Towing with a Nissan XTrail
- Thread starter Gazinaus
- Start date
Xtrails are pretty common tow cars for smaller vans, i see them a lot. The 4wd model and 2wd model have different tow capacities too. You better check the weight of your van and towball weight and make sure it all fits in with the manufacturers requirements. A WDH is a must too.
I have seen the Xtrail and 16 series Discovery many times on the road. Good luck, hopefully it all lines up for you.
I have seen the Xtrail and 16 series Discovery many times on the road. Good luck, hopefully it all lines up for you.
The towball weight for the Xtrail is a complex issue. dependent on the amount of weight in the car then the tow ball weight varies.
If you load the vehicle up to its GVM then the ball weight is only 50kg.
As you decrease the payload in the vehicle then the ball weight increases
As an example the below table is information from Nissan regarding the 2.5 litre petrol Xtrail.
Tow ball Download Reduced Vehicle mass
50 kg Nil
100 kg Reduced loaded vehicle mass below GVM by 60 kg
150 kg Reduced loaded vehicle mass below GVM by 150 kg
200 kg Reduced loaded vehicle mass below GVM by 250 kg
I would strongly recommend that you talk to Nissan about your specific vehicle
If you load the vehicle up to its GVM then the ball weight is only 50kg.
As you decrease the payload in the vehicle then the ball weight increases
As an example the below table is information from Nissan regarding the 2.5 litre petrol Xtrail.
Tow ball Download Reduced Vehicle mass
50 kg Nil
100 kg Reduced loaded vehicle mass below GVM by 60 kg
150 kg Reduced loaded vehicle mass below GVM by 150 kg
200 kg Reduced loaded vehicle mass below GVM by 250 kg
I would strongly recommend that you talk to Nissan about your specific vehicle
Thanks for the information Newbie. I have emailed Nissan but no reply as yet. I am unable to exit the lease on my vehicle at the moment, so I'm thinking that it may just be easier to go for a small caravan or camper trailer (swan or flamingo).
I'll keep monitoring this page though.
I'll keep monitoring this page though.
My other car is a xtrail ti manual petrol. I did tow our 16.49.1b once when our pathie was out of action. Whilst it did it I felt I was pushing the limit of the car constantly working it to keep it at speed. Not to mention the fuel consumption.
Have now picked up the Renault Koleos - with the 2.5ltr pertol and CVT. first try at towing the 16.49.1 this weekend - only a short trip of 350-400klms
I will let everyone know how it handles after. i will include some details of the actual ride and the fuel economy.
I don't expect the ecomony to be very good, but it is a lease vehilce so its not that relevant to me.
I will let everyone know how it handles after. i will include some details of the actual ride and the fuel economy.
I don't expect the ecomony to be very good, but it is a lease vehilce so its not that relevant to me.
Thought I might share my experience as I often see questions about towing with the X-trail/Koleos twins. I used to tow my 830kg tare Jayco Finch Outback with my 2006 X Trail manual petrol (the 132 kw version) - several trips Canberra to Brisbane, NSW South Coast etc. It sufficed, but dropped a lot at the rear and as a result, was light on for traction at the front, especially when starting off on even slight inclines. There are rear suspension mods that might help that situation. When towing I always kept it in "auto" 4wd mode, and kept it out 5th gear to protect the gearbox. Power wise it felt Ok with the FInch, but definitely not effortless. I used to get about 15-16 l per 100klms towing on the highway at 90-100klm/hr.
It was rated at 2000kg and 200 kg ball weight, which seemed optimistic from my experience. By comparison, my current diesel Land Rover Freelander 2 SE TD4 (2.2 turbo diesel 6 sp auto, 118 kw and 400nm torque) is rated at 2000kg with 150kg ball weight. It is considerably more expensive so not really a fair comparison. It barely drops at all at the rear with the Finch attached, feels glued to the ground in any towing conditions, and is hugely powerful in comparison to the X Trail - it will easily accelerate up hill from 100klm/hr when towing and overtaking. Bear in mind that the auto X trail/Koleos diesel tow rating is 1350kg.
It was rated at 2000kg and 200 kg ball weight, which seemed optimistic from my experience. By comparison, my current diesel Land Rover Freelander 2 SE TD4 (2.2 turbo diesel 6 sp auto, 118 kw and 400nm torque) is rated at 2000kg with 150kg ball weight. It is considerably more expensive so not really a fair comparison. It barely drops at all at the rear with the Finch attached, feels glued to the ground in any towing conditions, and is hugely powerful in comparison to the X Trail - it will easily accelerate up hill from 100klm/hr when towing and overtaking. Bear in mind that the auto X trail/Koleos diesel tow rating is 1350kg.