Advice required ST or ST-X

Hi all I need to draw upon your wealth of knowledge as I'm in unknown territory and need your help!

I'm new to this forum and new to the world of 4WD's and camper trailers. After much research, we have ordered our Tambo Camper (Omeo) ready for the epic trip around Australia, we are hoping to do approx 12 months of travelling. Don't take delivery until April '12 so we have lots of preparation time to ensure the perfect set-up. The big headache at the moment is "which horse to tow the cart"! The more reading we do, the more confused we get! Everything seems to have some sort of issue!! We hope to have the vehicle sorted by December, so the axle for the camper can be built to match the axle to the vehicle. Some may say this isn't essential, but we like the idea of one set of tracks when travelling through sand and boggy terrain. We're hoping to get the vehicle for maximum spend $50k (including bull-bar, tow-bar, roof racks, etc - happy to pay extra for slide trays etc to be fitted to the back). Definitely want diesel, open to opinions on auto versus manual. Don't know how much serious off-road terrain we will cover, however, would like the vehicle to be capable of performing in the event it has to. Places like Gibb River track are on our list. Have been looking at the Nissan Navara ST and ST-X. Happy with tow capacity, torque etc, but are being scared off by bad reviews about diff and clutch problems and, more specifically, on the auto, problems with ABS cutting in when wheels slip in sand or mud and also transmission periodically sticking in low. Unable to ascertain if the issues are isolated to particular models and vintage? Ideally we would like to buy '09 or newer to avoid possible issues?. Not opposed to second-hand (something with less than 50,000 km and still some dealer warranty would be nice), but knowing our luck we are bound to buy the lemon! Have also looked at the Toyota Hilux the BT50 / Colorado and Ford Ranger XLT.

Have Nissan sorted out the many mentioned concerns over the last few years? Are there any issues with the 2009 or onwards Nivara's? Our estimated loaded camper weight will be less than 1500kg, additional vehicle loading estimated at approximately 300kg.

Any information and opinions are much appreciated - as we are total novices in the 4WD arena.

Cheers

Welcome to the forum.

We have a 2009 auto STX and tow like mad, bought the car new and have towed something like 30,000km since late Oct 2009 - the car has 66,000km on it now.

The auto box has not missed a beat. It is a little slow to engage reverse as noted in another thread here, but that doesn't bother me as I'm not one for going backwards in a hurry anyway. ABS will cut in when wheels slip in ANY vehicle as that's what it's designed to do (while braking). The trick with getting traction in really slick stuff is to engage 4LO and keep the handbrake partially engage which acts like a rear diff lock.

The Hilux and BT-50 don't have the same tow capacity and ALL of the competition has less power. The Colorado gets better fuel economy but isn't as comfortable on long journeys.

As for the ST and STX variations: it's where it's built. The ST model is built in Thailand (VIN will start with "MNT") and the STX is built in Spain (VIN starts with "VSK"). The chassis rails are a little different (a couple of mm) and this does affect the bullbar and towbar, so you need to order the right bits.

Manual problems: could happen to any of the modern utes. They have started using dual mass flywheels which take some of the vibration out of the drive train. The problem is they're not as sturdy and under load tend to overheat and fail rapidly, sometimes as early as 30,000km. Once replaced with a single mass flywheel (what you would traditionally think of as a flywheel) and a heavy duty clutch, the problems appear to go away.

For my money, I'd not tow in a manual. Heavy hill starts are going to cause wear issues with any clutch, and the auto neatly avoids that. I've taken our Navara through river crossings and muddy tracks and the vehicle has performed perfectly. We've towed through the centre of Australia in the middle of summer and didn't have ANY heat issues (timestamp is visible in the bottom right corner of the photo).



Still, there's also "how you feel" about the vehicle. Maybe the Navara doesn't appeal as much as the curved lines of the Mishitibus Triton, which also has a 3T towing capacity (in the new model). Maybe you prefer the sporty lines of the Ssangyong, or the fact that you can buy 2 Great Walls for the price of one Hilux, and just leave one by the side of the road if it fails because it ain't worth trying to rescue.

There are plenty of choices, but for my money, a 2009 auto Navara STX was the perfect buy. The 2010 model has more power - mine has 128kW, the 2010 gets 140kW. If you get a late model 2010 auto, it won't even have a DPF (diesel particulate filter) and will get better economy than mine.

Good luck with your choice, and enjoy your travels!

What he said

Mine is an ST Auto. & so far has been great.

I look back on my earlier posts (in fact all my posts )) with some embarrasment because in the early days, after putting down my deposit, I had started reading lots of negative stuff & was convinced I must have bought a lemon. My posts at that time reflected my concern! Now my posts are just plain stupid.

This negative stuff is not just limited to the Navara. Get on the Pajero forum & have a look at issues regarding the Triton. Many of the issues are similar right across the board with most vehicles.

A lot of Navaras are sold & I have no idea whether they are over represented when it comes to complaints. It is also impossible to know how a vehicle is treated & whether this may contribute to some of the problems people experience.

I will steer well clear of the internet when I buy my next car, I don't want it interfering with my decision

i agree with tony too. ive got an st manual and the clutch let go at 27k. luckily fixed under warranty, but told next time they (nissan) will put a single mass one in at my expense. go the auto!

A new ST is 126Kw and ST-X is 140kw

I have done lots and lots of driving in sand (from soft to very soft) and never had a issue with the ABS.

Hi guys,

I really appreciate your input and thanks.

Upon posting this I decided to delve into the stories of woe with other manufacturers and yes there is; the good, the bad, the ugly, and scathing homicidal - I want to kill the dealer and the; I've had enough I'm cutting my wrists.

So it appears that I will be a Nissan owner in the very near future and will be back to write threads that you have all answered in the past at least 6 times.

I've been talking to several dealers in regard to pricing etc and I'm already at the "I'm cutting my wrists" stage with this process. (If I wanted to play games with them, I'd take a pack of cards?)

Interestingly enough I did have one divulge that from memory he recalls them having a small spate of drive line issues early and pre 2008 with vehicles from Spain, after I mentioned that I had read such online. No details were forthcoming.

Cheers

CC2005 said:

So it appears that I will be a Nissan owner in the very near future and will be back to write threads that you have all answered in the past at least 6 times.

Click to expand...

7 wont hurt us

CC2005 said:

(If I wanted to play games with them, I'd take a pack of cards?)

Click to expand...

This might be an interesting tactic to try with a dealer, walk in off the street throw a deck of cards on the table and ask him if he wants to play games or if he's serious about selling cars. Might be buying the Mother in law a car before I leave Perth so I might have to try this trick myself.