Nissan X trail 2wd 1.6 dci

[Chris1985uk]

I've always enjoyed camping but now feel maybe caravaning is the next adventure.

The minimum kerb weight of the xtrail is 1500kg.

I have my eye on a couple of caravans which are:-

Luna Quasar 524 MTPLM of 1295kg

Xplore 586 MTPLM of 1400kg but has a MIRO of 1175kg, would I ever put an extra 225kg in the caravan?

I want a caravan that is easy to tow and does not put to much stress on the 1.6 litre engine but also a minimum of a 4 berth.

Am I asking too much?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I've always enjoyed camping but now feel maybe caravaning is the next adventure.

The minimum kerb weight of the xtrail is 1500kg.

I have my eye on a couple of caravans which are:-

Luna Quasar 524 MTPLM of 1295kg

Xplore 586 MTPLM of 1400kg but has a MIRO of 1175kg, would I ever put an extra 225kg in the caravan?

I want a caravan that is easy to tow and does not put to much stress on the 1.6 litre engine but also a minimum of a 4 berth.

Am I asking too much?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Hello Chris,

I haven't looked up the weight figures so I will assume you're are correct. Both caravans fall within the UK industry guidance of 85% or lower towing ratio, which is good start, and provided the gross train Weight of the outfits is within the cars specifications, the Xtrail should cope with either caravan.

When you say "easy to tow," are you referring to the stress on the car, or how much effort and concentration the driver has to add? In terms of the car, obviously the lower weight caravan will stress the car less, but in terms of the driver, there is little difference, as towing a caravan of any size is going to require greater attention and awareness of size and what's going on around you.

There is something that I must ask you to check. Because of the type of vehicle the Xtrail is, it may have a healthy Gross Vehicle Weight or MAM. The GVW is on the cars data plate. If the GVW + MTPLM is more than 3500kg, you need to have " Be" or "B+E."entitlements on your licence. Sadly, If you don't have either of those on your licence you cannot drive a vehicle and caravan of combined MAM exceeding 3500kg unless you take the "E" extension test. This applies to licences issued after Jan 1997.

 

[Hutch]

Chris , welcome. Your question about, "would I ever put an extra 225kg in the caravan" the answer is quite possibly yes. By the time you have pots pans, cutlery, cloths food, gas bottle battery, maybe a motor mover. Chemicals. Etc it soon adds up. I try and fill the car up first, but the sight of an empty caravan, can make you think "oh I could fit two bikes in there. Another 20 kg maybe.

Enjoy your new hobby.

 

[Chris1985uk]

Thanks for the info.

I am planning on doing the B+E course.

I would hate to let the family down by not being able to tow the caravan especially if I get pulled over halfway through the journey.

Plus I'm hoping that the course will be quite useful and give me some more knowledge on towing the caravan more safely.

I can imagine that hill climbs are daunting at first so the course will be especially useful if they show the correct method for hill climbs and stopping and starting on a incline.

 

[camel]

I've towed with a couple of Nissans and the 1.6 they now put in the X Trail and Qashqai in my case the Qashqsi does do the job, I would be looking for a lightweight van to go behind the X Trail, I've been looking at a used X Trsils and all I can see are 1.6's,

 

[Niall_McIntosh]

I have had a couple of X Trails. The first was a 2.2 Turbo Diesel and the second the 2.0 (170 BHP). I have only towed with the second one and it pulled our Vigo quite happily. I decided against the new X Trail when they (initially) only offered a 1.6 engine and I changed to the Volvo XC60 2.2 D5. The Volvo is another great towcar and while it does have a biggger engine with more power, it delivers better fuel consumption than the X Trail did.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I have had a couple of X Trails. The first was a 2.2 Turbo Diesel and the second the 2.0 (170 BHP). I have only towed with the second one and it pulled our Vigo quite happily. I decided against the new X Trail when they (initially) only offered a 1.6 engine and I changed to the Volvo XC60 2.2 D5. The Volvo is another great towcar and while it does have a biggger engine with more power, it delivers better fuel consumption than the X Trail did.

You tell us you decided to go for teh volvo, but you didn't tell us why?

Engine volume is not a direct indication of towing performance, its ultimately down to torque and power curves. It is now a well demonstrated trend that manufacturers have been able to reduce swept volumes but have maintained power and torque outputs through the more effective use of turbochargers etc.
The smaller engine trend is driven by the wish to reduce vehicle weights, and that is probably more of a factor that concerns caravanners, rather than engine size.

 

[camel]

my 1.6 Qashqsi is a good tow car once the turbo kicks but theres no turbo on hill starts so I'm careful on choosing the correct route,

 

[Niall_McIntosh]

The original post was about X Trails, so I wasn't sure that my reasons for going Volvo were relevant to the thread.

I decided earlier this year that the X Trail was due for replacement. I tend not to buy new, I normally buy from a Car Supermarket at around 3 years old (I have used Fords at Winsford for our last 3 cars). Having had 2 X Trails, with which I had been very happy, I did consider having another, however I was concerned at the limited engine choice. I also considered the Mazda CX5 and the Volvo XC60 on my shortlist. After reading all the reviews I could find, I felt that the X Trail was probably under powered for towing the Vigo, which left it between the XC60 and the CX5, both of which seemed to tick the right boxes. Both cars were comfortable to sit in and drive. In the end I wasn't able to source a 3 year old CX5, and have been more than happy with the Volvo (which came with a factory fitted removeable towbar).

 

[Chris1985uk]

Hi camel, could I ask what weight caravan your towing with the Qashqai?

I have decided to have a look at the

Xplore 304 se

Miro of 886kg

Mtplm of 1100kg

Says it's a perfect match on towcar.

I have 2 small children so think there should be enough room especially with the awning.

Anyone have any experience with this caravan, that can tell me if it's a good choice? Reviews seen to be pretty positive.

Thanks.

 

[camel]

Last time on the weighbridge, caravan was 1440 , car wss 1520 which according to cocker I'm towing at just under 95%, nosewight 77kg,

 

[waffler]

My daughter has the 304. Ideal little van.They have a 7 yr old and a 4 yr old who think it is wonderful. Depending on the age you need to check the front and back panels for hairline cracks on the corners against the awning rail. Also some of them have tv aerials that rarely work.If it looks like a wire sticking up you will need another external aerial. Suggest you buy from a franchised dealer.