I picked the Thule Ascent 1500 for my cross country trip in my Subaru Impreza Outback Sport after much debate as to what size carrier would fit on the top of the car. This is pretty much the only rooftop cargo box I could find in the 60-70 inch range so I went with it. It fit perfectly! It did not cross the plane of the windshield while at the same time allowing me to lift the hatch completely. It took a little bit of time to set up. I have factory cross bars and I had to move them a few times to get them in the perfect set up for the Thule, but once they were set up it was super easy to take it on and off (though I would recommend two people) and easy to lock it down.
At first I was nervous because when empty the Thule rattled a little bit when I drove around to get the feel for it, but once I put all my stuff in it for the trip it stopped making noise. In total I drove 4200 miles from California to New York and I have absolutely no complaints! The Thule went through freezing temperatures in Utah and Colorado, serious wind in Nebraska, and rain in Maryland with no problems at all. It had no leaks and only made some whistling noise when the wind was really bad. Plus it was so easy to access that we could keep our shoes up there when they got muddy and swap out gear with no problems. The big plus was the amount of room it opened up in the car for the three of us. Everything arrived at my final location clean and dry. It is hard to tell how much it effected my gas mileage since the car was so much heavier then normal and the mileage fluctuated so much from fill up to fill up. My mpg was probably 1-3 miles less then normal and part of that can be attributed to the carrier.
For those smaller cars that need a cargo box for gear I would recommend this product. I tried and it did fit my snowboard (which is small, only about 149cm), but it probably won’t fit really large snowboards or skis as stated in recommended use. I can’t wait to use this box again. The only down side is finding a place to store it in the mean time (it does take up a lot of space)!
Product Features
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Dual-Side opening for easier loading and unloading from either side of the vehicle - Quick-Grip™ mounting system for fast, easy, tool-free installation and removal
- Heavy-duty lid and base protects gear and keeps out the elements
- SecureLock™ ensures that all gear is locked and box is properly closed prior to driving
- Carries 15 cubic feet or up to 110lbs of cargo per box
- 2 One-Key™ Locks (included) secure box contents and lock the box to the carrier
- Fits Thule rack systems, round bars and most factory racks
- 66.9”L x 35.1”W x 16”H
- Fits 3-4 snowboards (max length 155 cm)
- Roof box weighs 35 lbs
- Reduces over-head clearance