Selecting a Cargo Carrier for a 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport 5 Door

Question:

Im looking for a cargo carrier for my 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport 5 door. What is the largest or longest carrier I can put on the roof without damaging the attenna. Im going on a cross country trip and need as much storage as I can get. Ive been looking at Thule and Yakima products.

asked by: Linda B

Expert Reply:

A good starting point is to refer to your vehicle owners manual to confirm the roof weight bearing capacity. This will ensure that you do not overload the roof. Bear in mind that the weight of the carrier itself, plus the weight of the loaded cargo, will all be borne by the Impreza roof.

If your Impreza Sport has factory installed roof side rails (that run front to back) and factory crossbars (that run side to side) then you do not need to add any components to your roof in order to support a cargo basket. If your Impreza has a naked roof (no type of rails or crossbars at all) then you will need the 2012 Subaru Impreza Roof Rack by Yakima, consisting of the following parts: # Y00425, # Y53TR, and # Y00248.

Among our most popular rooftop cargo carriers is the Thule Roof Mounted Cargo Basket, part TH859XT. This 2-piece steel cargo basket measures 49 inches from front to back (measured from outside edge to outside edge). You can measure the available space on your roof from the antenna forward to see if a basket of this size will fit to your satisfaction. Do please note that the factory roof rack crossbars must not be wider than 3-1/4 inches, and that their center-to-center distances must be between 20" - 37" inches apart for this to work. I have included a brief review video for this product.

If your roof has only raised side rails and no crossbars there is a series of cargo baskets from Surco that can mount directly to your side rails. The link at right will show you all such carriers, which are offered in a range of sizes. All Surco baskets feature lightweight aluminum construction and are USA-made.

A handy accessory for use with any roof cargo box is a wheel-mount step, which can make loading and unloading of your carrier much easier. One such item is the HitchMate TireStep Adjustable Step # HE4040. This item comes fully assembled and simply slips over a rear tire to give you a height advantage for loading and unloading. It folds easily for storage in the vehicle.

Instructions for all referenced products are included. Last, please note that most roof antennae can be unscrewed for times when the cargo box is to be used.