Going on a road trip, camping, or perhaps needing additional storage capacity, you’ve probably gravitated towards purchasing a cargo box. In the industry, there are endless choices. However, you might have come across two options: Thule and Volkswagen.
To help determine whether you should purchase a Thule or VW cargo box, I’ll be comparing them throughout this guide. Here’s what you need to know:
Thule will be the favorable option for most when searching for a cargo box to purchase. Volkswagen only makes one cargo box, which fits their Atlas model and isn’t recommended for any other car models.
If you have an Atlas VW, their cargo box option could be considered. But for everybody else, it wouldn’t be. Because of this, it’s much more likely someone will purchase a Thule cargo box. However, for those still split between each of these, I recommend reading the below. Here I’ll be comparing both companies’ cargo boxes to determine which is the best option for you.
Volkswagen or Thule Cargo Boxes? The Face-off
Purchasing a cargo box isn’t a straightforward task. You must guarantee it’s adequate, within your budget, and compatible with a specific vehicle. Additionally, you want the best value for money with all of this. To help decide this, you’ll want to read the following:
Company overview
With all comparisons, we think starting with a company overview is valuable. But comparing the companies isn’t possible. Their establishment, business structure, and goals are entirely different. VW is an automotive manufacturer, innovator, and distributor, whereas Thule is solely cargo carrier solutions.
That being said, let’s discuss both companies quickly. Thule has been around for a long time, approximately 75 years. Within this lengthy heritage, Thule has done tremendously. In their years of trading, they’ve climbed and maintained their status as a top player. The methodology of achieving this was simple: to stick with the company’s culture of creating high-quality products.
Volkswagen or VW was established in the early 1,900s and is older than Thule. Since then, the German car manufacturer has created many iconic cars, such as the Beetle. Volk in German translates to “people”, which represents their target market. From being heavily involved with the general automotive industry, allowed them to be the largest car producer in 2016 and 2017.
As you can see, VW isn’t known for its cargo boxes. Therefore, it’s much different than Thule because that’s their primary focus. Because of this, Thule could be the more favorable option. But that doesn’t eliminate the possibilities of a Volkswagen cargo box yet.
Product Range
There’s a clear winner between Thule and VW regarding the broad product ranges. As mentioned above, Thule is the largest company in this sector. As a result, you’d expect them to have a vast range of products to cater to consumers’ needs.
Without question, Thule has a more extensive cargo box catalog than VW. But this isn’t only with VW. Thule has a larger cargo carrier catalog than most people within the industry. To gain better visualization of what they offer, see the below table:
Product Range Name | Loading Capacity (Litres) |
Thule Vector | 360L – 430 L |
Thule Motion XT | 300L – 610 L |
Thule Force XT | 300L - 500L |
Thule Ranger | 260L – 280L |
The selection from Thule is unbelievable and excellent for anyone looking for a rooftop cargo box. Additionally, with the ranges is multiple product choices. You could be presented with two or even five options in some cargo box lines. Undoubtedly, this offers optimal variety for customers. But with Volkswagen cargo boxes, the selection isn’t even a choice. That’s because they only offer one type:
Product Range Name | Loading Capacity (Litres) |
Volkswagen-branded (Atlas models only) | 340L |
When comparing Thule and VW cargo boxes regarding their product ranges, VW isn’t close. They only offer this rooftop cargo carrier because Atlas owners are likely to purchase this while buying the vehicle.
Product Quality
Another helpful comparison that we must make is product quality. Although Volkswagen only offers one cargo carrier type, it isn’t bad. The craftsmanship that went into creating this is high-quality.
If you have a VW Atlas, it’s undoubtedly worth the consideration. From purchasing this you won’t only get a matching and branded cargo carrier for your vehicle but also something that’s remarkably high quality.
However, Thule is the superior option for anyone who doesn’t have a VW Atlas. Without question, Thule creates some of the best rooftop cargo carrier solutions. Additionally, they’re market leaders for a reason. With all 75 years of establishment, they’ve accumulated masses of data. When you have access to this data about your consumers, it’s possible to make much better products.
Because of the above, I must say that Thule has the better product quality. By being industry leaders, they’ve been able to study, test, and provide the market with superb products.
Availability
After reading this post, you should understand why you might choose a Volkswagen cargo box over a Thule or vice versa. However, before you conclude this, you’ll want to familiarise yourself with the purchasing options:
Purchasing Options for Thule | Purchasing Options for VW |
Online retailers | Official online store (USA) |
Many third-party retail sellers online/offline (Global) | VW dealership or partner |
Online marketplaces (Amazon) |
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Pros and Cons of Volkswagen and Thule
To conclude this post, the ideal way to achieve this is by showcasing a short pros and cons section about both brands. After reading this, you should be able to decide which is the ideal option for you.
Volkswagen cargo boxes
Pros | Cons |
It can be purchased or ordered from any VW dealership in the world | Only comes with one option, which is for the VW Atlas model |
It comes from a large automotive manufacturer, so you can guarantee good quality |
Thule cargo boxes
Pros | Cons |
Largest roof rack brand in the world | Are considered an expensive option for cargo carrier |
It comes with various options ranging from 260L to 610L | |
Can be purchased from practically anywhere worldwide from themselves or a third-party seller |
Conclusion
Now you’ve read this post, deciding between a VW cargo box or a Thule type should be easier. If you haven’t got a VW Atlas, then a VW cargo box probably isn’t ideal. Instead, Thule would be more beneficial as they’ll likely have what you want.