Roof Rack Recommendation for a 2011 VW Jetta SportWagen TDI to Carry Two Kayaks

Expert Reply:

The crossbars from the Rola Sport Series Roof Rack, # 59820, will sit slightly lower than the tops of the factory side rails on your 2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI. If you lie a flat object on the rails across the vehicle then measure from the center of the roof up to the bottom of the object, that will give you a really good estimate of where the bottoms of the bars will be.

Then open the sun roof and again measure without the object on the rails to see how far up the glass comes. If it goes higher than the first measurement then the bars would interfere depending on where they are mounted.

You may be able to mount the crossbars forward or backward enough so that they do not interfere with the panorama sunroof, but you will most likely not be able to open the sunroof with your kayaks loaded.

A similar system that will provide even more clearance is the Thule Rapid Crossroads system, # TH450R, with AeroBlade Bars, # THARB47. The bottom of the bars will be even higher on this set up because they ride higher on top of the side rails on the vehicle. Take a look at the video I have linked showing this system being installed on a vehicle similar to yours.

You can carry two kayaks on these crossbars using a kayak carrier like the Thule Stacker, # TH830, or the SportRack J-Stacker, # ABR511. Be sure you verify the weight capacity of your roof before you load any cargo on to the crossbars. Exceeding the weight capacity of your vehicles roof can cause damage to your vehicle and roof rack. The roof weight capacity can be found in your owners manual.

expert reply by: John H