Terrano II Any good

[Gary_374358511]

Good morning all,

We've been looking at the Nissan Terrano as a tow car. We currently tow with our Mondeo 2.0 TDCI which is a great car but we want something with a bit more Grunt.

I understand that the 3.0 is supposed to be much better than the 2.7 but the 3.0's are so rare I may need to settle for the lesser.

Are they any good as a tow car and what should I be looking for whilst searching. From what I've seen I'd be looking at something around a 53-54 plate with anything from 25K to 50K on the clock.

Thank you again for any help

Regards

Gary

 

[MartinJ]

Gary we changed our Mondeo tdci for a Terrano after our easter break this year. We made the decision after loading the kids new bikes (now nearly adult size) along with our own onto the back of the Mondeo. With the van on the back as well, the Mondeo really seemed to struggle with the load in a way it hadnt before.

Towing wise the Terrano is in a different league to the Mondeo - far more stable. I had always though the people who said "I forget the Van is on the back of the car" were exaggerating until I towed with the Terrano.

Solo wise you have to realise that you are driving a very different car to your Mondeo. The Terrano is no speed merchant and will feel very different to your Mondeo in corners. That said I enjoy driving the Terrano.

Economy wise I recon I am getting approx 30 mpg from the Terrano whereas the Mondeo averaged between 40 - 45. The mpg on the Terrano is not affected any where near as much as the Mondeo when towing though. We tend to use the other half's car for day to day use though so mpg was not that big a factor in our decision.

Overall I recon the Terrano is a value for money motor and I am pleased we made the change. Cant wait for August when it will be towing down to the Loire Valley in France. Ours is the 2.7 by the way - 05 plate with approx 31k on the clock.

Hope this helps, Martin.

 

[MartinJ]

Gary, forgot to mention that the only things my research told me to watch our for were the usual things when looking at a used 4 x 4 - namely a full service history is essential and look out for any underside damage caused by excessive off road use.

Martin.

 

[Gary_374358511]

Thank Martin,

I know I'm not going to get the fuel consumption I get with my trusty Ford but because the missus works from home the Terrano will spend the majority of time on the drive.

I will use her 1.2 Fiat Stilo for work so all said, fuel isn't the decision maker.

What weight is your Van Martin? Ours is around 1440 fully loaded and the Mondeo handles it OK but we've been in situations where we've had to get the farm tractor to get us off a bogged field. Not the best of situations to be in.

I think, as well, if I'm honest, I love big cars. I've had a Freelander before but a blown head gasket but me off 4X4's for a while. Just getting the urges back now.

Cheers

Gary

 

[MartinJ]

Hi Gary,

We have a Bailey Ranger 550/6 which fully laden is approx 1400kg. Our Mondeo could cope with that but as I said when you start adding the bikes on the back the rear suspension really seemed to struggle.

No such problems with the Terrano however. A much more relaxed tow.

Martin.

 

[Lara_374353049]

Hi Gary,

We used to tow with a '05 plate Terrano, 2.7TD. I would agree with everything Matrin says, it was a very good towcar, towed our twin axle Senator Wyoming, which has a MTPLM of 1714 kgs, no problems. As Martin says, its no speed merchant, but that doesn't matter. Only time we could tell the van was on the back was long steady uphill climbs, but most vehicles would feel that anyway.

We had it from new, sold it last year with about 18 000 miles on the clock, only because we got a good deal on a VW Touareg. Had no problems with it throughout, can recommend it.

Lara.

 

[Gary_374358511]

Thanks guys,

I'm going to have a look at a couple this weekend. It's a bit of a scary experience due to the ever increasing fuel prices but like I say, it will spend most of it's life on the driveway for the missus to use as and when she needs it.

I scoured the internet forums to find out if there are any issues with these and found that most of the problems tend to be with the older models(Pre-2000).

I love towing the caravan and to me towing is all part of the excitment. I think I'd feel a lot better with the Terrano compared with my trusty Mondeo. Like I say, the Mondeo tow's it OK but I have this fear of getting stuck in traffic on a steep hill. Also, getting of grass with the Terrano should be a whole lot easier.

Thanks again for all your comments. Just can't wait now.

Gaz

 

[Avril_374306697]

We have always towed with the Terrano and are on to our 3rd this one being the 3.0 di sve LWB 02 plate 49k on clock had this one for a year now took us ages to find it and would be loathed to give it up averaging 34 solo and around 30 towing would agree that the 3.0 is better than the 2.7 as we have had both but each will do the job sufficiently, has pulled us out of some very muddy fields with little effort, very reliable and neither one of them has cost much in servicing, parts etc, very comfy ride and true that you don't feel the van on the back, think we'd be hard pushed to find something to tow our 1461kg van with 4 bikes and and open boat with 2 kayaks that wouldn't complain the only down side is the road tax which by 2010 will be up to 430 :-(

 

[ian_374365666]

Hi Gary I had a 1999 on a V plate 2.7 turbo with intercooler terrano, best tow car i've had, would climb up the side of our house with the van in tow!! just bought an Xtrail not towed with it yet though, stroll on next week.

Ian

 

[RichL812]

We recently changed our Maverick 2.7 TD (terrano rebadge) for a Mondeo purely based on fuel guzzling and imminent tax increases.

Before you buy check what tax you will be paying as I think you could be shocked.

 

[tash]

Gary

I tow a twin axle caravan with a Terrano II 2.7 TDI Auto yes Auto It's a great tow car.I can get 36 mpg solo. No idea what i get towing.

tash

 

[BrianStAlbans]

I've towed with a 97 Maverick from nearly new and can't fault it and the good thing is because of its age the tax stays at

 

[Cherokee2015]

We've had a Maverick for a couple of years and agree with Brian as the tax won't change (for now anyway!) so just have to contend with fuel consumption. Really comfy car, easy to drive and a good tow-car