Car roof basket with cargo versus no basket — compared fuel economy mpg — 2010 Subaru Outback

© 2022 Peter Free

 

17 August 2022

 

 

Introduction — why we wound up with a car-top basket

 

The following roof basket test was undertaken during a military PCS to a destination that had no home waiting for us.

 

National economics, at the time, dictated that it was likely that the inflated housing market was going to keep us staying with extended family for up to 12 months.

 

Consequently, our household goods were going to be in inaccessible storage all that time. And that meant that we had to take a whole lot more four-season stuff with us, rather than leave it in storage with the movers.

 

This was one of those (many) times when I missed my previously owned pickup trucks. The last one, I'd had to sell because we could not afford to ship it to Germany, when my wife was assigned there in 2014.

 

 

Mildly ironically, while in Germany, she bought a less 'frumpy' (her word) Volvo.

 

And I took over the hand-me-down Outback. Which I had not wanted her to buy in the first place.

 

Nevertheless, I held onto the Subaru out of a sense of (probably misplaced) frugality. It is a decent car.

 

 

What follows is predominantly intended for people in the same car (but no truck) boat.

 

 

Compared fuel economies — two roughly comparable trips

 

In July 2019, I drove a 2010 Subaru Outback from Lackland Air Force Base (Texas) to Travis Air Force Base (California).

 

This trip, also a PCS, carried essentially the same weight and cargo volume as the subsequent with-basket travel done in 2022.

 

The 2022 PCS added a large sized Rhino-Rack roof basket to the car. The basket contained the load that would have been in the Outback's front seat area, which was now occupied by my wife.

 

The latter trip went from Travis Air Force Base to coastal Maine. Consequently, it was longer than the 2019 drive. But more than half of it traveled at the eastern United States' lower speed limits. This no doubt improved fuel economy compared to what it would have been, had all things been equal.

 

 

Notice, also, that the 2019 westbound trip was, generally speaking, into the wind.

 

The 2022 east-bound trip was, on balance, either without wind or with a tailwind.

 

 

In other words, the below calculations probably represent a best-case scenario.

 

 

Results

 

 

 

Without the Rhino basket — 29.8 mpg.

 

With the basket and its pictured cargo — 22.4 mpg.

 

Increased total fuel cost (as a percentage) with the loaded basket, as shown in the pictures — as opposed to without a basket — 32 percent.

 

 

Additional practical considerations

 

The 2022 trip took us seven days, due to a number of detours that we took from the most direct coast-to-coast route.

 

Loading and unloading the basket, day after day, was annoying.

 

The Rhino-Rack basket is powder-coated. This means that trying slide items, especially the rubbery dry bags that we were using requires more effort than one might anticipate. Even if one is not especially short, one arguably needs a step stool to do the necessary load arranging and tie-downs.

 

Second, if you are safety conscious, attaching and detaching ratchet straps — as well as a stretchable cargo net — with each overnight stop — can quickly become time-consuming.

 

This is particularly true, if the plastic hooks that come with the net are designed to fit very-very snugly onto the basket rails.

 

Additionally, if you want to avoid untangling the net each morning — due to the hooks grabbing whatever comes their way — it is better to remove them from the net at each evening's de-netting.

 

 

Other considerations

 

The Rhino basket weighs about 46 pounds. This means that you can only put 104 pounds into it, without exceeding the Outback's 150 pound roof limit.

 

You might think that a hitch-mounted carrier would be  a more convenient alternative to the roof basket. But keep in mind that the Outback's tongue weight limit is only 200 pounds.

 

This comes into play because the Outback's rear suspension is not particularly stout. The car sags visibly, even when its gross vehicle weight rating has not yet been exceeded and everything is in or on top of the car.

 

If you add a hitch-mounted carrier — with cargo on it to reach the 200 pound tongue weight maximum — and you stuff a bunch of stuff into the car as well — you will be exacerbating the car's backwards tilt.

 

That is one of the reasons that I chose the roof basket. And then added most of its cargo mass toward the basket's front end. I wanted to minimize the vehicle's fully loaded nose-up attitude.

 

 

A note regarding trailers

 

At the time that we made the 2022 trip, trailers had more than doubled in cost as against what they had been in the pre-COVID era.

 

At the time, even a 4x6 cargo trailer was pushing close to $4,000 in California. That is a ridiculously bad value.

 

In addition to such a small trailer's lack of comparative worth, the Outback's silly trailering restrictions made getting one questionable.

 

Practically speaking, 1,500 pounds — as opposed to Subaru's claimed 2,700 pounds — is the Outback's real-world limit in my estimation.

 

Furthermore, anything over 1,000 pounds requires trailer brakes, according to Subaru.

 

This written limitation matters. Imagine yourself the defendant in a liability lawsuit. With Subaru's language being quoted against you in court.

 

You will not find such a small trailer in the United States with brakes. Adding them, even oneself, adds substantially to the trailer's cost.

 

Notice, too, that even the lightest 4x6 cargo trailers weigh 600-800 pounds. A more practically sized 5x8 reaches (at least) 800 to 900 plus pounds.

 

These towing limitations are just one of the many ways that Subarus (my wife has had two) arguably fall short of what the manufacturer's propaganda would have one believe.

 

I'm not picking on Subaru. Most manufacturers' literature misleads consumers, regarding what a vehicle will actually safely tow with driver, passengers and their belongings inside.

 

In addition to all the above, include realistic worries about how to secure said trailer against being stolen or broken into with each motel stop.

 

And then, there is also the tedious 55 to 60 mile per hour speed limit for trailers in many states.

 

 

The moral? — I found the roof basket more annoying than not

 

It will get you there. But you may wonder whether all the stuff that you brought was worth the effort and the massive decrease in fuel economy.

 

Once I added up the cost of the basket and net, three large drybags and a foldable wagon (for carrying all our items to and from lodging facilities in a more time-efficient manner) — as well as the very noticeably increased fuel cost — the total came to $1,076.

 

You can replace a lot of stuff for that amount. And simultaneously not have to put up with the hassle that goes with loading a vehicle to its inside and outside maximums 14 times for a week-long trip.

 

My conclusion?

 

Once a truck or van person, always a truck or van person.