Prius Iii With Solar Roof - More Luggage

[plis]

Hi,

I'm owning Prius III with solar roof and looking for opportunities of adding some more luggage space (I am talking about volume not weight)

Here are options what I was thinking about together with some issues I can see with each of them. Any thoughts? Any other idea?

1. Roof bars:

- because of solar roof only Thule ones I could find (Traverse model). I take it as "-" because of the price

- bulky load on the roof and difficult access

+ can be also used for skis and bikes

+ easy to install

2. Towing hitch

- I could find them only in USA what means wiring would have to be redesigned to connect lights

+ can attach transport box or bikes carrier or even skis carrier

+ not so expensive (excluding electricity problems)

3. Bikes rack

+ several models on the market

+ easy to attach

- limited to bikes (or maybe somebody is using that with kind of special bag?)

4. Kind of bag attached to the car

+ light construction

- I rather can't use roof for that

- I could not find such on Internet (I saw something in USA, but nobody was saying it will work with Prius)

Any thoughts? Any other idea?

Regards,

[cootuk]

Has the Prius Gen3 been EU type approved for a tow hitch?

I know the Gen2 hasn't so cannot be legally be fitted with a tow hitch in the UK - in the US they must have different regs.

This would all depend where you are and where you intend towing as I see your profile says non-uk, and what the regs in your country are.

[plis]

There is a hitch for Thule bike carrier available as additional accessory on Toyota's website (at least in Netherlands), so it should be possible. Of course, the original one's price might be painfull...

[cootuk]

Westfalia do bike carriers and pods that fit onto those...not cheap but at least gives you a starting point for looking at cheaper alternatives

[johalareewi]

Has the Prius Gen3 been EU type approved for a tow hitch?

No

[plis]

No, if we talk about towing hitch. As I said, ther is a hitch available from Toyota for attaching bike carrier (you are not able to attach the trailer to that).

[aCactus]

To quote from my manual...

"Toyota does not recommend towing a trailer with your vehicle. Toyota also does not recommend the installation of a tow hitch or the use of a tow hitch carrier for a wheelchair, scooter, bicycle, etc. Your vehicle is not designed for trailer towing or for the use of tow hitch mounted carriers."

[johalareewi]

While Toyota don't recommend towing etc. they are not saying don't do it.

There are Prii towing stuff over the pond in the USA.

The legal situation here is that the Prius is not EU type approved for towing.

So all you can legally do is carry bikes and such (not tow).

[plis]

That's clear for me. However, availability of stuff for carrying of bikes (with possibility of putting some luggage instead of bikes) is limited in Europe. Even, as I said, wires would have to be redone from scratch...