I have been looking at the OEM roof rails + load bars vs the directly fitted cross bars for the V70. So far as I have been able to tell, both systems have the same capacity - 100kg or 220 lbs. Since my application is a once-a-year holiday that calls for a carrier, I am leaning to the cross bars to avoid the expense and potential year-round noise of the rail system. Any comments?

 

The oem Eurorails are really not noisey while driving.
You can also take the crossbars off the eurorails if you like.

 

The Eurorails are a good choice. I put a set on my 2000 V70 and have no noticeable noise. I have not purchased the crossrails yet. I was going to get the ones that do not overhang the Eurorails, it is a much cleaner look. Even without the cross rails the Eurorail in no way detracts from the look of the car, in my humble opinion. The other ones are a bit on the clunky looking side Not to mention the fact that the Euro rails as well as the cross rails could not be any easier to remove. There are mount points already on the car for the Eurorail. Solid choice.

 

OK, I'll play devils advocate here. If you really are going to only use the rack once a year, I'd be tempted to just go with the cross bars for several reasons:

1. Cost - the euro rails are pretty pricey, I want to say about $160/side. Plus you'll need the cross bars which you'll pay at least another $50 on eBay if you're lucky.

2. The grey covering on the eurorails has been known to peel. Probably not a concern if you but new rails, but a used set of 10 year old rails might develop this problem.

3. Personally, I'd rather have the sleek, non-euro rail look all year and have the somewhat dorky looking cross bars once a year, rather than have eurorails all year that I basically don't use.

All this being said, I have the eurorails and I think they're great. I also have the factory crossbars that go with it. You really can't go wrong either way. I just think it might be a waste if you're only going to use it once a year. If you do decide on the eurorails, you might be so happy with them that you'll wind up using them more often than you think like for bikes, home depot runs, etc.

Personal preference I guess...