As much as we love our new Malibu, selling the minivan to buy a car greatly reduced our cargo space. That trunk may be long, but it is shallow and can only hold so much of our stuff.

Has anybody else out there tried any products to expand cargo capacity outside the car? Have you used a hitch carrier or rooftop bag? Are there any options for the trunk lid? How about a small trailer?

Whatever I do it must look right, be functional, and not damage the car. For instance, we have a sunroof so I am concerned that a roof carrier might prohibit its use.

We'll be using the car for holiday travels soon and unless the kids want to carry gifts and bags on their laps, I'll need to do something. Let me know what you've tried or seen out on the road.

:o Nobody has any ideas???

:o Nobody has any ideas???

Yakima makes nice roof top boxes, but like you said the sunroof may interfere.
Maybe you can call them to see how much clearence is under the box.


http://www.yakima.com/racks/cargo/boxes/default.aspx

Etrailer has a Class 2 Hitch for the newer style Malibu's, with this you can get pretty much any rear car carrier that will adapt and give you storage off the rear of the vehicle. Hope that helps some

http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2009_Chevrolet_Malibu.htm

http://www.etrailer.com/c-CC114.htm

I have seen one riding down I75 with a trailer hitch on it, a white LT, and I swear I nearly laughed. It is a funny sight, but no more amusing that the Camrys and Accords wearing the same metal tail.

Those are good ideas. Hitches are cheaper, and mostly hidden. But I agree with Truitt, the shelves look ridiculous and are shin-killers. Are there any other hitch options other than shelves or those boxes that look like tailgating grills?

Rooftop carriers look nice but they are more expensive and probably impact mileage. I know the carriers are removable, but are the racks also removable? Any thoughts on hard side or soft side carriers?

Thanks for your suggestions!

Those are good ideas. Hitches are cheaper, and mostly hidden. But I agree with Truitt, the shelves look ridiculous and are chin-killers. Are there any other hitch options other than shelves or those boxes that look like tailgating grills?

Rooftop carriers look nice but they are more expensive and probably impact mileage. I know the carriers are removable, but are the racks also removable? Any thoughts on hard side or soft side carriers?

Thanks for your suggestions!

Racks are definitely removable. My neighbor put's a roof rack with a roof top box casually whenever they need it.

As to the carriers not all of them are expensive. If you look at Thule and stuff like that, yes, they cost money, but look at Karrite Explorer, around here Walmart used to carry those last time I checked. I think they ran for 150$ canadian max, surely cheaper in US. So add 200$ for a basic roof rack and that's it. Should be a good investment because you can use roofrack separately to haul lumber and such.

I would probably choose a hard box over a soft box, looks more secure and weatherproof.

Mileage will definitely suffer...