Thule  Sonic XL Roof Box

I own a 2013 Subaru Outback, and it has a 'fixed' factory rack system. Not all boxes work on the system that allows the rear cargo hatch door to open fully without hitting the cargo box. This box is one of the few that do, and in fact has more than enough adjustment to not conflict with the fully opened cargo hatch door. I like how it connects to the rack. I love how it can be opened from either side; so convenient when the box is packed full and you realize that camp chair you want is on the OTHER SIDE of the full load, and all you have to do is access it from the other side rather than unload the box to get at it. It looks great on my car, and it functions exactly as I need. I couldn't be happier. Thank you Thule!!!

The Thule roof box saves room in the vehicle for more people and dogs. Locking mechanism is exceptional. attractive on my vehcle and easily accessed from either side. I would recommend this box to anyone. REI was an excellent plact to purchase this product. The sales person was very helpful, courteous and knowlegdable about the product. I am a happy camper.

I bought this a few weeks ago for an 1800 mile trip from south OC to top of CA. Fitted to my wife's 2007 V6 Rav4 Limited 4x4 with factory racks/crossbars. I was able to widen the adjustable OEM crossbars to their max (36.5" on center ...also is the max width of the sonic XL spread) ...perfect fit! We had the thing loaded, easily over the recommended weight for both box and OEM crossbars with camping gear. At the beginning of the trip I was timid about our speed, but the thing was so quiet that eventually we were just flying up to 90 mph and still silent, like a bullet thru the wind. The box went thru some bumpy/vibrating dirt roads and never moved/untightened an inch over the duration of the Redwoods. I am very impressed. I wanted the black model, but I chose silver knowing how hot these things get...In the future I'll be using it for the beach and don't want my surf wax melting (as quickly as the black one, that is). I chose this over the Thule Force after much comparison in store as the Sonic has the lid stiffener, a harder shell, lateral rods up front on the lid+bottom that the hinges clamp to, the "acutight" mounting and the longitudinal rod on the bottom stiffening up the box lengthwise. The Force is just plain flimsy all around (I do like the matte texture though). The Yakima Skybox had a nice stiff lid, but I've heard many stories of the mounting having too many parts and easily falls apart when you loosen it too much. Plus, I don't see how the Yakima mounting system would be theft proof if some thugs decided to just push the thing forward off the crossbars with some teamwork. Sonic rules! (Note: new model Rav4's might have issue since the older body style has a horiz-hinged rear door + no rear roof antenna...also, the older Rav4 has 270hp, 0-60 in 6.3sec...hits 90mph a lot faster than the newer models! just sayin')

I purchased the box towards the end of March of 2015. This past June/July, we used it for our summer vacation. Driving to our destination as well as driving home from the destination (approx. 900 miles each way), we were caught in heavy rain. Each time we opened the box, it was totally dry. As for road noise, there was very little to the point that I kept forgetting that it was there. Also, I was averaging about 75 MPH. The best part was the additional space that was gained inside the vehicle as most was placed in the Sonic XL. We are super please with this and am now looking at adding the Thule Bike Carrier for the hitch. Super product and I recommend buying this!!!!

This is a great cargo carrier. The road noise is unnoticeable, mounting/dismounting is easy and it has a ton of space. My fuel economy dipped by about .5 mpg on my full size SUV. The locks are solid. And yes folks, the lid is somewhat flimsy. I frequently see this as a complaint for ALL cargo carriers. It is a weight trade off. Just don't open the lid like a brutish neandrethal and you'll be just fine. I highly recommend this unit.

We recently made a road trip to SC which wouldn't be cramped in my XTerra SUV... But we would be traveling with my Mom and our 2 four legged friends! We purchased this carrier to make room in our SUV. It is super easy and quick to install. There was no vibration or movement noted during our trip. We hit some heavy rain/snow and not one drop found its way into the carrier! It did not make a noticeable impact on our fuel consumption. Thanks for a great product!!

Staff helped me get it on my car - 2011 BMW X5 with raised rails and square bar Thule rack and fairing. It fit nicely, and seemed very quiet on the ride home, but I have not driven it "at speed" yet. I definitely prefer the black color over silver - glad they had the black in stock. The XXL would have fit on my X5, but seemed like overkill for my needs. The XL does not noticeably extend over the windshield when in place, and the tailgate lifts entirely.

The Sonic XL is well made and easy to install on the cross bars. Very little (if any) wind noise at highway speed. Opens easy from both sides. This box fits a Mazda CX-9 factory rack. If you check with Thule or Yakima, none of the roof boxes long enough to fit adult skis are supposed to fit a Mazda CX-9. This isn't true. The Sonic XL fits the factory rack with about 3 inches to spare between the rear of the box and the opened rear hatch. I installed the box onto the rack in about 5 minutes. Super easy.

We have a '11 Ford Explorer and a family of 5. The Sonic gives us room inside the vehicle to enjoy long trips. So far, the Sonic has been easy to install, use and store.

My wife, my cat and I needed extra cargo for an extended vacation three days of driving from home. We got the Thule Sonic XL for the car because that was the largest rooftop cargo box that would fit our Jeep Grand Cherokee without interfering with the rear hatch. We were very pleased while packing for the trip that the addition of the Sonic XL was going to make our trip's payload feasible. The added seventeen cubic feet really helps when lugging along all the extra clothing for a colder climate, two boxed flatscreen monitors, camera tripod, gifts and so many other essentials for our trip. This Thule made it possible to do this trip with all the stuff we wanted to bring and more! The last of the three days of travel was through heavy rain, but all the contents of the Thule were dry upon arrival. I'm glad there was someone to help us install it at our local REI. Remember to consider that if you do not install it in the parking lot of REI, you might not be able to get it home inside your car. Be sure to schedule an installation time with the REI you purchase it from if this is your first cargo box. Things will just go better that way. --Great about it: Ease of installation. All I needed to install the lock cylinders was a sharp pocket knife to cut out the plastic knockouts. Both sides of the cargo box and all four lockdown points of the crossbars have the same key because of how easy it is to change the cylinders after unlocking them. Also, the black, glossy finish of the Sonic XL Pro looked really good on my SUV. It looked like it really was part of the car. Also, there was almost no additional road noise on the interstates. I did use Thule's Aero Bars as my crossbars for this installation, BTW. Not so great about it: If you tighten the calipers without something for them to clamp onto, it might damage the torque limiting calipers which grab onto the roof rack's crossbars. Thule! Please design that better! Also, Thule's website is awful at describing what you need to purchase with your cargo box and even worse at showing how it all goes together onto your car. The included international cartoon instructions were even worse. This box did what I needed it to do at a reasonable price. I recommend it, but from all I have heard from others, the Yakima is also a quality product. Thanks again for the installation help, REI!