Roof bars

[Huwm]

We have just taken the plunge on the MGS5 to replace our MG5, with a little bit of space lost in the boot area we are looking at a roof box to add a bit of extra room on the journeys that need all of us, the dog and our luggage.

There seems to be a Thule package here for around £230

Thule Roof Rack for MG S5 EV 5-dr SUV, 2025 on with Flush Rails

Thule Car Roof Rack to fit the MG S5 EV 5-dr SUV, 2025 on with Flush Rails for sale from Car Roof Racks UK - City Crash Tested, ISO approved roof bars from THULE - Fast Nationwide Delivery

www.car-roofracks.co.uk

but I was wondering if anyone had luck in finding anything a bit cheaper?

 

[5teep]

Have a look at Halford own brand, they are or used to be made for them by Thule, or mix and match bits from each.

 

[bobtherock]

We have just taken the plunge on the MGS5 to replace our MG5, with a little bit of space lost in the boot area we are looking at a roof box to add a bit of extra room on the journeys that need all of us, the dog and our luggage.

There seems to be a Thule package here for around £230

Thule Roof Rack for MG S5 EV 5-dr SUV, 2025 on with Flush Rails

Thule Car Roof Rack to fit the MG S5 EV 5-dr SUV, 2025 on with Flush Rails for sale from Car Roof Racks UK - City Crash Tested, ISO approved roof bars from THULE - Fast Nationwide Delivery

www.car-roofracks.co.uk

but I was wondering if anyone had luck in finding anything a bit cheaper?

Be careful not to invalidate your insurance. The manual makes no mention of the roof rails being able to hold any load which is a bit of a cop out by MG.

In previous MG cars the manual said whether the car could handle roof bars or not.

 

[gus]

I thought I saw 75kg in the spec sheet? Just checked, max roof load 75kg as stated in the brochure.

 

[MG Clive]

I thought I saw 75kg in the spec sheet? Just checked, max roof load 75kg as stated in the brochure.

 

[bobtherock]

View attachment 37957

Where’s this from please?

 

[MG Clive]

Where’s this from please?

The MGS5 brochure > https://www.mg.co.uk/sites/default/files/2025-04/MGS5_EV_Brochure_Apr_2025.pdf

 

[bobtherock]

The MGS5 brochure > https://www.mg.co.uk/sites/default/files/2025-04/MGS5_EV_Brochure_Apr_2025.pdf

Thanks.

 

[shadowman]

have a look at MG Titan, they have roof bars for the MG S5 for £125

Roof Racks for MG S5/MG QS

The role of the MG S5 roof rack is mainly to expand the vehicle's storage capacity, especially suitable for long-distance travel, outdoor activities or load more demanding scenarios

www.mgtitan.com

 

[Huwm]

have a look at MG Titan, they have roof bars for the MG S5 for £125

Roof Racks for MG S5/MG QS

The role of the MG S5 roof rack is mainly to expand the vehicle's storage capacity, especially suitable for long-distance travel, outdoor activities or load more demanding scenarios

www.mgtitan.com

That's great- thanks. For some reason I didn't think of them for roof rails. I quite fancied some of the bits for the MG4 that they have so may well have a large order coming from them soon!

 

[nem]

I had a look at various ones available here but went for Thule Wingbar Evo because of my canoe carrier which is fitted for them and for the known good quality honestly.
It will be used very frequently and I dont want to feel uneasy with a load on the roof so it was worth the extra money for me.

If anyone else is looking in the future, the kit you need is:
Wingbar Evo: THU711300
Evo Flushrail foot: THU710600
Mounting kit: THU186222

 

[Polo]

Roof Racks for MG S5 (2 Pcs) | Sell only the best!

Equip your MG S5 for every journey with our custom-fit, high-strength Roof Racks.

www.mgclubs.com

 

[AlternativeHuman]

I had a look at various ones available here but went for Thule Wingbar Evo because of my canoe carrier which is fitted for them and for the known good quality honestly.
It will be used very frequently and I dont want to feel uneasy with a load on the roof so it was worth the extra money for me.

If anyone else is looking in the future, the kit you need is:
Wingbar Evo: THU711300
Evo Flushrail foot: THU710600
Mounting kit: THU186222

Do these allow the sun roof to still open?

 

[TimothyN]

First the good news. The MGTitan bars are on, with the top box fitted:

Now the painful journey that got me there...

Am I the only person in the world to know that roof bars are handed? Well, not exactly handed, but back and fronted? Or is the S5 the only car with non parallel tracks?

Either way, I may be doing someone a favour, and save them half an hour I'll never get back, by saying that the bars are (marginally) different lengths. The longer one goes on the front. You might, of course, imagine that this was all documented in the paperwork that comes with it, and, to some extent, you'd be right:

Which, if you use Google Lens (an afterthought in my case) you get:

But sadly, I had lost a good chunk of my youth working it all out by my own by then.

Secondly, unlike Thule bars, you cannot adjust them in place. The obvious way of fitting them would be to attach the box to the bars, put the assembly on the rails, then move it fore and aft to get it as far back as possible without stopping the tailgate opening.

Nah, not a bit of it. You have to adjust it with Allen bolts which are inaccessible once the box is attached. That means moving the box on and off (a two strong man job) a number of times as you offer up and adjust. A complete PITA.

Then we come to the cover plates. They need a good few inches of clear bar to fit, so they are never going to fit with a big box, so I am left with this:

Not what I would describe as an unmitigated success, but they were cheap and they eventually work.

 

[MG Clive]

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare @TimothyN , but at least they're on now, so the box won't fit on if the end covers are fitted first, alternatively, is there no way to trim the end covers to get them to fit?

 

[TimothyN]

...so the box won't fit on if the end covers are fitted first, alternatively, is there no way to trim the end covers to get them to fit?

The whole point of the covers (I believe) is to prevent theft by putting the Allen bolt behind a lock and key, so, no the covers can't remain in place as you put the box on and off. I guess I could butcher them, but I lack motivation. The whole contraption is so pig ugly that a tiny bit of trim isn't going to help. Polishing a t**d.

 

[TimothyN]

Another mild irritation than won't affect others is that you'll see on the Nigel doors I have blue webbing which was a very clever mechanism to single-handedly attach and remove the box from the Audi, using the door mechanism to lift it.

The S5 is taller than the Audi and is just too high to fit. My partner is 5'1", so I am left having to beg external assistance every time I want to put in on or off.

 

[Deep purple]

What has it done to your miles per KWHr in rough terms?

 

[TimothyN]

I haven’t driven with it at all, but I imagine it will be awful.

 

[Deep purple]

Thanks. When you have some data it would be good to know.