Thinking of D40

[southern cross tourer]

I'm looking into buying a D40 or d22. I currently have an 01 Nissan Patrol ute with slide on camper. Great ute but thirsty and only having 2 seats is annoying me to tears. Looking at upgrading to a dual cab. I have been looking around and I'm keen on the D40 dual cab with 2.5 or maybe a D22. I want a diesel and probably manual. I have about 30 to 35 to play with for ute and basic tyres lift for now.

The rig will be used for mostly day to day driving, towing my boat comes in about 700KG, trips on the beach and some 4x4 on tracks etc. I plan to slowly set up another slide on camper for the ute for weekends away, and have a large solid canopy for daily use both will be set up to slide onto special made tracks, no permanent tray will be fitted.

I will be wanting to lift it 2 to 3 inchs and fit some better tyres, bash plates, bullbar, winch, uhf, spot lights, snorkle, long range tank, dual battery, reduction gears, lockers and air bagged rear end.

My questions are
What mods are available for power and torque improvements and how much.
Will the 2.5 of the navara be up to this.
What are the power and reliability difference between the 2.5 and the 3 ltr.
Is there a difference between the d22 with the 2.5ltr to the d40 besides shape.
What are the problems I should expect to encounter.
Is the manual the correct choice or would the auto be better.
To people who tow with the 3ltr and the 2.5ltr, Does the car slow at all towing up hill with under a tonne behind.

I know i have asked alot and thanks to anyone who reads/comments and any help will be appriciated.

 

[Mavris]

Hi Mate

Cant say i know much about the Nissan vehicles but i just picked up my D40 Diesel manual and I am extremely impressed. When i bought the vehicle i initially thought id done the wrong thing by buying a nissan, but I have been impressed from day 1.

I too am going to use the d40 for towing a boat which probably weighs just under the tonne but I have yet to try it out. The only thing that bugs me about the car is that 1st gear seems to lack torque. You need to be on the revs otherwise you;ll stall the thing. Once the turbo kicks in though she just takes off, its great.

I have heard of some guys doing mods ie chipping to increase low down torque im guessing to prevent the need to be on the revs in first gear. Lift kits have also been quite popular.

Hope this helps. I'm sure youll enjoy the car..

Good luck

 

[Old.Tony]

I've got an auto D40 2.5 litre turbo diesel and tow a 1.8T van with it. While it knows that there are hills around, it's surprisingly strong. I am not disappointed with its power.

The differences between the D22 and D40 will come down to 3 things:

* Cabin Size. The D40's cabin is 175mm longer than the D22, and that space goes to the rear seat. Adult-sized people (read "mid teens and above") feel squished in the D22, but have room to spare in the D40.

* Seat Comfort. Nothing compares to the D40's seats on a long journey (well, my XJS Jaguar certainly did, but I'd say they were about equal). The D22's aren't quite the same.

* Engine Behaviour. The D22's power comes on smoothly from low RPM and if you want to tow with a manual, the D22 is head and shoulders above the D40. The D40 is vastly underpowered below 2,000rpm but as the turbo kicks in, it pulls like a pack of wild horses. In a manual, this has (repeatedly) seen the end of its clutch - without towing. Towing would make this worse.

If I were to make a recommendation I'd point you towards a D40 auto, because you have no clutch troubles in a powerful vehicle that has a spacious and comfortable cabin.

The D22 is less expensive though, and its manual version doesn't suffer the same as the D40, so if you're looking to save $, know that you can do it at the expense of passenger comfort and space.

Fuel consumption could be vastly different depending on driving styles, loads etc, but both models are capable of returning good figures.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[Leprechaun]

I've got an auto D40 2.5 litre turbo diesel and tow a 1.8T van with it. While it knows that there are hills around, it's surprisingly strong. I am not disappointed with its power.

The differences between the D22 and D40 will come down to 3 things:

* Cabin Size. The D40's cabin is 175mm longer than the D22, and that space goes to the rear seat. Adult-sized people (read "mid teens and above") feel squished in the D22, but have room to spare in the D40.

* Seat Comfort. Nothing compares to the D40's seats on a long journey (well, my XJS Jaguar certainly did, but I'd say they were about equal). The D22's aren't quite the same.

* Engine Behaviour. The D22's power comes on smoothly from low RPM and if you want to tow with a manual, the D22 is head and shoulders above the D40. The D40 is vastly underpowered below 2,000rpm but as the turbo kicks in, it pulls like a pack of wild horses. In a manual, this has (repeatedly) seen the end of its clutch - without towing. Towing would make this worse.

If I were to make a recommendation I'd point you towards a D40 auto, because you have no clutch troubles in a powerful vehicle that has a spacious and comfortable cabin.

The D22 is less expensive though, and its manual version doesn't suffer the same as the D40, so if you're looking to save $, know that you can do it at the expense of passenger comfort and space.

Fuel consumption could be vastly different depending on driving styles, loads etc, but both models are capable of returning good figures.

Good luck with your choice!

Great advice Tony.

Mod's maybe there should be a sticky thread Titled "Which model Navara should I buy?" As the question is asked very often, and I think Tony will get R.S.I, typing those long replys!

 

[Dave]

I might do up a D40 to D22 comparison since there are 2 models on the market.

Dave.

 

[run a muck]

You will find the D40 is a great truck.... I upgraded from a troopy... completely different trucks I know, but the comfort & power of the D40 is first class... Mind you, I dont flog mine.... There are plenty of after market bits & pieces avaliable.......