I’m a former Prius owner x 2 and current cargo box owner / user.
We got a good size cargo box for the Sportwagen last November. We bought it because we got tired of putting 4 pairs of wet skis inside the car between the rear passengers. It also came in very handy for winter steelhead / salmon fishing and clamming. The wet and stinky waders and gear plus rods / shovels go in the box instead of inside of the car.
The box went on with the winter tires in November and came off with the winter tires at the end of March.
Why buy a fuel efficient car and then put a box one it?- It is way better than buying a less efficient vehicle without a box.
- It is nice to have storage space outside of a vehicle
Why not use a hitch mounted box?
They are a huge pain. We have a hitch mounted bike rack and we have to swing it out of the way every time we want to access the cargo area. That got old really fast
Why leave the box on all winter?- Taking the box on and off is a huge pain
- Storing the box takes up a lot of space
- The mileage hit isn’t that bad (2019 – 36.4 mpg / 2020 = 37.25 mpg / 2021 = 36.6 mpg (with box))
Why drive fast with a fuel efficient car?
You are still saving money over driving fast in a less efficient car. Plenty of people buy a car like a Prius to save on fuel. It is a roomy mid-size car that gets great fuel economy. However, they don’t care about eking out the best fuel economy they can. Getting the best mpg they can isn’t a sport / hobby like it is for people here on ecomodder. They are perfectly happy to get 40 mpg driving 80 mph on the freeway. The cost difference between 40 mpg and 50 mpg is small. Driving 10K miles a year and paying $3.50 a gallon for gas the difference between averaging 40 mpg and 50 mpg is $3.37 a week. Less than a coffee.
* If you are a college student or apartment dweller where are you going to store the carbo box if you take it off the car? Rent a storage unit and pay way more than the fuel savings in monthly rent?