question for those towing a van with a Dmax...

Paul, I tow a 2500kg van behind our D-Max auto and it does it easily.
I have fitted a Scangauge 11 so I can monitor the transmission temperature and so far no problems. It has been recommended to use D which I do most the time but when in hilly areas I put it into 4th to stop the transmission from changing up and down all the time.
The pre 2014 D-Max was only rated for 3T but I believe it is a simple process to increase this but I would never suggest that you try towing 3500kg behind any of the 3.5t rated dual cabs.
When loaded for touring we come in at 3.000kg for the car and 2.500kg for the van and having had the GVM upgrade done I still have 500kg to spare.
D-Max will sit on the speed limit with the van on the back without any problems and still return 16-17L/100K

Paul
I have a 2015 Dmax and regularly tow a 3 tonne van of 21ft length. I have a Scangauge 11 so that I can get reliable readouts of both engine and transmission temps and I have also fitted an additional transmission cooler. I have also an upgraded suspension fitted.

I currently have 34370km showing on the clock, of which 12599km has been towing and can not fault this vehicle or its towing ability.

My previous tow vehicle was a LC200TTD towing the same van, and whilst it may be a little slower off the lights or climbing some hills I still consider the Dmax to be adequate for the job. I have no problems keeping up to the traffic or the speed limits, but I am saving approx. 30% on fuel usage. At any given time or situation the Dmax would generally be in the same gear as the LC apart from its preference to hold 4th when cruising at 100kph when D selected.

After looking at available payloads when towing I did not consider the Ranger.

Enjoy your Dmax.
Regards
Athol

I looked at both and bought a Ranger. The level of tech in the new MY17 Ranger far exceeds the Dmax...plus more power. I'm not a Ford fanboy...it's the first one Ive owned in 66 years.

I was going to buy a Ranger. The blokes at the Ford dealership were not interested in even coming to talk to me, as I was looking in the yard.

I bought a MY14 D-Max LSU dual cab and it does everything I want it to. I am a Ford person, and was disappointed that I got ignored at the dealership. I am happy with my D-Max though.

I have a 2013 Dmax LSM dual cab, towing 2.8t. I wasn't too concerned about the weights as every thing was within the limits. I looked more at the engine gearbox side of things, e.g.. steel timing chain, less torque from similar size motor to me equaled less stress on the motor and it does have plenty of grunt to do the job. Apparently its the same motor they use in their small trucks. I have a tray back but if you get one with style side check the height of the side as I read somewhere the ford has reasonably high sides and lifting anything over the sides is a real pain if you're a bit height challenged. Fuel consumption was another at the time.

I looked at Isuzu, Ford, Mazda and Holden and Isuzu had the best deal at the time although that wasn't the deal breaker then.

This may be of interest to some,
Technical Bulletin
In case you missed our December Extra Bulletin…

Service warning: Mazda BT-50 / Ford Ranger new generation 5cyl diesel models UP0YF1 – When draining the oil, ensure that the total drain time does not exceed 10 minutes.

Field reports indicated that there may be an issue with the variable-flow oil pump fitted to Mazda’s new generation BT-50, 5 cylinder common rail diesel engine.


A new feature in the BT-50’s engine is the variable-flow oil pump that helps maximize fuel efficiency. Rather than the conventional fixed-flow gear drive oil pump, it is accomplished with a chain driven oil pump located in the sump that matches the oil supply to the engine load. The variable-flow pump changes its capacity based on the engine’s demand for oil, by rotating the eccentric outer ring. This prevents wasting energy to pump oil that is not required to maintain engine operation.

These variable-flow pumps are much like power steering pumps, using vane elements in their design with the added ability to control flow rates at varied engine speeds. When the vehicle has the oil drained for an extended amount of time, the oil drains not only from the sump, but internally from the pump assembly. The vane type design appears to be less tolerable to being allowed to drain out and recover from that state thereafter.

Reports to Autodata are that if the engine oil and filter are changed in service and the oil is left to drain longer than 10 minutes, the oil pump may fail to prime and leave the engine in a critical no lubrication situation. Attempts to prime the pump by increasing the rpm fails to solve the problem, and will lead to component failure from lack of lubrication.

Apparently the recommended way for DIY is to drain the oil...refill..do not start...then do the filter. The fuel saving technology on the steering is brilliant. Electric assist, very light when manouevering, backing up to the caravan etc, one finger stuff...and then it firms up nicely for highway etc. Although we are in our late 60's we are enjoying the Synch 3 technical pack...adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, close focus rear view camera with hitch guidance etc. Plus it's a very smooth torquey engine and tows our 2.8 tonne van easily at traffic speeds.

Paul
If you are going to keep your car a long time go the Isuzu .

The Rangers have more power but long term ownership would worry me . ( over 150,000km )

Cheers

As an aside, I recently inspected a 2014 ranger at a well known Perth caryard..Turns out on looking at the service book, the motor and auto had been replaced - on a two year old car.
Must have had a hard life, but it was a country vehicle. Plenty of gravel/dust/ mud inside the chassis rails. Half an inch in some of the lower spots.

Paul E6,

Been towing 21" (internal) van around Aus for five years left east coast with 88k on 2010 Colorado Dmax) 4wd manual now have 256k on it.
Travel mostle a 95klm/hr on the speedo (Actual 90klm/hr) but freeway and major highway 100 to 105 on speedo not arad to punch it and pass slower vehicles it gets driven like a truck, don't rev it use the gears not the brakes, so in 6 years it has done the job well, but standard suspension not up to job long term would prefer heavier tow vehicle when towing large van (ATM 2550) and all 4 cylinder high performance diesel engines which comply with latest emission standards are suffering from poor air quality in the combustion cycle. ie high mileage engines sludge up there intake systems. Must keep fuel and air clean.
My vehicle is on its second lot of injectors, first change at approx 160k after 12 months in Darwin humidity, second lot after 80k then discovered myself intake manifold was full of sludge required removal and high pressure clean using oven cleaner, now have crankcase ventilation into catch can and blocking plate on efg valve , engine is noticeably stronger.
Had tappets adjusted for first time at 240k (little if any adjustment required)
rear springs changed and new shocks around at approx 200k, new clutch plate and friction disk at 245k (fly wheel clean didn't need skimming) the AT tires were found to give to rough a ride on the 2010 model suspension so now run HT tires.
All that said the vehicle has not let me down it just pulls and keeps pulling and I want anther new one even though this one still goes well, its a bit agricultural to travel in with heavier suspension. Next one will be an auto and a much better sorted suspension.
Hope this is of assistance.
Grant

The Ranger certainly has more herbs but my impression from casual reading is that it has more problems too. I know two owners of the model and both have had repeat problems (auto trans leading to a limp home in one & oil leaks requiring engine removal in the other - both required 2 trips or more to the dealer).

I tow with an MUX and have had one minor problem with the oil filter housing fixed at a normal service. It has 68 K now with a good number of those hard ones.

Isuzu design these to be capable, simple and understressed. They say 90% of the engines will return 500 K or more with regular servicing. Parts are cheap. Fuel consumption is relatively low. There's a high level of owner satisfaction.

Good luck with your choice.

The J.D. Power rating in the US for the Ford brand can be seen here:http://www.jdpower.com/cars/ford

They don't offer the Ranger there it seems. Overall brand dependability is rated at 2 out of 5.

Isuzus have been sold there under several brands and model names. Chevrolet Trailblazer was one.