My wife and I have a 2013 Countryman. We've been using the Thule Atlantis 1600 for years and it works great. However, we now have a newborn in the family and a dog, and the cargo situation is getting pretty tight with strollers, dog stuff, etc.

I've been thinking of moving up to one of the longer Yakima or Thule offerings that are 20-22 cubic feet. I've searched all the roof box threads and can't seem to find anyone indicating they have used one that big on the Countryman. Is anyone using one? If so, how do you like it? Does it impede the opening of the rear hatch or does it sit forward far enough to clear it?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Well, I guess I'll be the guinea pig. I have a Yakima Showcase 20 arriving later this week. By my measurement, the hatch should have just enough room to open fully, though the box is going to hang a good deal over the front windshield. Should be interesting.

 

post pics when done!

 

Plus one for Pix

 

Here you go:




I'm really thrilled with it. In the position pictured, the hatch opens fully, and I feel like it doesn't hang too terribly far over the windshield. You certainly can't see it from inside the car. It also pulls into the garage just fine, which is no surprise, as it's basically the same height as our Thule box, just longer. Also, if I slid it all the way over to one side, I would have enough room for a set of skis or a single bike (but probably not two) on the factory bars.

I did buy the really short Cravenspeed stubby antenna. The factory antenna would be bent a full 90 degrees if I left it on there. The Cravenspeed is short enough that the box can slide over it. I haven't noticed any difference in reception quality yet, but I also haven't left the city of Chicago yet, so we'll see whether the reception sensitivity suffers at all if you get further away from the broadcast point.

 

looks like it should be there!

 

For comparison, here is the older, smaller box that now resides on top of my '06 R53.

 

Yeah, for sure. It's 91 inches long. I did look at some other boxes (Thule Sonic, IIRC?) that were 101 inches long, which I think might have been a bit much.

The only thing I'll say about the new one is it is definitely a 2-person job to get it on and off, where I could just manage the old one by myself.

 

Looks good, I like it!