aj84

Hi all,

One of the great things I find with the e-tron is space. The boot/froot/trunk/frunk combination has generally always been enough for us with the addition of using one of the seats for luggage on plenty of towels of course.
But with now two large baby/toddler seats in the back comes additional luggage and loss of a spare seat storage and with a couple of longer trips coming up, thinking of maybe utilising the roof area.

I've already got the rails on my e-tron so it would be a case of getting the roof box bars and the box itself.
Anyone already setup like this?

1. Did you go for Audi original? Prices as expected are extortionate for what is essentially a plastic box but plenty of 2nd hand boxes out there.
2. Did you go for third-party? Any issues/concerns/comparisons to Audi Original?
2a. I almost always come across Thule which I suppose is so popular due to the likes of Halfords selling them
3. I assume only an Audi box would fit Audi bars and not a third party box on Audi bars (or an Audi box on third party bars)?
4. I'm sure I know the answer to this but assumption is it will shave off a bit of range? How much roughly?

Thanks in advance!

Tronification

The OEM bars look like plain Thule Aero bars and I bet the box is also rebranded Thule.

aj84

Interesting!
I suppose the question is - why would I go to Thule over the genuine Audi ones?
I just priced up the Thule and the genuine Audi ones work out to be only £8 more!

Only thing I'm thinking in my research, I'm seeing the Thule to be bars which you then buy additional kits to fit your specific car - Is the Thule more universal as a result - ie when I change cars, I can take the bars with me changing only the adaptor kit is the Audi ones equally universal.

Tronification

They used to call them foot packs and those are rail specific. There are two kinds, feet that connect into the side of the crossbar (lower profile, shorter bars) and feet that connect under the crossbar (wider bars that extend past the foot piece and sit slightly higher). Each type has some adjustability, but I suspect the latter would have more of it. I have both types, left permanently on (ICE) cars, and I don’t perceive any meaningful difference in wind noise.

aj84

Thanks - I did a fair bit of reading once I posted to your earlier reply and I think i've figured out it out now.

The Thule is essentially a 4 piece kit
Rear Bar which is shorter
Front bar (Longer)
4 foot packs
Flush rail fitting kit

This full set is £300 and probably less transferable to another car than going for the non-edge version.
The Audi genuine set is £273 but is not like the above Thule (edge) and overhangs which I am reading as less aerodynamic.
For about £40 less on the Thule, you can get the Thule Wing Evo which overhangs and is essentially the same as the Audi OEM one.

So as far as the bars go, price-wise its pretty much the same - just a preference/efficiency decision whether I want the overhanging or the more low-profile one and how much better it is on efficiency over the one that overhangs.
Also the edge version allows only the box...or only bikes but not shared due to the reduced bar. In my case, the toddlers bike could probably fit in the box itself and chances are, we won't be needing a bike on the roof while I'm in this car so it is purely on how much does the wing edge give over the wing evo.

orbit0353

Here are some example pictures with a Thule box, and a Skiguard 830. I prefer the latter as it sits closer to the roof (but I think there is still enough room to open an eventual panorama roof).

More pictures of these two here:
https://www.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=342312770
https://www.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=342747834

peterolsovsky

Take my advice as I spent significant time on this. And now as a result (of overthinking it) I have 2 sets of crossbars and spent more money unnecessarily.
(Luckily I use both)

1. Go for THULE hands down. Much sturdier and have more load capacity. Audi seems like bending with only loaded box.
2. Overhang is not and issue. I know Thule Aeroblade Edge look better (I had them on Allroad), but those stupid plastic brackets SIGNIFICANTLY limit loading space. (Box and something else (like bike) if you dont have towing adapter is not doable, or super tight.)
3. Audi original crossbars have no security (2019), only special screws but not locks. (they can take everything including bars from your roof /possibility)
4. THULE sells internal T shape screws for box which slide into their rail from the top and not limiting your sunroof. (For the long time I could not open sunroof on Allroad because those original box clamps were in the way!)
5. Go for slim box as Orbit has for aerodynamics. (I have Thule Pulse Alpine /terrible lock/ but slim and narrow so you can combine other stuff on the roof)
6. As I mentioned Thule crossbars have more load capacity and I got Roof Top Tent (Thule Foothill) wich fits with roof box and makes your car very versatile for road trips. (we did Nova Scotia and PEI - fantastic)
6. Look at REI. They are Thule Authorized dealer and have many of those on stock returned (generous return policy) at significant discount. I bought everything 50% off (except those rubber feet which are specific to the car. I had to order from Thule direct /cheap/)
7. If you're interested in bike carrier I can elaborate on this later..... :-)

aj84

@orbit0353 Thank you for the pictures!
Out of interest, what Thule box do you have there?

@peterolsovsky
Amazing thank you! This is exactly the type of response I was after

Going down your points :
1. Agreed - I am now down to just the Thule bars whether it be the closed off or open bars
2. IF you did not have the need for a bike rack or second box etc, would you still go for open bars? Every so often I come across a comment about the closed ones being that much better on aerodynamics.
Chances are I probably won't be keeping the e-tron for more than a year...2 at most. But maybe I've just answered my own Q...if there is a chance I keep it longer, then there is an increased chance of probably needing that extra bit of space are the kids grow up
5. My only issue with the slim in terms of height is storage - just looked at a video and it seems slim would be good for skis and essentially low height items but not for any sort of baggage? Trying to picture what we might be taking next month and what springs to mind is while the bigger suitcases will stay in the back, could a pram/stroller go in the box along with some of the smaller holdall type bags or even things like the bottle steriliser.
Are we talking 1-5% saving or 15-20% saving on efficiency by going long/slim?
6. This looks brilliant! I did not realise this was even a thing let alone something the e-tron roof could handle. You probably missed the currency usage earlier but I'm in the UK so outings such as the ones you mention are ...only a dream!

Thank you again both - lot of learnings here

Tronification

You're going to do exactly what I did, which is research it to death, then buy a cargo box and a bunch of other attachments which you will then never use cause it's a lot more convenient to just throw stuff in the box. With the etron, the aerodynamics are far more important than with a conventional vehicle, so anything sitting on top of the car, in the open, will give you substantially more drag than putting the same stuff inside the box or trunk. Other than bikes, most anything can go in the box, so get one of whatever volume you need, preferrably with a slimmed down tail, like a Thule Pulse vs a Sidekick, and pick whatever bars you like the looks of.

The difference in drag between the two crossbar foot styles is marginal and the wind noise is the same. If you like the short bars, the cargo box's clamping claws are positioned far enough inward such that you can place the box far enough to the side, should you need to fit something else next to it.

So yes, quit overthinking it and just go get something appropriate and then pop back here in two years and admit to having used the box just once.

orbit0353

It's not mine just a sample from a random sales ad here in the land of roof-boxes (and e-trons). But looks like a Thule Motion XT Alpine.