Thule Motion 800 roofbox / cargo box review

When I think of roofboxes, I think of people carriers full of excited kids and a raft of bikes strapped precariously onto the rear hatch. Step forward the Thule Motion 800 in all of its silvery slippery sleekness and you immediately think about prestige German estate cars and skiing trips to the Alps.

We tested the Motion 800 on the latest incarnation of Thule’s ever trusty roof bars, the WingBar, but the box is also compatible with current and previous generations of Thule SlideBar (with an adaptor), AeroBar and traditional rectangular SquareBar ones too. In fact, the full Motion range (200, 600, 800 & 900) will fit on any roof bars that are up to 80mm wide and between 18mm – 30mm deep.

Fitting the Thule Motion

Fitting is an absolute doddle. A very simple but elegant affair. Making sure that the rubber coated prosthetic hand-like grips are fully open, just sit the box square on the roofbars, then, one side at a time, turn the large tactile locking screws on the inside of the box. The locking screws have an ‘integrated torque indicator’. There are 2 screws on each side of the box, so you open one side, turn the screws, then close that side, open the other side, turn those screws… You get the idea. Before setting off give the box a firm wiggle to make sure that everything is properly located. The box sits quite far forward on the car, so doesn’t intrude on access to the car boot. This is a good thing.

Noise on the road & vehicle dynamics

On the road, you hardly know that the roofbox is there at all. Any wind noise being generated comes from the roofbars and we know that because we tested them sans roofbox earlier in the day. As we drove along the coast road we got a good buffeting from the wind off the sea and this didn’t have any discernable effect on the vehicles dynamics. My feeling after the road test was that any hint of dynamic compromise was in my head – I was overly conscious that there was a large shiny silver box on the roof of the car. Of course, after a while, I forgot about it altogether and it became a natural extension of the car itself. We tested the box full with a ‘weekend of gear’ and completely empty and didn’t notice any difference in the noise department.

Living with a Thule roofbox

In the world of roofboxes, the Motion 800 is a great looking product and one that I’d be proud to own. It’s ‘Made in Sweden’ too, which I like. It’s also finished to a very high standard with gorgeous deep metallic silver paint. Now, whilst that will win you some kudos in roofbox snobbery circles, it does throw up a minor practical issue – keeping, what is essentially a utilitarian product, looking as good as new in years to come. No problem for someone who owns a garage big enough for a roof mounted Thule Boxlift but for mere mortals who have to navigate gates and doors to store the ‘box when it’s not being used, there is a chance that you might pick up the odd scratch here and there.

The Motion comes with 3 ratchet straps and internal fixing eyes so that you can tie down your luggage and holiday clobber and stop it moving around whilst in transit. Of course, being Thule, iconic Swedish brand that it is, there is an optional Skicarrier, which makes carrying skis even easier and safer. The box is secured with a single high quality lock on both sides. Opening is from either side, rather than from the back or front. That makes access to all areas very easy. The floor is ridged to improve structural strength and this might prove to be a minor obstacle if anybody is struggling with the weight of large flatter items, like suitcases. Don’t we all just use boxy roller luggage these days?

Thule vs Weather

As we couldn’t order rain on the test day, we used a hose pipe to attack the roofbox in an attempt to mimic driving rain. In the head-on test and side on test, we got no water penetration whatsoever. This wasn’t an exhaustive test though and can’t replicate the effects of hours of rain at motorway speeds.

Capacity

The 460 litre capacity is, well, huge and the Motion 800 is one of the biggest roofboxes on the market. It’s dimensions are of the slimmer, taller variety being 205cm long x 84cm wide x 45cm wide. Load capacity is 75kg and the unit itself weighs 21kgs. Also available in BLACK and a Limited Edition WHITE. The length of the box does mean that you need to be on the ball when you open the box as, if you don’t open it in the middle at the lock point, it might twist a bit. Just open it in the place that you are supposed to and all will be fine. 2 chunky keys are supplied. A good security feature is that the keys can’t be removed in the unlocked position so the chance of losing your dirty washing in the fast lane of the motorway is quite low.

Bike carrier compatible!

That slim width profile of the Motion 800 has one huge advantage for cyclists – you can fit a single bike carrier next to it. This isn’t always possible with roofboxes as they are, in most cases,  too wide to accommodate anything else apart from a couple of fishing rods. We’ve attached a Thule 591 ProRide bike carrier to the roof bars to illustrate the point. And there is plenty of room for both the carrier and the bike, as you can see from the images. The bike to hand didn’t have pedals fitted at the time – they weren’t taken off to fit on the roof. You won’t be able fit more than one bike carrier next to the Motion 800, but you might still be able to squeeze in the fishing rods. Enjoy!

Verdict

High quality, fully developed product that will appeal to the Verbier jetset and Cornwall bound “staycationers” alike.

Quality – 9/10

Value – 7/10

Performance – 8/10

OVERALL – 8/10

Price – £364.00 (for Silver & Black)

Price – £396.00 (for Ltd Edn. White)

www.thule.com

Available from Thule dealers – CLICK HERE