lenten
Well-Known Member
thinking of buying a 2004 ish x trail as a tow car for for my small boat----maximum towed weight including trailer a bit less than 750 kg---any thoughts
nissan x trail as a tow car??
- Thread starter lenten
- Start date
aquaplane
Well-Known Member
You can tow an unbraked 750Kg trailer with a normal car.
According to the site I normally use to check these things a Nissan X Trail can tow 4264Kg which is too much for a 50mm ball and over run brakes so it'll tow a boat bigger than a trail sailer.
http://www.uktow.com/towing capacity.asp?make=Nissan
According to the site I normally use to check these things a Nissan X Trail can tow 4264Kg which is too much for a 50mm ball and over run brakes so it'll tow a boat bigger than a trail sailer.
http://www.uktow.com/towing capacity.asp?make=Nissan
Last edited:
knuterikt
Well-Known Member
750 kg is no problem, the manual gear shift version can haul max 2000 kg.
We have used our to haul horse trailer - OK with one horse (600+600=1200 kg) in summer. Norwegian winter conditions or more weight is a bit on the heavy side.
knuterikt
Well-Known Member
Which model did you look at?
Checked similar to mine
X-Trail 2.2 dCi 4x4 Comfort, 2004kg, 4417 lbs
Capt. Clueless
Well-Known Member
I couldn't see an Xtrail with that towing capacity on that site?
aquaplane
Well-Known Member
It doesn't matter, both the X Trail options will play with a 750Kg trailer.
I thought the OP believed the X Trail could only tow 750Kg, not that his boat/trailer was only 750Kg.
I would happily tow my 20' trail sailer with an X Trail instead of the Discovery 300 Tdi I did use, and that was twice the weight the OP is talking about..
Mark Taylor
Well-Known Member
I used to have a 54 plate X trail which I used to tow a much heavier boat, a Hunter Sonata which was just over 1800kg on the trailer. The X Trail replaced a Toyota Landcruiser.
As a non-tow car the family were okay with it and we got just over 30mpg on average, slightly more on long runs. It was comfortable and reliable but just not liked as much as the previous car.
As a tow car it was horrible, with the relatively soft suspension making the ride quite unpleasant and the whole rig susceptible to cross winds, passing lorries etc. Behind the Landcruise we never had a problem, apart from too easily exceeding speed limits. My Sonata crew nicknamed the new car the Nissan Entrail! After 3 months we sold it and bought a Kia Sorento which has now done 100,000 miles in the family, safely and comfortably towed up to its 2800kg limit and has been absolutely faultless......genuinely just tyres, oil and bulbs. Downside is it struggles to get about 27mpg average.
In your case, 750kg towing requirement is very light and, unless you really want a 4x4, I would suggest that you could just be looking at fairly normal saloon or estate cars. You will have a more comfortable vehicle, much lower fuel bills, lower road tax etc.......all of which gives more money for the boating! If you want a 4x4 then the Entrail will be no problem with 750kg and I would also recommend the Kia Sportage, which will be cheaper to run than my Sorento but still give the reliability.
As a non-tow car the family were okay with it and we got just over 30mpg on average, slightly more on long runs. It was comfortable and reliable but just not liked as much as the previous car.
As a tow car it was horrible, with the relatively soft suspension making the ride quite unpleasant and the whole rig susceptible to cross winds, passing lorries etc. Behind the Landcruise we never had a problem, apart from too easily exceeding speed limits. My Sonata crew nicknamed the new car the Nissan Entrail! After 3 months we sold it and bought a Kia Sorento which has now done 100,000 miles in the family, safely and comfortably towed up to its 2800kg limit and has been absolutely faultless......genuinely just tyres, oil and bulbs. Downside is it struggles to get about 27mpg average.
In your case, 750kg towing requirement is very light and, unless you really want a 4x4, I would suggest that you could just be looking at fairly normal saloon or estate cars. You will have a more comfortable vehicle, much lower fuel bills, lower road tax etc.......all of which gives more money for the boating! If you want a 4x4 then the Entrail will be no problem with 750kg and I would also recommend the Kia Sportage, which will be cheaper to run than my Sorento but still give the reliability.
aquaplane
Well-Known Member
It's a bit of a pain to use. When you have chosen Nissan (where the link takes you) you have to use the drop down menu to pick a model, of course the X Trail in near the bottom of the alphabetical list.
And it helps if I didn't get the units wrong and put Kg instead of pounds.
Last edited:
lenten
Well-Known Member
at the moment i have a rav 4---its a great little tow car but its max unbraked towing weight is 640 kg---although the boat is only 15 feet---depending on how its loaded up-- it is around or over the 640 kg---the x trail unbraked towing weight is 750 kg---i want a 4x4---i have used a normal car and at times have struggled---itchenor ---bottom of the tide----mallaig---got a telehandler to pull car and boat up a steep slipway---have no knowledge of x trails but a car dealer recomended them to me and i thought i would ask for opinons---ps to recap i only want to tow 750 kg max
Last edited:
Mark Taylor
Well-Known Member
Understood......an X Trail or Sportage will do that for you. If you could find one at the right price I would also consider a Skoda Octavia 4x4, might be called a Scout??
chrishelen
N/A
Check the chassis hasn't dangerous corrosion.
Windy_Stu
Well-Known Member
The maximum unbraked trailer wight you can tow with any car is 750kg...with a braked trailer dont exceed the weight of the tow car... after that is down to gearing 
knuterikt
Well-Known Member
Just curiousThe maximum unbraked trailer wight you can tow with any car is 750kg...with a braked trailer dont exceed the weight of the tow car... after that is down to gearing
I Norway the maximum speed towing an unbraked trailer having actual weight of 300 kg or more is 60 km/h.
Do you have the same rules in UK?
Kwik Decision
Well-Known Member
No, we don't. The speed limit for cars towing trailers of any weight is 50 mph on normal roads and 60 mph on motorways. These limits are 10 mph lower than cars without trailers.
Kwik Decision
Well-Known Member
The maximum unbraked trailer wight you can tow with any car is 750kg...with a braked trailer dont exceed the weight of the tow car... after that is down to gearing
Just to be pedantic, the Max unbraked trailer weight you can tow is half the kerb weight of the tow car, or 750 kg, whichever is lower. This is important as many smaller cars have a kerb weight less than 1500 kg.
lenten
Well-Known Member
thank you all for replies---now on active searching
Capt. Clueless
Well-Known Member
An Xtrail popped up on my Facebook timeline yesterday...MOT till sep. 03 plate 800 quid.
lenten
Well-Known Member
thanks capt----but just bought one
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
Just about any family car will tow 750kg. You don't need a 4WD either. Avoid dunking it in sea water as this can corrode wheel bearings and brakes.
coveman
Well-Known Member
Yes, any car can tow an un braked trailer if the all up weight of boat and trailer is below 750kgs. Over 750kgs and you need a braked trailer. Also remember that if you intend launching or recovering a boat from a slippery slipway a 4WD can be very useful if not essential
