Quote:
Originally Posted by Noahfreak
The study didn't take into account the foregone larger vehicle that would be necessary to replace the roof rack. 25% off of a typical car's mpg is still better than most trucks and large SUVs, isn't it?
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That's the point I was about to make
I used to drive a 'mid sized' VW Transporter, I didn't use the rook rack often so I removed it when not needed (also it didn't fit in car parks with the rack on).
I now have a 'small' Renault, but I need the roof rack too often to bother taking it off. It also provides a great place to mount a solar panel.
Best ever tank was with the roof rack and solar panel fitted.
The gain by downsizing the vehicle was about 40% factoring in the difference between diesel and petrol.
I don't think there's anywhere near a 25% hit for a standard roof rack (heck even my ~1200lb enclosed trailer only costs about that much - and that's city, it's less on the highway), for a 4x4 style roof cage maybe. I'd guess my Thule Wingbar costs 5% on the highway, so assuming you drive 50/50 city/highway the actual hit would be more like 3%.