Which twin cab

G/Day Bob, Good Post !, When you find the vehicle your talking about please let me know!, ....You forgot to mention it must be cheap...lol.


Cheers Axle.

I would have a good long look at tne Volkswagon Amarok, 8 speed Auto. 6 speed Manual,
the economical TDI340 with 90kW and 340Nm or the TDI400/ TDI420 BiTurbo with up to 132kW and 420Nm of torque.

AMAROK

HIGHLIGHTS

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hooks
We bought a 4x4 Ranger 3.2 auto to tow a 5th wheeler in May 2012. Was going to be either the Ranger or BT 50, but the Ranger was available well before the Mazda. Both are now rated at 3500 Kg braked towing rather than the 2012 model at 3350 Kg. We have only pulled the 5th wheeler for about 6000 Km of the 30000 travelled but are happy with the vehicle. When towing on inclined terrain I use manual select on the auto even though the auto shift works well with Drive only selected. Towing the Van of 3300 Kg has so far given an average of around 15 - 16 L / 100 Km and tows with ease. The leg room I am informed is good in the back. Having the rear springs rated to carry 1000 Kg the ride when empty is tight but not too uncomfortable. I am told that Mazda are giving a better deal for new buyers but you will determine this if you choose either one. Other vehicles are now rated above 3000 Kg braked towing, which may be more than you require, but know nothing of others

Answers:
Manual - why let a manufacturer decide what gear you need to be in?
Diesel - reliability and torque
Preferences:
Good fuel economy - a decent diesel will give you that.
Not sluggish on hills - any reasonably capable tug will be like that, so long as the ATM of the van is well below the MAX that the vehicle can pull.
Good leg room in back seat - Most dual cabs have this - I have a Navara D22, plenty of legroom in the back for a medium sized adult. (Lanky legs might find it a bit small, but there are just the 2 of us and we don't pick up tall hitchhikers - in fact no HHers at all when towing!)
Comfortable when not towing - Navara is a joy to drive when empty. We use it for farm ute duties, carrying hay, soil, sand, firewood - you name it, we likely have carried it to or from the farm.
Not a light truck - most utes are classified as "light truck" for the purposes of rego. So, you mean nothing over 1 or 1.5 Tonne carrying capacity? Why not? A IVECO 3T would suit you admirably, I think.
4WD operation - Well DOHHH! 4WD is almost a given for any decent tug! ;)

Navara 550 or the ranger/bt50 will tow 3t better and easier than the rest. Auto is the go.
It's not until the ranger has a decent load on to tow that the engine and box settles down and starts to make more sense - it is truly a delight to tow big weight with.

Thanks everyone, it seems the Ranger, Navara & Amarok get the thumbs up. What about the D Max or Colorado? I have a leaning towards the Ranger at this stage. I will now have to deal with the sales sharks lol.

Bob.

Bob, why don't you go and have a look at all the twin cab models on the market today and narrow it down to what you want and like instead asking others to make the decision for you.

All the twin cab utes on the market except the Great Wall and Mahindra are good.

Everyone will have a different view point of why they like X over Y and your decision will be the same.

In most cases it's the little things that may turn one of a particular brand or model.

We have a Ranger 3.2lt and it's a great vehicle...... and people who own a Triton, Hilux, Navara, BT50, Amarok .... and the list goes on will same the same thing about thier vehicle.

Having posted the following ...
[quote]Not a light truck - most utes are classified as "light truck" for the purposes of rego. So, you mean nothing over 1 or 1.5 Tonne carrying capacity? Why not? A IVECO 3T would suit you admirably, I think.[/quote]
Anyone with a response? BTW, I have a Navara D/Cab D22, and am happy with it for the moment. However, I wonder why the IVECO is dismissed out of hand - it is LR Class driveable in its biggest GVM, and C class driveable in the lighter version.

G'day Hooks.
My first post. I am towing a fifth wheeler tare at 2250 and 2850 loaded up. New and had it for six months. Towing it with STX Navara V6 Turbo Diesel Auto 7 speed which now has 17K on it. Done around 6K connected up. Fuel consumption averages around 14.5 to 15 lts/100. Speed about 90-95. Drive it in auto select S mode which is a slightly more aggressive than the usual auto around town mode. Consumption disconnected highway about 9.0 and town about 9.5 -10.0
Probably early days still but it has not missed a beat and plenty of power to spare up all hills.
Modifications/ extras. I have installed an additional fuel filter as the primary and the original filter is now the secondary. Really precautionary only.
Also replaced rear springs and shocks with heavy duty units. Nissan would not come to the party with replacing the springs as they tested them under like conditions with a 450 kg test weight in the tub simulating the pin weight of the F/W. Tested meaning measuring sag/droop and comparing with "Nissan recommended tolerances". Ride unloaded now a bit coarser but connected up goes well!
So far......very happy.
Brother-in-law has newish BT50 with 3.2 five cylinder engine and tows a standard caravan. Carries 12 volt fridge in back and has been having all sorts of trouble with flat batteries. The 12 volt cig outlets are permanently live and this along with a couple of other electrical problems just invites trouble. He tells me he is not the only one in this situation.
Cheers. Casey

I know some people will disagree, but.

ALL and I mean ALL of the current crop of light utes have towing capacities that are.....optomistic to say the least.

You intend towing a 3 tonne trailer.......3 tonnes....3... tonnes.

Good choice on going with an articulated combination instead of a fundamentally unstable pig trailer.

So ya think its a good idea to two 3 tonnes with a pasenger derived light commercial.....sorry I don't think so.

Until this latest drop of light ites came out with their rediculous towing capacities most people would not have entertained less than one of the bigger F trucks, Dodge Ram or Chevy Silverado for this work and quite reasonably so....they remain reasonable options.

The Iveco turbo daily has been mentioned...and is just one example of the japanese derived propper light trucks that would be suitable.
Most of these light trucks can be had in a model drivable on a passenger car licence.

The turbo daily is available in bothe 2wd and 4wd and are designed for someone to drive in comfort 8 to 10 hours a day every day.....so don't dismiss them on a comfort and drivability point of view.

The Turbo daily in 4wd may run to arround $85G.....but remember it comes factory standard with all sorts of things you have to pay lots of money for in a landcruser or other passenger derived 4wd.
Like diff locks, big wheels, air suspended seats, climate controlled air conditioning.

the lightest Daily carries 2 tonnes in the tray, so ya not looking for a suspension upgrade before you even start.

And when selecting a proper light truck, you are not sending a boy to do a man's job.

As far as leg room in the back of dual cab utes.....don't make me laugh.

The turbo daily in dual cab seats 4 adults in the back in comfort.

Now one critical issues with just about every signle passenger derived dual cab ute......placement of the fifth wheel coupling...because the cab comes pretty well all the way to the rear axle...most have part of the rear wheel arch in the back of the cab....you can not locate the fifth wheel coupling in the best location...directly over the rear axle...in fact nothing like it.

Seriouly...forget the pasenger derived light utes and look at either one of the american F trucky things or one of the japanese derived light trucks.

Need a truck buy a truck.

cheers

Thanks everyone, I've had some broad band issues for the past 2 days and have just got back online again. I will study the replies which will assist in my final decision on the brand we will eventually purchase. I will advise which one we chose in due course.

Thanks again
Bob.