pleased with this item. At 80+ MPH, as well as having some crosswinds, we had zero issues with this box. The lock and opening system were by far easier than any other I have used. Installation was a breeze with the ability to set the rooftop box on the cargo racks then line up the anchors, as well as, the anchor system itself being just the turn of a knob made it great. We also encountered heavy rain at the tail end of our trip but everything inside the box was dry. Thought about purchasing the Yakima due to the large price difference , however,

10.12.2019

It is bulky and is a lot to stow away when not in use, but it made a huge difference on our recent trip. We wanted to take my wife's Outback, but it can get tight real fast. The carrier stored all of our gear and then some. I packed from one side until I thought it was full, then opened the other side only to find out I had a LOT more room left. Lost one key, but found it was easy to replace. Know your key number (found on key) in case you have to order one. We did get a little rain in on our trip back, but not too bad. The items at the front were moist and a small amount of water was in the bottom of the carrier. It rained pretty much all the way home on an 8 hr drive.

27.11.2019

This is a well constructed cargo carrier. The ease of use is a great plus. Installing by tightening the "power click" mounts makes it very easy. The reason I decided to put this review is to say, the Motion XT XL does NOT fit my car. It does NOT. Don't listen to what Thule's guide says. I ended up returning the XL and getting the L. The L has a very very slight tap to the hatch when open. Almost not noticeable. However I do want to point it out. If anyone needs this for the CX-5 2015 with stock racks, get the L. The reason for the 4 stars is because the information given by the manufacturer is incorrect concerning the XL. If the information was accurate,

2.4.2021

So far, easy to install, love the hand tighten clamps. Sure, it seems pretty thin, but if you want light weight and something that isn’t going to crack during colder temps, it can’t be too rigid. So far, we’ve used it on a trip to South Carolina from PA and back. It arrived shipped mostly intact apart from a few very small scratches on top which most won’t see anyway. It did take a few weeks to arrive. We have the Motion XXL Titan gray. Love how the four Thule bags packed with stuff fit perfectly across the carrier with room to spare. I think overall it will be a good value if it holds up. We plan to leave it on the top of our minivan (2018 Honda Odyssey - fits fine on factory crossbars).

3.9.2019

Bought to take seven people on an 8 hour (each way)trip. To echo other reviews install was a breeze. I have volvo bars on my XC90 and had no problems. Bought the XL and my son (16) and I (5’5” female) were able to easily handle the carrier. We packed soft average size bags and fit six in the carrier. Didn’t notice too much drag regarding gas mileage but I stayed around 70 mph most of the trip. Looking through the sunroof it wobbled a bit, but assume that’s normal. Oh and I’ve read reviews with some folks experiencing water leaking in with other carriers...we hit some heavy downpours on our return trip but everything remained dry, which I thought was a plus! Would highly recommend!

25.9.2019

I have nothing but great things to say about this rooftop luggage carrier. It’s as easy to install as advertised (a big and pleasant surprise!). It’s sturdy and held a LOT of our vacation gear...probably a bit more than the recommended weight limit, honestly...but I’m not suggesting that to anyone! It’s waterproof (we drove through huge drenching rains...and all was dry!) and even at 80mph, not that much extra wind noise. And easy to remove after the trip. It does take two people to install and remove, but that’s to be expected. And our dog gets to keep the whole back of our SUV to himself...and that’s what the purchase was all about! Very satisfied customer!

6.8.2019

Perfect for our 320 Tourer. Fitted with Thule roof bars.Everything’s firm with this box compared the Exodus which this has replaced.I much prefer the lock system in this Thule box. It doesn’t rely on the key to move the lock mechanism, the key on this box prevents the push release from operating. This seems a far more sensible way of locking and unlocking the box, and it doesn’t feel like the key will snap if there’s any resistance as the Exodus does.Opening both sides is perfect especially on the roof of a lower car. We’ve not used it on the Qashqai, but I’d assume it may be a little more difficult, but that’s a car problem, not the box!!

Thule Motion XT L - Reviews

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