etrailer | Checking Out the Thule Motion 3 Rooftop Cargo Box

Click for more info and reviews of this Thule Roof Box:
https://www.etrailer.com/Roof-Box/Thu...
Check out some similar Roof Box options:
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Roof...

Click for more info and reviews of this Thule Roof Box:
https://www.etrailer.com/Roof-Box/Thu...
Check out some similar Roof Box options:
https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Roof...

https://www.etrailer.com
Don’t forget to subscribe!
   / etrailertv  

Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-review-th...
Hi, everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer. Today we're taking a look at the Thule Motion 3 rooftop cargo box. This is gonna be the XL version, or the 18 cubic foot box, that will protect your cargo, but also has a bunch of different features to make that process a lot easier for you. We're gonna take a look at some of those features, and I'll also show you how to get this set up for your vehicle and your cargo right here. If you need a carry around cargo, but you want to make sure it's protected from the elements, a big question is, how well does it protect it Well, your box is gonna be made of ABS plastic, and you have your glossy lid, whether glossy black or glossy gray, and then you have your more textured bottom base. Both of them are designed with different angles and different design features to them to make it more low-profile, sleek, and clean.

You'll notice that it's tapered both in the front as well as the back just to help out with wind drag and resistance, but also to make it more versatile for more vehicles. This box weighs 51 pounds and has a weight capacity of 165 pounds. However, that weight capacity, you do have to check your crossbar capacity and your roof capacity first. If any of those numbers are lower than 165, go ahead and follow whichever is lower, and that will help you figure out how much cargo can you actually carry. For the length, it's gonna be 85 inches and 1/8 inch long.

Your height is going to be 16 inches and 15/16 inch tall. And as for the space will take up on your crossbars, well, that's be 35 inches wide. These measurements are important if you wanna carry around something else on your roof as well as your box. Pretty standard dimensions for your rooftop cargo box. Where this really shines is once you start getting it onto your roof and how easy it is to clamp down, as well as the different features to make it easier to load things up into the box.

So let's go take a look at that process as well as those different features. When your box arrives, it's going to be ready to go out of the box. All you need to do is grab a second person to help you get it onto your crossbars. Not so much because it's heavy, but just because it's on the bulkier side. Once you get it onto your bars, you can then fine tune its position to match your vehicle and your needs.

This has a good range of crossbar spread that this can accommodate. All the way from a minimum of 21 5/8 inches, all the way to 35 7/8. Now if you need to, you can push the box back and forth on that crossbar to get the best fit on your vehicle. What you're aiming for is further back, but still have hatch clearance. A good way to measure for that too is if you have at least 51 inches and 1/8 inch from your front crossbar to the top of your back hatch, then you'll have clearance for the full box. Remember to measure at its highest position, but also if it comes really close, a good thing is that the back of the box is tapered to give you better luck with even the smaller crossovers. But one of my favorite things about these boxes are the PowerClick clamps. So these simply fit into the track over your crossbar, and then they first click into place to show that they're seated, but then you also tighten them down with this easy-to-turn knob, and then you tighten it until even the knob itself also clicks. This shows you that you have enough tightness and enough torque around your crossbars. It's a good way to check real quick if everything's still tight down. (clamp clicks) This is also a dual-access box, which means you can open it on both sides. This helps you organize cargo more strategically, having easy access items towards the side where you might put your box, or you can have it centered, if that makes sense on your vehicle. This also helps out when clamping down the box just because you will have to open both sides to access both sides of the clamps. But once everything is secure, this is gonna be a great time to load your cargo up. Now on each side of the box, you're going to have hinges, and these hinges are very helpful because I've noticed that they do support a good amount of weight, but they don't bind up when I lift everything up. You also have the hinges making sure that things close properl