Anyone got a V6 diesel navara?

[Spaniard_King]

Andy,

You are my test case so hope it all goes well...you have 2 years to break it

[TheRealAndy]

Andy,

You are my test case so hope it all goes well...you have 2 years to break it

Well you have done well out of your last few, so perhaps my d40 was just a gen 1 lemon!!! Funny enough, I did think of you when I bought this one, and it was your positive comments on your last purchase that encouraged me to try nissan again! But I promise you, wont hold it against you if this one is no good!

I had a dirt bike accident 2 weeks ago, so sailing is out of the question for the next 6 months. I am hoping I can convince the crew to sail the boat in the big regattas. If so, I will still be towing the boat. Its only 1200kg trailer+boat, but being a cat it has massive windage. The d40 (2.5l diesel) struggled from melbourne last time. 100kph was only possible on flat ground. Any incline was down to 90kph if lucky.

I had 3 choices, landcruiser dual cab, ford ranger dual cab, nissan dual cab. Landcruiers was up there, but I did not want the v8. Plus the nissan beats the v8 in power and torque. I reckon the landcruiser is more rugged, but I need a car and tow hack, and the ford and nissan are better are better daily drivers. Ford lost out on power and torque, plus nissan is a better drive. It was a hard descision, the nissan 1% finance sold it for me. Its about a $6000 saving over the next 3 years.

[Eug]

my mate has one, tows his 6.2m half cab no worries. better on fuel daily driving with 33" muddies than his old 2.5 d40 (and my 2.5 d40), almost lazy v8 kinda power with that much torque.
the only negative he has is about the cooling, with spotties on the bullbar it can block a bit of the air flow to the intercooler and radiator but that is a minor issue.

dunno what issues you had with the old d40, mine (manual) is going great guns. consistently get 9L/100km around town and around 10-11L/100km towing a 4.2m tinny. fully loaded with camping gear and tinny i get 12L/100km.

hope the new d40 lives up to your expectations. good thing is that the styling hasn't changed much so a lot of the aftermarket goodies should be interchangeable or only require minor mods so most of the 4x4 mobs aren't far off.

one that puts me off is crappy nissan service, the added rego cost of extra 2 cylinders (not a deal breaker) and crappy nissan service... did i mention their service was crappy?

cheers
eug

[TheRealAndy]

my mate has one, tows his 6.2m half cab no worries. better on fuel daily driving with 33" muddies than his old 2.5 d40 (and my 2.5 d40), almost lazy v8 kinda power with that much torque.
the only negative he has is about the cooling, with spotties on the bullbar it can block a bit of the air flow to the intercooler and radiator but that is a minor issue.

dunno what issues you had with the old d40, mine (manual) is going great guns. consistently get 9L/100km around town and around 10-11L/100km towing a 4.2m tinny. fully loaded with camping gear and tinny i get 12L/100km.

hope the new d40 lives up to your expectations. good thing is that the styling hasn't changed much so a lot of the aftermarket goodies should be interchangeable or only require minor mods so most of the 4x4 mobs aren't far off.

one that puts me off is crappy nissan service, the added rego cost of extra 2 cylinders (not a deal breaker) and crappy nissan service... did i mention their service was crappy?

cheers
eug

My d40 had engine problems from the start, among other things. Well published on Ausfish! My economy was about half of what you got. I am a lead foot, but even then, it should sitll be better.

Yes, I agree service was crap. I had a few blues with both the dealer and nissan australia. In the end, I used a local mechaninc up the road. IF there was a warranty issue, he would tell me then I would take the car to nissan to get fixed. I am not stupid, I get mechanics, repaired cars, rebuilt engines, studied a degree in engineering. Nissan arrogance does not appeal to me.

AS for 2 extra cylinders, well better than paying for an extra 4 with the landcruiser!! That is one of the reason the landy was exluded.

[Eug]

Fair point about the LCs.

I'll be giving the Amarok a thought for the next car, but the 550 is still a contender. Just going to see how the V9X goes for longevity with my mate's ute, still a pretty new engine (2010? I believe), Nissan/Renault do make pretty decent engines though. Certainly has lots of potential.

Ah another point I remember was heat because the turbo is mounted right at the back? or middle? something like that. He said there were no issues, but was something he was keeping his eye on.

Still trying to find my way around diesel cars, I know enough to do some of the minor work. The oil filter on the 2.5L is in the most inconvenient position, sometimes I just can't be bothered getting to it. Like you I take mine to a local mechanic now.

[TheRealAndy]

Fair point about the LCs.

I'll be giving the Amarok a thought for the next car, but the 550 is still a contender. Just going to see how the V9X goes for longevity with my mate's ute, still a pretty new engine (2010? I believe), Nissan/Renault do make pretty decent engines though. Certainly has lots of potential.

Ah another point I remember was heat because the turbo is mounted right at the back? or middle? something like that. He said there were no issues, but was something he was keeping his eye on.

Still trying to find my way around diesel cars, I know enough to do some of the minor work. The oil filter on the 2.5L is in the most inconvenient position, sometimes I just can't be bothered getting to it. Like you I take mine to a local mechanic now.

Amarok is not a bad car, but I ruled it out from the start due to engine size. Min 3l for towing. The smaller engines can cope with towing bigger boats, they just work really hard, and your fuel economy goes out the door. I need to tow to gippsland lakes, lake macquarie and airlie beach on a regular basis for racing, so towing capability was high on the list of requirements.

[TheRealAndy]

Andy,

You are my test case so hope it all goes well...you have 2 years to break it

First service tomorrow, and no issue yet. Thinking I might have lucked out last time. I keep noticing little things that were a problem on the last car have now been fixed. Think the last car was a gen 1 navara, lesson learned. I am still blown away by the power considering its a 2.5 tonne diesel vehicle. Just pulled near on 700km out of the last tank of city driving, so defiantly more economical than the last one.

Just need to get my knee repaired now, so I can tow the boat and get on the water. That will be the next test.

[The Woo]

I got a new STX 550 a couple of months ago after seriously comparing/testing all the higher end dual cabs and I LOVE IT! So much power, so refined, so much fruit, and so bloody useful! I really love it.

[TheRealAndy]

I got a new STX 550 a couple of months ago after seriously comparing/testing all the higher end dual cabs and I LOVE IT! So much power, so refined, so much fruit, and so bloody useful! I really love it.

They are a lot of money, and I hate to say it, but its a friggin good unit. The one thing I liked about the last d40 was the fact it drove like a car, not a 4wd. The new one is even better.

[Eug]

They are a lot of money, and I hate to say it, but its a friggin good unit. The one thing I liked about the last d40 was the fact it drove like a car, not a 4wd. The new one is even better.

That's what got me into a D40, the on road characteristics are pretty good. Being honest 90% of my driving is on the black stuff. I agree, the 550 drives even better and very effortless.

[The Woo]

They are a lot of money, and I hate to say it, but its a friggin good unit. The one thing I liked about the last d40 was the fact it drove like a car, not a 4wd. The new one is even better.

A lot compared to ??
Mine, with options, was substantially less than I'd have to pay to get into a Ranger that was of significantly lower spec.
I found it great value. Rec retail is only a guide. A very rough guide

[TheRealAndy]

A lot compared to ??
Mine, with options, was substantially less than I'd have to pay to get into a Ranger that was of significantly lower spec.
I found it great value. Rec retail is only a guide. A very rough guide

Compared to any other dual cab on the market.

[chisel]

Interesting issue reported by STX-550 owners on 4wdmonthly
http://www.4wdaction.com.au/forum/vi...p?f=7&t=140682

[The Woo]

Haha, yeah, there's one or two blokes that have a bee in their bonnet over the "not staying in 1st gear down hill" thing. Not sure if mine does it, an IFS dual cab ute isn't what I'd chose for real off road type work. These are in their element towing, on the beach etc....

FWIW, I hear the much loved Toyota Hilux does the same thing (changes up from first down hill).

Not an issue for me, or my friends who own them, but if I feel for them nonetheless.
Kinda.

[TheRealAndy]

Yeah not an issue for me either. Bought mine for towing and beach work. Planning on heading out to the simpson next year, but thats pretty easy going stuff anyway.

I did a trip down to jindabyne last weekend. Great highway car. Getting 800km out of a tank, and that was giving it some too. Reckon 900km would not be out of the question for someone with a light foot. Complete different car to the old d40.