When comparing different brands of cargo boxes for your vehicles, you often look into their dimensions, features, shapes, and prices. Therefore, we stand in your shoes and offer you all the information you may need when comparing these car top boxes to find the most suitable solution to your outdoor needs.
Before mounting a roof cargo box on your car, you must equip compatible roof racks or crossbars to create a platform to attach roof-mounted cargo carriers, including hardshell cargo boxes.
The Yakima CBX series has three models: solar, 16, and 18. We will introduce these models one by one and discuss the differences between them. You also can compare the Yakima CBX models with other Yakima roof boxes: Yakima GroundTour, Yakima Skybox, Yakima RocketBox Pro, or other brands of cargo boxes like Thule Motion XT, Thule Force, Goplus, SportRack Vista XL, Thule Pulse, and more.
You can compare price on Yakima official site: CBX 16, CBX 18, or Solar.
Yakima CBX Solar
It is a unique solar board integrated cargo box with inner double USB charging ports. The solar electrical panel contributes 36 Watts or 5 Volts to charge devices like portable batteries, smartphones, flashlights, etc.
The Yakima CBX Solar cargo box gives you an additional 16 cubic feet of interior water-resistant storage space for carrying luggage boxes, camping equipment, hiking gear, fishing rods, golf clubs, skis, or snowboards between your favorite camping places.
If you have existing roof racks or crossbars on your vehicle, you can use the universal mounting hardware, which comes with each Yakima CBX Solar cargo box, to attach the cargo box to the roof racks; however, you must ensure the bar spreads (the distance between two crossbars) is between 24 and 35.5 inches. Otherwise, you can change crossbars to meet the requirement of Yakima CBX cargo boxes.
Yakima constructs the CBX roof boxes with ABS plastic materials, aerodynamic shapes, and unique textures on the surface. Consequently, it stands out from the public when staying with other cargo boxes. Each CBX cargo box has a removable torque knob, which you can use to tighten four mounting components; thus, after tightening all mounting clamps, you can store the torque tool in your car and leave a completely flat internal surface for storing your belongings.
Each Yakima CBX Solor cargo box has lid supporters to hold the box open when packing or unloading things, and you won’t get hurt by a sudden drop lid. You better use lubrication powder or oil to smooth the supporting arms monthly to increase their lifecycle. You can open the Yakima CBX Solar cargo carrier from both sides to maximize the convenience when loading or unloading luggage, and you better use the passenger side when using a cargo box on the highways because of the risks from coming traffic on the driver side.
If you want to transport skis or snowboards with a Yakima CBX Solar roof box, you must know the maximum length allowed is 185cm. Yakima CBX Solar’s dimensions are 83 x 38 x 15 inches or 210.82 x 96.52 x 38 cm, and you can use this measurement to estimate if it fits both your vehicle’s roof size and your equipment. The Yakima CBX Solar weighs 60 pounds, so you can invite someone else to join the installation for better accuracy and security, especially when lifting a 60 lb roof box onto the car roof.
We don’t know what car you drive, so we don’t recommend a big cargo box to be mounted on a small car because smaller cars usually have less dynamic roof loading limit, which doesn’t allow a fully mounted big cargo box on the car roof when the vehicle is in motion. We have a list of some smaller cargo boxes for your consideration.
You probably spend 10 minutes installing a Yakima CBX Solar cargo box on crossbars. After lifting the cargo box onto the crossbars, you can adjust its position to avoid interference with the open hatchback. If the Yakima CBX Solar doesn’t give you enough adjustable distance, you can move the roof racks forward or backward to find the perfect position for the cargo box; however, if the existing crossbars cannot move to fit, you can consider getting adjustable crossbars.
Yakima official Manual: PDF
Yakima CBX 16
CBX 16 does not have a solar panel on its lid, but the CBX 16 has the same designs on shapes, dimensions, and mounting components as the CBX Solar model. What do you need to know about the Yakima CBX 16? Here is a list:
Dimensions: 83 x 38 x 15 inches
Opening: Both sides of your vehicle
Materials: ABS plastic
Locks: SKS locking system
Loading Capacity: 165 pounds
Volume: 16 Cubic Feet
Weight: 57 pounds
Maximum Length: 185cm
Price: Cheaper than CBX Solar and CBX 18
You can better understand the differences between the three CBX models with the above specifications.
More about Yakima CBX models:
When opening one side of the Yakima CBX cargo box, you must fully lock the other side. You can hear a notification sound when closing the lid. You only can open one side of the Yakima CBX cargo box at a time.
When the box lid is open, you can find four integrated clamp covers with two bolts on each. You can use a removable wrench tool to tighten four clamps and securely grasp on the crossbars. You can adjust the position of each clamp cover and make four clamps to fit and hook on the crossbars. The audible wrench tool prevents over-twisting with a warning “click” sound.
After installing a hardshell cargo box on your car, you must test its stability by pushing it in four directions for minutes to check the connections on four clamps.
Yakima CBX 18
It is the largest and longest option in the Yakima CBX series. It has different dimensions and loading volumes than CBX 16 and CBX Solar, and all other features and designs are almost the same, except for the integrated solar panel on the lid.
Yakima Official Manual For CBX 16 and 18: PDF
Compare Yakima CBX 16, 18, and Solar Cargo Boxes
Price:
The Yakima CBX 16 is the cheapest, and the Yakima CBX Solar is the most expensive.
Materials:
Yakima CBX models are ABS-made hardshell cargo boxes. These boxes are water-resistant, durable, sturdy, and long-lasting. If you encounter a situation when you need to repair an ABS-made cargo box, you can follow some tips to DIY the fix at home with some tools.
Volumes:
How much internal space each Yakima CBX model has?
CBX 16 and CBX Solar provide 16 cubic feet of storage space, and the CBX 18 offers 18 cubic feet of available storage room for carrying your belongings.
Loading Capacities:
All Yakima CBX models can carry up to 165 pounds, and you should prepare some straps to tighten things for better stability when the car is in motion. We have an article about tips for packing luggage in a cargo box.
Dimensions:
CBX 16’s measurement is 83 x 38 x 15 inches or 210 x 97 x 38 cm
CBX 18’s measurement is 91 x 38 x 17 inches or 231 x 96 x 43 cm
CBX Solar’s measurement is 83 x 38 x 15 inches or 210 x 97 x 38 cm
You can see that the CBX 16 has the same dimensions as CBX Solar’s, so you don’t get any benefits on space when choosing the CBX Solar, which is the most expensive model.
The CBX 18 is 8 inches (15.24 cm) longer and 2 inches (5.08 cm) higher than CBX 16 and CBX Solar.
Lock:
All CBX models have SKS locks. There are no differences between this feature on different CBX models. We have some tactics for adding additional security to cargo boxes.
Compatibility:
CBX 16, 18, and Solar cargo boxes are compatible with most round, square, aerodynamic, and factory crossbars. However, it is better to have a Yakima + Yakima combination.
Weight:
Yakima CBX 16 weighs 57 pounds
Yakima CBX 18 weighs 65 pounds
Yakima CBX Solar weighs 60 pounds
Yakima CBX Cargo Boxes Gallery
In Conclusion
After reading this content, you get familiar with the Yakima CBX models: CBX 16, 18, and Solar. If you feel the Yakima CBX models can meet your outdoor needs, you can choose a model to be the added loading space on the car roof.
If you don’t like the Yakima CBX models and their designs, you can compare them with other hardshell cargo carriers.
Best cargo boxes to compare with:
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