Diesel Fuel Economy on Nissan Navara D40 2.5 Diesel 5 speed automatic

Hi Debbie,

We have a 2007 model and when towing our van - 2 & 1/2 tonnes in weight - we get anywhere from 18 to 25 or 26 litres per 100kms depending on terrain and wind direction. In a strong head wind we can almost see the fuel gauge dropping!
With an 80 litre tank, this means we are forever pulling in to service stations and we carry an extra 20 or 40 litres when towing between outback towns. On our recent trip, we often had to pull up and use it to get to the next town.

Around town its around 10 litres per 100kms I think, however my husband is the person who pays attention to this and he's not at home to ask, just at the moment.

Regards,

Heather

Try using 4th gear to tow.

Frequently if in 5th the vehicle lugs and uses more fuel to keep going as its running below the optimum torque curve.

We always towed in 4th in an auto and got a reasonable fuel consumption and certainly didnt do the vehicle as much harm as towing in 5th could have.

How much weigh have you got in the vehicle and what is the weight of whatever you are towing

Hi Guys
I think towing in 4th is a good suggestion.
Also I think we sometimes expect too much out off the modern 4 pot engines.
years ago my Kingswood towed a 16 foot caravan and usualy got 23 MPG (12 LTR Per 100 klm the engine died at 350000 klm

G'day Debbie,
I drive a 2010 Pathfinder auto and don't rely on the on-board trip meter/computer for fuel consumption figures and keep all fuel purchases and distance travelled in a spreadsheet. I average low 9's around town unladen, high 9's on the highway 'cause I give it some and 14's when towing. My van's ATM is 1900kg and I load the car to about 650kg, 50kg within its limit.
It is Nissan's latest incarnation of the 4 pot'er with 140kW and 450Nm. I always tow in manual mode and find that I use 4th most of the time; 2100 rpm gives me about 95kph.

i have a 2008 diesel auto and empty, driving conservatly get mid 16s lt per 100kl. if you have a bad one either put up with it or sell it don't do what i did and spend plenty on accessories to early [would loose to mutch money] and dont bother with chips or Nissan to fix bad fuel ecconomy its pretty mutch a wast of time.if i had my time again it would of been sold within the first 6 momths but then again it has done only 60000kl to date.the best exuse nissan use is that accessories change fuel economy but had no answers when i informed them that my allum tray was lighter than a standard tub.any way best of luck with it .cheers warren

Hi Debbie.Lewis

Tow a 2.2ton caravan with Auto Diesel D40 and always with overdrive off, at about 90kph! Normal average 18lts per 100Km but can be a little higher in wind. The sweet speed is about 85kph but ... So get about 300-320km per tank of Diesel but always carry 20lts of extra diesel when in the outback - just in case!

When not towing get bewteen 10-11lts per 100km.

Regards

Denis

Hi debbie.lewis,
I have the same vehicle dual cab with canopy. Have Steinbauer chip fitted.
Tow 2.7 t van with very little extra weight in the back of the Navara, get 20L/100k overdrive off and sitting between 80-90 kph. Revs sit 2500-3000.
No van, overdrive on, sitting on 105 kph, get about 11.0-11.5 L/100K on trips.
Am happy with performance of the chip with and without the van on the back
My brother in law's 200 series cruiser towing my van may use 4-5 L/100 km less than the Navara. It cost twice as much as the Navara. My calculations over a 10,000 km trip I would use an extra $750 in diesel. A lot of trips to make up the difference in purchase price between our two vehicles. As for engine longevity-well that's another story.
My plan with this Navara-enjoy the vanning lifestyle without worrying about fuel economy too much. Sell it when I start worrying about small 4 cyl diesel towing heavy van long term.
At least the Navara gets better economy than its big brother, the Patrol.
Hope this helps,
Ian