Honest opinions wanted D40 ST-X

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Uppo

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Hello all
Very keen on a new D40 ST-X, looking to tow an 18-20 caravan in my retirement. Reading the forum many +’s and a few negatives. I would appreciate very honest opinions on the vehicle as a whole. Just picked up on the rumour regarding a V6 diesel perhaps it might be worth waiting for if the 2.5 won’t perform the task of towing larger vans. What do you think?
 
Many thanks, appreciate your view, is there anything outstanding that makes you feel that way.
 
I'd buy one as well. Plenty of torque available at the right rev range for towing a van of the size you are talking about.

The main thing is - as with all towing - take your time. It's not a race, and the Navara isn't a race car. The D40 weighs a decent amount (over 2 tonne when loaded for a trip), coupled with a nice long wheelbase makes it in my opinion, a good stable vehicle as a towing platform.

Regarding the V6 diesel - everything I have been able to pickup seems to indicate it is just that - rumour only - and that it is unlikely that engine will make its way into the Navara in Australia. Why? Simply to do with cost. Nissan has the Patrol as the "high end" 4wd vehicle in this country and slotting the V6 into a vehicle of the Navara's size would pilfer sales from the Patrol - not something any manufacturer is keen to do.
 
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Man I dropped that quick reply seconds before turning the pc off yesterday just to make a point I was happy with mine I felt sure others would have come to the party with more info.

For me the D40 was the best choice, I wanted a tourer that had room for the family but also could do a bit of farm/dirt work. I'm not really into bush bashing and I can get my hands on other 4wd's that aren't worth $50K+ if I really want to thrash the bush anyway.

I've had mine on the beach, in the dirt and hooning around APM tracks all with the stock tyres and suspension and never had any trouble but I also know the limits of my car and wont take it into places it wont handle. The last few weeks my ute has spent more k's sliding on dirt and mud than it has on bitumen and as stated above I brought this as a tourer not a basher but it's capable of both if you know how to use it.

I'm not into caravaning so I can't comment on the van side of things but a few months ago my ute was towing a tandem trailer with about 2 tonnes of fencing gear around the hilly paddocks in this area while we did about 10ks of fencing and not once did it seem like it was too much for it.

There is a hints and tips thread on here about the D40, most of us have had a go at it and you might get a few more good points about them from that thread but as with everything there is always good and bad stories about everything so don't take everything you read as gospel because some of those bad stories are from jealous D22 drivers who couldn't afford a real ute :sarcastic:
 
We tow a 1.8T 18' (7.5m or 25' with drawbar) double-axle caravan with our D40 STX 2.5L TD.

Observations:

* The cabin is roomy, comfortable and a bloody joy to drive distances in. While towing last Christmas, we'd spend up to 12 hours a day in the cabin and we didn't come out of it sore or aching.

* The vehicle handles a load behind it very well, although I confess to spending the extra time needed to distribute weight properly and connect load levellers as well. Even with this, I believe I'm not 100% accurate and yet the vehicle still handled the van well, it didn't wander, wobble, shimmy or have difficulty under brakes.

* My D40 empty weighs 2.5T, and we drop about 150kg in the back while travelling. With that, and a loaded (1.8T) van behind, the whole show doesn't take off like Mark Skaife might, but it's respectable and it gets you there.

* In the vehicle's early life, fuel consumption will be higher than desirable. Ours started to improve after about 13,000km. An ECU reset might have helped earlier on, but we didn't know about that.

* The car doesn't sit in overdrive easily at 90-100km/h. You either need to drop back to about 80km/h or push it to 105-110km/h (on the speedo - which reads about 10% higher). If you're on a slight incline, expect to sit in 4th and consume more fuel if you are maintaining 90-100km/h. At 80-85km/h you will actually use less fuel.

Some tips:

* Get a Hayman Reese hitch, don't get the genuine Nissan one - it is made by Hayman Reese anyway, but it only mounts with horizontal bolts not vertical, so load levelers will damage the vehicle.

* When wiring up the brake controller, insist on 6 square millimeter (60A) wiring. Anything less will cause the wiring to heat up and possibly melt the insulation, which may cause a short, tripping the fuse and removing your trailer brakes. Oh, insist on a 30A thermal-reset fuse in the engine bay.

* Get an in-dash satellite navigation unit with a reversing camera to assist in lining up the towball. Best investment I've ever made.

* Purchase Camps Australia and Caravan Parks Australia from any decent camping store. These bibles are without a doubt one of the best resources you could get your hands on, despite their $50 price tag.

Most of all, welcome aboard - enjoy!
 
* Purchase Camps Australia and Caravan Parks Australia from any decent camping store. These bibles are without a doubt one of the best resources you could get your hands on, despite their $50 price tag.

If you're in Vic the RACV do a pretty comprehensive caravan and camping book and a motels accommodation book which you can pick up from their stores. About September each year they also offer the previous years books free (I think) to members which can still be fairly reliable. My parents are using the year old RACV one (and a GPS) to travel between Vic and Cairns (through the middle past all those small towns with 3 people in them) at the moment and it's more than adequate and apparently they have not got lost or missed any accommodation points in their 4 weeks on the road.

NRMA and other such mobs possibly have the same books
 
Just wondering about your comment on the hitch. We tow an offroad van about 2.2t and use heavy duty Haymen Reese level riders. (wouldn't be without them) I have a d40 on order and haven't yet decided on the type of towbar. The dealer naturally suggests the std Nissan model but I was going to go for the ARB rear step and their hitch which I'm told is the same as the Nissan part.
 
The standard Nissan part only has horizontal bolts and doesn't have any vertical bolts that will take the twisting force of the load leveler.

Insist on the Hayman Reese hitch. HR make the "Nissan" hitch, but they don't include the stronger mounts. I also use a load leveler - and yes, wouldn't be without it!
 
Thanks for the info. We tow at the moment with a Patrol 4.8 which can pass anything except a service station, so I'm hoping for better fuel consumption without significant loss of "grunt". I will take up your comments and suss out the heavier HR model. I've heard of issues with Pathfinder tow hitches, so I dont want to go there. Thanks again. Cheers
 
Re: Tow bars - the ARB rear step is very different to the standard Nissan one. I am not sure if it is compatible with the load levellers or not however.

I'm going with the Kaymar bar on mine (extra spare and a jerry holder point) but I'm not intending to tow anything like the weight you are.

Re: vehicle choice - My FIL uses a D40 to tow a 5th wheeler, and reckons its the ducks guts - much happioer than he was with his D22.

Depending on what is important to you, at least take the DMAX for a test drive, the engine seems to me to be likely to be good for towing a heavy load...
 
The only thing i have herd is that if your towing alot, either upgrade your clutch if you buy a manual or get an auto.As i herd that the standard clutch does burn out quickly.
 

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