Best Roof Rack for a 2015 Mazda 3 5-door with Fixed Mounting Points  

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Expert Reply:

For the 2015 Mazda 3, you'll only have access to either Yakima or Rhino Rack roof bars.

Both are great companies and there's a few differences that are important to note about the two companies.

Rhino Rack doesn't produce as many accessories, but is a smaller than average bar and fits more mounting hardware in both its C-Channel and around the bar. Additionally, its locking system is two part, one for the foot pack and one for the c-channel accessories as a separate part. Finally, Rhino Rack requires drilling for the kit to fit the mounting points properly.

Yakima makes accessories that will fit these bars. These bars also work well with other companies and the bars come at multiple price points, being a little more expensive to get a C-channel bar. The Yakima kit also doesn't require drilling to install properly to your vehicle.

Personally, I prefer Yakima because of its ability to tilt the bars and feet individually to create a completely level surface for your accessories.

For the Yakima Kit, I recommend the following setup for your vehicle:

Yakima JetStream Crossbars, 50 Inches Black, part # Y00425
Yakima SkyLine Towers, part # Y53TR
Yakima Landing Pad 11, part # Y00233

This will give you the C-Channel mount bars and all needed parts to install the bars onto your vehicle. Yakima's instructions provide guidance on how to get the leveled fit correct on the first try.

If you'd rather save a little on the bars and forgo the c-channel, you'll want Yakima's 50 inch CoreBar, part # Y00421 . This is the same bar, just without the c-channel and requires no other parts to install.

For the Rhino Rack, you'll want the following kit:

Rhino-Rack Vortex Crossbars # RRVA126B-2
2500 Series Legs, part # RRRLKVA
DK Fit Kit for 2500 Series Legs, part # DK410

This will provide a c-channel crossbar kit to your vehicle.

I've included videos of our install team putting both of these kits onto an earlier model Mazda 3 so you can get an idea of how the installation process works.

expert reply by: Jacob W

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