We tow a 1.8T 18' (7.5m or 25' with drawbar) double-axle caravan with our D40 STX 2.5L TD.
Observations:
* The cabin is roomy, comfortable and a bloody joy to drive distances in. While towing last Christmas, we'd spend up to 12 hours a day in the cabin and we didn't come out of it sore or aching.
* The vehicle handles a load behind it very well, although I confess to spending the extra time needed to distribute weight properly and connect load levellers as well. Even with this, I believe I'm not 100% accurate and yet the vehicle still handled the van well, it didn't wander, wobble, shimmy or have difficulty under brakes.
* My D40 empty weighs 2.5T, and we drop about 150kg in the back while travelling. With that, and a loaded (1.8T) van behind, the whole show doesn't take off like Mark Skaife might, but it's respectable and it gets you there.
* In the vehicle's early life, fuel consumption will be higher than desirable. Ours started to improve after about 13,000km. An ECU reset might have helped earlier on, but we didn't know about that.
* The car doesn't sit in overdrive easily at 90-100km/h. You either need to drop back to about 80km/h or push it to 105-110km/h (on the speedo - which reads about 10% higher). If you're on a slight incline, expect to sit in 4th and consume more fuel if you are maintaining 90-100km/h. At 80-85km/h you will actually use less fuel.
Some tips:
* Get a Hayman Reese hitch, don't get the genuine Nissan one - it is made by Hayman Reese anyway, but it only mounts with horizontal bolts not vertical, so load levelers will damage the vehicle.
* When wiring up the brake controller, insist on 6 square millimeter (60A) wiring. Anything less will cause the wiring to heat up and possibly melt the insulation, which may cause a short, tripping the fuse and removing your trailer brakes. Oh, insist on a 30A thermal-reset fuse in the engine bay.
* Get an in-dash satellite navigation unit with a reversing camera to assist in lining up the towball. Best investment I've ever made.
* Purchase Camps Australia and Caravan Parks Australia from any decent camping store. These bibles are without a doubt one of the best resources you could get your hands on, despite their $50 price tag.
Most of all, welcome aboard - enjoy!