Towing Vehicle ?

BBB

If looking for a Dual Cab Ute

The New Hilux is the go.

Not sue if they meet your specs, but they hold their value and look tops.

Cheers
Macca

Hi 3Bs,

A couple of comments: You say your van is "around 2700kg". I suggest you find out for sure at a public weighbridge. Most owners underestimate the weight of their vans, sometimes by a large margin. You may find you van is actually pushing a 3000kg rated tow to, or even exceeding, it limits.

I'd suggest staying with a 3500kg rated vehicle to give a reasonable margin of error and in the interests of vehicle longevity.

I also question the wisdom of towing a large heavy caravan at 110 km/h with ANY tow vehicle. Towing a trailer that weighs more than the towing vehicle is very different to towing a 1 tonne camper trailer with 2.5 tonne of 4WD, especially if any evasive manoeuvre is ever required. In my humble opinion, there's just NO margin for error left at those speeds.

We have friends who have a 23 foot coromal (weight woud be approx 2500 kg) & are pulling it with a new navara 2.5 diesel auto (3000 kg rated) & say that it tows it comfortably with ample power

I haven't driven it personally though & i was initally sceptical at a small engine with a large van (we pull a 23 foot jayco with our patrol) but they seem impressed

The 2.5 has good power & torque figures (more than my 4.2 tdi Patrol) & the auto will let it build up some revs on start off (i think the auto would tow better than a manual in this regard)

I am not a fan of small diesels but the new crd engines are making some good power & torque numbers & it will be interesting to see how they stand up in the long term

With the Navara (and the Patrol) as the vehicle is loaded the legal tow ball download weight rating is reduced so be careful in this regard

Regards Don

How long do you want the vehicle to last, a light vehicle with small capacity engine (and lighter running gear) towing a heavy van/trailer isn't going to last as long as a heavier vehicle with a larger/heavier less stressed engine /drivetrain.
I'm with Ian on this one, if looking for a better vehcile than the Patrol I'd be looking at a similar or larger sized vehicle not going backwards.

But is it going backwards Peter or is it us ? in europe all the diesel engines have been made smaller, the 3Ltr diesels {apart from the 2000/2001 GU's} have all gave great longevity and outstanding fuel economy and the fact is we're going to have to get used to the smaller donks with fuel the way it is, so is it going backwards ? I really dont think so I think it's a natural progression to make an engine smaller more powerful and economical, sure theres going to be teething probs but I'm sure we will get there eventually we have to,
just my 2 bob's worth,
regards,
Dave

"have all gave great longevity and outstanding fuel economy and the fact is we're going to have to get used to the smaller donks with fuel the way it is, so is it going backwards ? I really dont think so I think it's a natural progression to make an engine smaller more powerful and economical"

Longevity - remains to be seen in Australia
oustanding fuel economy - cruising maybe, working hard they will burn more than a bigger donk easily
natural progression to make an engine more powerful and economical - NO, toyotas 4.5l D4D V8 replaces a 4.2l donk, bigger, more powewrful, more economical

Nope, small donks for small jobs. Big donks for big jobs. If you do have to trade in the 4.2 TD Patrol and want to tow 2.7tonne then the only thing I can see in the 50-55k range is the LC100 V8 petrol auto. Burn more fuel but will easily be there for years to come. No 4cylinder overboosted CRD piddler will last very long with this wieght.

BBB
Take notice of what donk said and check tow ball down weight reduction as the car gains more weight. It`s a real trap when it cames to nissan if you want to be legal.
Rob

For what its worth I tow a 23' Scenic at about 2,600 kg with the Navara ST-X diesel manual, and I am delighted with it.
Towing is a breeeze, and should you want to 110 km/hour feels very solid (with a 350 kg WDH). They are far comfier than the 'old' 4wds and performance is outstanding. Yes the torque curve is a bit narrow (about 1500 rom to 3,500 rpm, but with 6 gears you don't notice it.
Fuel consumption over the 65,000 kms I have done is 10.2 litres/100 kms unladed and between 15 and 16 litres/100 kms when towing (I drive at the same speed with our without the van).
Upwards of 250 kg ball weight does reduce the load capacity though.
You have to take with a pinch of salt the comments about big donks as most of them have never owned one of the new diesels and have absoutely no facts on which to back up their arguments. I reckon thay are just jealous but realise i will never win that argument!
As I said i have now done 65,000 kms without a single fault, about 10,000 of that towing.
Compared to 4.2 diesel Patrol, 3.6 petrol Jackaroo (previous 2 vehicles, so I do speak with some experience) this ones beats then all in all areas.