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Scotty

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I have a 2005 D40 Diesel Manual - best car i have owned and i have had lots

I thinking of upgrading, but cant decide -
I have looked at other models - Hilux and Triton, both didnt impress

I want an auto - sick of driving manual in traffic, but worried about the economy, currently i am getting between 8 - 8.5 per 100 K's - heard yucky stories of 14's

What is power difference, i love the 6 speed man.

Also thinking of King Cab with steel tray, something different

I welcome your thoughts

Cheers
Scotty
 
I look at the others and went for Navara mainly for two reasons: for a 2.5litre diesel it had more torque than the competitors and a similar load capacity in the ute. My dual cab's cabin size is hardly different to the average family car - plenty of room all around.

The second reason - and quite the losing point for the competitors - the Navara was the only one with a 3 tonne towing capacity. The Colorado might do that too, but I heard they're not producing them any more. I am not investing in an endangered species. Ford Ranger was also an option but I preferred the Navara.

There's a thread about fuel consumption: D40 Fuel Economy. It's worth having a read to see what other D40 drivers are getting.
 
I agree with Tony the Nav seemed better than it's competitors in many ways which is why I brought mine.

Fuel economy was never really a huge factor in my choice, sure I did the comparison figures between makes but until you drive one you're never going to know what the true economy is. There is a huge range in figures quoted on this website alone but to me it's like taking out a loan. If you can handle the highest figure then take it and be pleasantly surpised while the figures are low. If you don't like the possibility that you could get the high figure then look elsewhere.

For the record I'm getting 10 and under out of my Nav but of course that goes up in the traffic however I haven't yet got anywhere near 14's over a whole tank.
 
Yeah i am getting around the 960km out of tank, very happy - i must admit the Nav has better ride than Hilux, only gripe i have is low clearance.

I am yet to drive an Auto - like to get a demo and take for good drive

Thanks
 
Guess it all depends what you want to do with your car. Ground clearance doesn't bother me because I wont be treating my Nav like I'm a mud jockey, besides the higher the vehicle the bigger the step ladder needs to be for the missus to get in.

There is plenty of guys on here who have lifted their Nav's, no idea if the cost of an after market lift is anywhere in comparison to buying a vehicle that's already higher but for me atleast clearance isn't an issue
 
Ditto's Krafty. I'm just stoked that while I'm towing my van around I'm not getting gravel scraping on the sump (ok, a slight exaggeration, but my Commodore was rather low).

The amount of lift will greatly influence the costs. If you do a suspension lift, just remember to get a wheel alignment done. Body lifts are fun - 2" (50mm) of lift and you can just do it and feel good. 51mm though, and you need to get an engineer's certificate stating that the vehicle is still roadworthy. They don't come cheap either.

Plenty of info and pics about lifts - check the gallery out too.
 
I not interested in lift, i only drive on sand - last week-end went to Moreton, and was pretty low on the tracks.

Have you guys got Auto's how do you compare with torque to manuals??
 
The torque is the same once the auto's locked in. The main difference is the manuals like eating clutches if you're too heavy on them and the autos just go and go.

I find my auto is really smooth - so smooth you can hardly tell it's changing gears. I can bring her to a stop without really feeling it, too - so I'm as pleased as punch. The dealer lent me a manual D22 for a couple of days while I waited for mine to show, and although it was a fine vehicle, I really prefer the auto. There's not a lot of difference between the two, power wise.

I won't be doing much sand driving until I reach desert and even then I'll do what I can to avoid it.
 
I took my old Forester around the sand dunes in Robe SA a few years back, sure a higher clearance would have been nice but still the AWD limo made it over the hummocks and onto the beach.

Haven't done the beaches around here in the Nav yet, actually we aren't suppose to drive on the beaches here so technically I'll never do them but we have gone over the hummocks in Hi-Ace van down at Woodisde, of course once we were over even in our pissed state we needed help getting back but hey the Nav's got better clearance than both of those.

I've spent enough years driving trucks and changing gears so when it came to touring I brought the auto but I can't compare the torque of mine to the manual because I haven't driven a manual Nav
 
Scotty

I got an auto for the same reason you mentioned. I am too lazy to change gears around town.

That said, be warned that the fuel economy in an auto will not be as good as your 05 manual. The reason appears to be the DPF fitted to autos. I was getting between 13.5 and 13.8L/ 100 kms. I chipped it 6000 kms ago and fuel eco is unchanged but my god it goes hard!
 
Boss, most of my driving is highway, so i do get excellent economy, i be happy with 10's, and at the end of the day fuel price is not the issue - lazy too!!!!

I have a mate who is General Manager for Kema here in Brisbane, he is going to arrange a auto demo i can drive for a day or so - put through the paces.

I still have origianl clutch - 120 000k's, so i guess i cant complain, and still have original pads as well - so i tickled with Nav in those two departments.

I am more inclined now to go the auto King Cab - anyone got steel tray on there's - now kids of hands plan on doing more camping and touring

Cheers
 
Just beware there are a few difference between the dual cab and the king cab, they are made in different countries and not all parts are interchangable, better to check with someone who has a king cab for the specifics. I just know that some of the parts I have bought for mine are specified as for dual cab only.
 
I never thought about going to the tray, but I had considered a soft tonneau cover.

We decided to go the full canopy and having driven around a bit now, we're glad we did. I've got our Engel fridge in there, a bunch of other stuff, we can stop anywhere for a picnic and pull out the folding chairs, a little butane stove, make tea & coffee, have a bite to eat and continue.

With a tray I'd be too worried about the rain destroying ... well, pretty much everything.
 
Personally, I like the roomy feel inside the dual cab. I don't like how the rear doors on the king cab open backwards, either. Sorta makes me uncomfy like that, maybe I'm just strange.

Dimension-wise, the King Cab vehicle is 10mm longer (big whoop) but has 350mm extra length in the tray area. The Dual Cab has that extra 350mm in the cabin and that's where I wanted mine - we found that a baby capsule (for the grandson) was squeezy in the D22, and the king cab is even smaller in the back. Dual Cab suited our needs there.

I can fold my rear seats up or down, doesn't matter. I have 3 baby seat harness points, 3 cross-shoulder seat belts on a 60/40 split seat that is going to cost me $650 to get custom made sheepskin seatcovers for ... I've got some beautiful seat covers on the front, but nobody makes them for a 60/40 split rear.

The King Cab can also take an extra 50Kg gross on the rear axle (the Dual Cab has a 1720Kg limit, KC has 1770 like all the other models). Since I'll probably never, ever need to whack that much weight in the back, it really doesn't bother me one bit.

For touring, I just think "inside" room is valuable, but that's my personal preference.
 
Thanks Mate - I am test driving STX Dual Auto on Friday, looks like i am going your way - i too have the 4 door now, no more kids, so back seat is storage - maybe fridge can go there??

Cheers
 
Bring on the grandkids :)

I've got a 6-can thermo-cooler that only draws 1 Amp that I sit on the floor back there, but I'm sure you could get a decent Waeco 40 litre in there without trouble.

There's a 12V "cigarette lighter" outlet inside the centre console (lift the lid) and it turns on and off with the ignition. The one in the dash (just to the right of the 2WD-4WD dial) stays on no matter what. I wouldn't run any accessories off that one, unless you've a decent backup battery.

Which reminds me, I really ought to see what kind of battery assist package (you know, those portable units) I would need to kick the beast over.
 

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