I’m thinking of trading my NW 2012 Pajero in for a new Triton or DMax to tow a caravan. The caravan will be around 2.5t max. I know the Paj will tow it but it’s too close for my liking with ball weights and such.
Planning on big ‘round Australia trip early 2023 so dont really need it now.
Advice and opinions appreciated
Triton or Dmax for Towing Caravan
Comments
well they both have their positives and negatives but i am leaning towards DMax, especially because most of the MY2022 variants have factory-fitted tow bar receiver and trailer sway control.
The only advantage the triton has, is that it's cheaper.
early 2023
Order a dmax now and you might get it in time :)
I dont think it would take over a year if i order soon and lock in the price. If it does then i get a 2023 for the price of a 2021 !!
you might want to check what isuzu's order delivery time frames are recently….
The bloke i bought my house off few months aago - ordered a Triton in Feb this year…
the delivery date was June August November - its now Feb - next yr…. He gave up waiting and bought a low klm used car
Your order doesn't lock in the price…
It did up to June or July this year…. They might offer the deal if asked…. Maybe
I'd focus more on what you can actual get your hands on within 6 months. Try and find a demo on the lot.
i cant afford to get one within 6 months, unless i get a good trade in and drive away price. I dont like my chances though, supply and demand means no deals atm
theres no need to be a Pajero about it
What does Triton mean in Spanish?
Tritón
Trade a Pajero for a Triton.
Yeah, smart thinkingI don’t need the 7 seats, no more kids.
Dmax? More like Pov max.
That helps
Usually Triton offers less bang for even less buck.
But with the current market, it's a no-go, since you're paying to wait and get ripped off.Best advice would be to use your Wankker to tow the caravan for now. Sure it's old and not best, but as you say it will get the job done. The other options aren't magically going to be perfect, we're talking about towing a caravan here.
Choose which Ute you want for that task later, when availability increases and the prices normalise. By that time, you can make a more informed decision since you would know which vehicles stood the test of time, and which ones are lemons (and what to look out for when buying/variants).
Before using the Pajero to tow 2.5T I'd suggest checking the placard on the car. Pajs only allow 180kg downball for trailers over 2.5T, whereas Toyota allows 10% all the time…
180kg downball isn't sufficient for a 2.5T caravan and you'd run insurance and legal risks, as well as just being unsafe
I know, it’s 250kg towball at 2.5t then go to 2.501t and it drops to 180kg towball.
European vans often run 5% ball weight.
Yep, 10% isn't really a thing these days apparently.
Isn't downball a game kids play?
Good advice, thanx Kangal
Excuse me but you seem to be looking realistically at what you want to tow, then buying a tow vehicle that will do this well within its design capacity.
No wonder you asked here - you would be thrown off FB for that sort of attitude!!!Triton.
BT50?
Same as a dmax, but really ugly.
though likely more readily available
1 month wait
That’s personal opinion. I don’t mind the , the old one certainly got a fair hiding wit the ugly stick though.
If it came down to it and it’s the same under the skin I’d probably buy the one with the cheaper skin.
wildtrack?
yeah i think its worth a look too
I don't know why you'd want to tow with a 4 cylinder engine. Get something more powerful. Turbo diesel 6 minimum.
Thousands of vans being towed around this country with 4cyl turbo diesels. Sure, a 6cyl would probably be preferable, but there’s a fair premium in price for them and also limits your choices a lot.
If you're towing with 4 cylinders you're doing it wrong. A 150kw 450/500nm 4 cylinder engine isn't even going to be capable up accelerating up a moderate slope while towing.
Yes it is. Been there, done that.
@Euphemistic: It's just not. Simple physics. There's a reason why people who tow properly get big engines. The most popular tow car in Australia (Landcruiser 200) is really under specced for towing. The V8 only puts out 200kw and 650nm. Imported US super duties with 300kw and 1000nm + are way better and get better fuel economy when towing.
@[Deactivated]: Yeah yeah, sure Ted.
I’ll say it again, dual cab utes are really popular for towing, especially caravans. Most of them are 4cyl turbo diesel and they do the job.
4cyl diesel, 2.8tonne, up the highway this January and it does 100km/h
@[Deactivated]: It goes up hills fast enough. For the lower cost of the vehicle, less fuel used day to day I’ll sacrifice a few of seconds of extra climbing hills.
@Euphemistic: It doesn't accelerate up hills. It can't. It might be able to maintain speed at best. (load and incline dependent).
@[Deactivated]: Load and incline dependent? So you admit it can, but try to assert that it can’t?
Mine will accelerate up hills while towing, except when it can’t.
@Euphemistic: @Burnertoasty
One of these days you 2 won't argue on an automotive post 😂
Alas, today is not that day
@[Deactivated]: Have you towed with a 4cyl diesel Burner?
I’m not sure why accelerating up a hill is so important it just costs bulk amounts of fuel. Can you point me to some real world figures of
Imported US super duties with 300kw and 1000nm + are way better and get better fuel economy when towing.
If it’s true I’m going to have to save for one. Or then again, using a bit extra fuel while towing for half the price of the vehicle, and less fuel when not towing might make up for it.
As I said, there’s plenty of caravanners in this country using 4cyl diesel utes to back up my position.
@Euphemistic: There's plenty of caravanners in the UK towing with 1.4L Barinas. Doesn't make it a good idea.
That being said, if caravanners had any brains they'd save the money and stay in a hotel.
There's plenty of caravanners in the UK towing with 1.4L Barinas. Doesn't make it a good idea.
Might be an exaggeration, I know they recommend a 2l Golf as a tow car. Shows it is adequately done with a smaller vehicle.
You don’t need a kenworth to tow your mobile home around.
@[Deactivated]: It’s not unsafe if you tow within the manufacturer limits. That’s why they have limits. Of course you can’t tow 2.5tonne with a Barina, but you can tow up to whatever limits they set for said Barina.
@Euphemistic: A few years ago I towed a large loaded trailer with a Tiguan 2.0T, and it was sketchy as hell, despite being below the weight limit. Then I borrowed a Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 TD and towed the same trailer and it was easy as hell. It was like it wasn't there. The power made a massive difference, but so did the weight of the vehicle.
OP, go check out some caravanning forums for real world towing experience on both, especially since you plan a big trip. I’m sure weekenders wouldn’t show up any problems.
Thing is there are so many people getting it wrong, with GVMs, ATMs, Ball weights, GCMs. I’m just getting it through my head what’s needed and I’m sure a new Dmax (with 6month+ wait) is the vehicle for my van. Of course I’ll talk to a mobile weigh guy to talk numbers etc
Either should tow 2.5t with a margin of error. Where a lot of people get caught out is forgetting that if you are towing a decent sized load, you lose some capacity in the tug. They also forget to include the weight of the extras like bullbar, drawers, roofracks etc.
And the weight of the towball down force, pulling the back down and lifting the front…. It really is a lot to consider and get right to stay safe and legal
The D-Max will be more relaxed. Peak torque comes in around 1600 rpm on them, whereas it doesn't come in on the Tritons to around 2500 rpm. I have a Pajero Sport (same motor) and I don't mind how it drives in that respect, but I think if I was towing permanently it would grate on me a bit.
Conversely though, a Triton has Mitsubishi's Superselect like your Pajero, meaning that you can drive with it in AWD on bitumen. You can't do that with a D-Max.
I've never done the figures on a Pajero, but I would have thought you'd be right to tow 2.5 ton, even when loaded - I thought they had quite a large GVM for a 4WD wagon (Its like 250 kg more than my Pajero Sport). Where exactly does it come unstuck for you? I'd be seriously tempted just to keep the Paj if you can make it work.
i love the Paj, but my problem is that if the van goes over 2.5t by even a kilo the ball weight drops to 180 from 250. the van weighs 2.17 without anything in it so im sure after filling it up with water, tools, clothes, food, weber, fishing gear …… and the ball weight is already 195 on the van without payload. I would love to the keep the old Paj
Oh wow I didn't realise the maximum ball weight dropped - that is quite an issue. Not worth taking the risk with the Paj.
Seems counter intuitive that the ball weight must reduce for a heavier tow load. Sure it’s not in vehicle cargo limit reducing?
It’s not uncommon for the load limits to change when you start increasing tow weight. Some reduce vehicle payload to cope with a larger load/ball weight.
Any way you look at it, it’s not straight forward at all when calculating tow capacity near the limit.
@Euphemistic: The ball weight issue is a pain in the butt with it dropping like that. I think it has to do with independent suspension .
All good now, put down a deposit and ordered the Dmax…. Earliest delivery is late May, but I’m expecting a month or 2 later.
Thanx all
Dmax, not even close.