Would you do it again ?

[Old.Tony]

I'll admit my dislike for Volkswagens isn't because of that Amarok, it's a historical dislike for them.

That said of course, I've had a good look over the Amarok at the local VW dealer so that I wouldn't just be talking out of my arse when discussing it.

And historical dislikes aside, the Amarok is nothing special compared to the D40. It has less features, a smaller engine, less power and the interior doesn't look much better - or worse - than mine.

For the record:

Mine doesn't rattle, doesn't have significant dust, is smooth as silk on the road, has the kind of bouncy rear you should probably expect for a ute that can carry 800kg in the back, my wiper washers provide a wonderful spray, there is NO smoke or soot under acceleration. Yes my headlights were insufficient and the original brake pads produced a lot of dust.

Mine's a Spanish built 2009 model automatic STX though - it's got a DPF, to remove that soot.

And I believe I did get a Wednesday car, so there IS a little bias there, I suppose!

 

[Tryharder]

Interesting to read all of this stuff. This is my first post on here but been lurking for a while reading up on the potential issues...... I bought yesterday a new STX dual cab, delivered first week in July at last guess. Flame Red. Auto Diesel. It's a bit of a step backwards from my current ride that has 800Nm of torque........ But far more conducive to putting my motocross bike in the back of and trekking to mates tracks on the sides of mountains than my Q7. It did it easily but it was just blasphemy to get back into leather and velour trim after the fact....

My ute is apparently on the docks here somewhere and I just have to wait for it. I hope it is a Wednesday built one!

 

[NUTSACK]

i think i said this in your post about the amount of dust you get in the cab..... SELL IT DUDE SELL IT!! you hate the thing so much SELL IT or do you just like to nit pick the list of stuff you have complained about certainly does "seem trivial" but you seem to be the only one "adding them up" i have 2010 ST and could not disagree with you more about all of your qualms.

i have had a 5lt au falcon ute and that thing was a shit box i had the gear box, motor, steering rack, exhaust, window assembly, horn assembly,and plastic moulds replaced in the first 40,000km
i have owned a lot of utes in my 20yrs of driving from bravos to rodeo's, falcons, hz 1 toners, and the last two have been nissans (d22 3lt "06" and now the d40) and every ute has been bouncy in the back when unloaded and they all struggle for grip in the wet when unloaded especially with shit tyeres that all manufactures put on new cars.
the gear box is a 6 speed and you still cant pick a gear with 400nm of torque what a laugh even my wife doesnt have trouble with the box.
the wipers wtf are you on.
bluetooth works every time i get in it and compared to others i think it works great i can be on the h/way at 120km with three ladders on the roof and people can hear me just fine.
my d40 doesnt seem to blow anymore black smoke than any other DIESEL.
do i really need to go on.......
like i said SELL IT just SELL IT... i would love to hear what you get next and what you can find wrong with it.
can i just say i love the bit when you say "i would like my 4wd to be more car like", how much more car like can you get with independent front end??? have you driven a old solid axle front end ute then i might understand what you mean but in saying that i would love a solid axle d40.
any way i will stop my rant here i think even though i have been given so much ammo i could go on for days.

Knarly reply DUDE!!
It shows how one eyed you obviously are. I was asked why i would not buy another and they are the reasons, trivial to you or not. You have misunderstood what i meant by "car like" to drive, i meant i would like the power to come on as it would in a car or even a hilux as they have better gearing and a nicer power curve but obviously a little more power than a hilux as i now find them underpowered.
I didn't mention all the gears as i find it good to drive once your going but low speed cornering and accelerating i find it annoying.
MY D40 DOES blow more black smoke than the same age competition eg; hiux, BT50, Trton etc..
MY bluetooth does not work properly but i will ask when i get the next service for it to be checked.
I do have rattles already and i have heard plenty of other squeaky suspension Navaras driving around.
No doubt there will be problems with anything i get as there is no such thing as the perfect vehicle but you just need to find the one that ticks most boxes.
A nissan 4x4 is obviously the best car/tuck you have owned so its understandable your happy, once you've owned a few nicer cars you may be a little dissapointed in what you think is the ultimate ute!

It ammuses me how wound up some people get when you don't agree with them and form your own opinion based on your own experiences...

 

[KraftyPg]

On the note of the bluetooth there was quite a few complaints that the first models released with bluetooth had problems hand shaking with a wide variety of phones. It's never effected me cause my model didn't get it but I do remember reading at the time that a number of manufacturers suffered from it and that they were updating their head units to accommodate because the phone companies refused to co-operate. But like anything on the net take it with a grain of salt I just know that for most people with the problem there was a fix.

 

[NUTSACK]

On the note of the bluetooth there was quite a few complaints that the first models released with bluetooth had problems hand shaking with a wide variety of phones. It's never effected me cause my model didn't get it but I do remember reading at the time that a number of manufacturers suffered from it and that they were updating their head units to accommodate because the phone companies refused to co-operate. But like anything on the net take it with a grain of salt I just know that for most people with the problem there was a fix.

Ye it's a strange one because after i eventually got my phone to pair up it worked once but never again...

 

[nathand22]

originally posted by NUTSACK " A nissan 4x4 is obviously the best car/tuck you have owned so its understandable your happy, once you've owned a few nicer cars you may be a little dissapointed in what you think is the ultimate ute!"



ok nutsack i will have to disagree with you yet again. nowhere in my reply to what you said did i state that i think that the navara "is the ultimate ute!" in fact i do believe they have a few dramas but i just think the problems you have are as you said, "very trivial" and nothing that cant be sorted out and get so worked up about. i have herd of people having major problems with all sorts of vehicles like i did with my new au 5lt ute. those sort of issues are hard to understand. compare a motor blowing up or gearbox packing it in to your windscreen washer and dust problem. i find that hysterical. i think to myself, this guy would winge about being given a gold brick because it doesnt have a handle on it for him to carry it..... lol
further more how do you know what other vehicles i have owned or driven??? i did list a few of my WORK utes i have owned, but in know way did i say what other "car/truck" i have owned as a two car house hold i do own a second vehicle and would not for a second compare my 4wd ute to my subaru outback or to any other of the cars i have owned. so i drive it on its merits that why i test drove it and asked around with people who own d40's before i bought a d40 i new exactly what i was getting before i got it. you now like how the car handled how the windscreen washers worked if the ride and power were right for me. i didnt wait until i bought it to find that sort of thing out.
Oh and im not worked up about anything you have said i just find it very strange and a little humorous.
anyway good luck to you and what ever vehicle you end up with.

 

[Pete22]

I'll admit my dislike for Volkswagens isn't because of that Amarok, it's a historical dislike for them.

That said of course, I've had a good look over the Amarok at the local VW dealer so that I wouldn't just be talking out of my arse when discussing it.

And historical dislikes aside, the Amarok is nothing special compared to the D40. It has less features, a smaller engine, less power and the interior doesn't look much better - or worse - than mine.

For the record:

Mine doesn't rattle, doesn't have significant dust, is smooth as silk on the road, has the kind of bouncy rear you should probably expect for a ute that can carry 800kg in the back, my wiper washers provide a wonderful spray, there is NO smoke or soot under acceleration. Yes my headlights were insufficient and the original brake pads produced a lot of dust.

Mine's a Spanish built 2009 model automatic STX though - it's got a DPF, to remove that soot.

And I believe I did get a Wednesday car, so there IS a little bias there, I suppose!

Won't comment on the VW as I've not looked at one and really not interested in looking either....still have about 15 years of life left in my D40 before I go shopping again. But.....I agree with everything else Old Tony says and mine's a 2008 auto. It ain't no V8 supercar but it does everything I ask of it and in comfort.

 

[Bosshog]

It ain't no V8 supercar but it does everything I ask of it and in comfort.

I concur and if you want to throw a chip and exhaust at it and are prepared to top up the tank more frequently then it can also nearly be a V8 supercar. (Well truthfully still damn quick for a 4 pot diesel pushing along 2.5 tonnes.)

 

[Old.Tony]

Just to tackle two issues:

Bluetooth: not all bluetooths are the same. My HTC Touch HD phone (I bought it outright when it was released, $1400 - now replaced by the Samsung Galaxy SII) would pair with some things, not with others. With those it did pair with, it sometimes did what it needed to and other times didn't. My $2500 Sony Vaio laptop will erratically lose connection with my $90 Logitech bluetooth mouse. Bluetooth is one of those technologies that just isn't quite as good as it could be, and what we need to remember is that when there's a connection between two devices (eg phone and car), BOTH devices need to be playing the same game with the same rulebook.

As for the "drives like a car" - I got the meaning there, and recommend that you swap out the 4-pot diesel and stick in a V6 petrol engine. The reason why the 4-cyl diesel has so much torque is because of that turbocharger. Without the turbo - ask any of the ST owners that had their actuators stuff up - or just pull the vacuum line off yours and drive it around - the car's a pathetic weakling. The turbocharger gives it the power. The D22 - same engine, different tune - has a smooth power delivery, much like a petrol engine and nothing like the "powerband" kind of feel you get in the D40.

 

[nathand22]

the lack of power or turbo lag under 2000rpm in my d40 seem to be allot less noticeable once i did the egr not sure if it is only my imagination but thats what it seems like to me.
i dont seem to have any problems with 3rd gear i can be at 30kphr and it will drive off with out any problem.
i spent the long weekend driving on the dunes around stockton with my cousin who has a manual hilux 08 and friends who also have a hilux 09 auto, when we were driving along the beach my cousin with the manual was asking me what gear i was in because he could not get the hilux to sit in a good rev range. 3rd was revving to high and 4th was bogging down so he had to go back to 3rd and just slow it down to around 20-30kph. where the nav was sitting on 2000rpm in 3rd at around 40-45kph very comfortably.
with the auto when it came to climbing some of the bigger dunes, my m8 found it tricky to get the auto to select the right gear so he was changing gears manually and still was having a hard time he would be charging at a big climb and the thing would be red lining so he would shift up and run out of power at the top. at the end of the day we all had a great time putting our ute's to good use, but we all had to drive differently to get the most out of what we were driving.

 

[montana]

well after driving anything and everything i ordered a replacement for the 5 yo 210,000km d40.some real disapointments out there and will end up with twins

 

[LLadnar]

Well I know I'm "one eyed" but it comes from experience. I have had 5 4wd's in my short life. and I wouldn't own anything else now.

1st 82 HJ60 Landcruiser
2nd 92 SR5 4Runner V6
3rd 92 GQ Ti Patrol
4th 2005 D22 STR Navara
5th 2008 D40 STX Navara

first the landcruiser, it was an awesome. Tough, practical, powerful (after market turbo 4.2ltr) and could go anywhere - well nearly.

Second 4Runner, well - it was alright but it was the start of a downward slide for Toyota. They began installing thing's to make them more car like, then practical and reliable. (can elaborate if you's want but thought it would make this pust even longer lol)

third Patrol, a lot like the landcruiser, great 4x4, tough, reliable and being a Ti a great interior, but seriously lacking in power - non-turboed 4.2ltr.

4th D22 STR V6, except for being a little thirsty, the BEST 4x4 I've owned. Tough, practical, reliable, powerfull (i've heard people say their not but i think they are for what they are)

5th D40 STX, love it. haven't had it in the bush yet but it is great to drive. yes it has turbo lag, but if you know how to drive then you know to allow for it and to compensate for it. mine had a couple of squeaks but they where easily fixed. only need to know how to use a spanner not be a mechanic, even thou I am one alot of people think the sqeaks in the suspension but it's the bonnet, there are 3 D40's between me and my mate's all with the same noise, they have had their's back to nissan multiple time looking for squeak in front end. I adjusted bonnet, noise gone in all three now.

Nutsack, if your's is blowing a lot of smoke, some time's it can be as simple as a dirty air cleaner. Diesel's sould not blow smoke for no more then a couple of seconds during acceleration if well maintained, not saying you don't look after your car,but your dealer could not be doing there job proberly. Next service try marking the filter by scratching it or a black maker to make sure they're doing there job.
They do have a big turning circle, could be better. A lot bigger then a D22, but not as bad as a patrol or a landcruiser.
I like the water sprayers, covers more of the window in water.
Mate if you don't like the tyres, change them. everyone is diferent and the way they drive. you cant blame the car for the tyres, find some that match you.
As for the rear end, it is a ute not a station wagon, there is less weight over the rear wheels, doesn't matter who makes it utes are light in the ass.

I think the Navara's (D40 & D22's) are the best 4x4 ute's on the market and can't wait to upgrade again in a couple of years to a 550. and "IF" the D22 had more space in the cab for the family I'd buy a new one of them too.