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Old 03-16-2014, 01:16 PM   #1
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Nissan NV 2500 Towing

A newbie here, who's lurked awhile, reading this forum obsessively. I'm in the planning stages, still deliberating betwixt the 19 & 17, but leaning toward the 19. Thank you So much, 'Greggo' (and Ann) in Lompoc, for showing me your 19!

I'll be a solo woman on the road - well, solo if you don't count the dogs.

It's time to replace my daily vehicle, so I'm going to get the horse before the cart. I've been researching tow vehicles (I love this forum), and I'll feel better with a vehicle that isn't close to its limit, as well as has inside space for storage and dogs. For these reasons I'm focused on full-size SUVs and vans. I have an opportunity to purchase a barely used Nissan NV 2500, rated to tow 7,000 #. Does anyone have experience with this vehicle? While the body isn't the same, the engine is that of the Nissan Frontier truck, so comment's on the Frontier's reliability would also be appreciated.
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Old 03-16-2014, 01:35 PM   #2
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Hi: robinLL... We have almost 50,000 mi. on our 2010 4Ltr. V6 Nissan Frontier, with nary a hicup. Seems a very reliable/capable tug...IMHO. Alf
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Old 03-16-2014, 01:40 PM   #3
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Drive it and see if you like the way it handles (& how many crates it can fit haha) but on paper I did a bunch of research for future dog vehicles and it looked like a good contender (along with the Sprinter)! I love the headroom and space in the commercial tall vans... I co-drove from OR to CA and back in a Sprinter (my friend's dog mobile, she has 5) and loved the way it handled, and they have AWD models starting next model year I believe.
We currently have 2 dogs and a Toyota Sienna but will have 4 dogs eventually and would then only be able to have crated dogs but not human passengers in our Sienna...
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Old 03-16-2014, 02:33 PM   #4
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Also was shown Gregg 's and Ann 's 19 . Took possession of our 19 last Nov. As for the Nissan bought a 4 year old Frontier . Had it for another 6 years never had a problem just battery , tires etc . Great little truck . Put many miles on truck . Needed to downsize .Already
had a full size Ford that is what tows 19 . Feel more comfortable with needing more for hills etc. Don't need equalizer hitch either. Lots of room in truck bed for dog crates etc. Put folding cover over bed to keep things out weather etc. Good luck in pick of your trailer we love them all.
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Old 03-16-2014, 04:35 PM   #5
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Thank you everyone so far. Hillary, yup, you guessed it, floor space for crates! The NV I might (okay, probably will) get is a high top, and it comes with the factory tow pkg. I've owned mostly Toyotas, and have been spoilt with reliability, and really don't want to lose that. Was the driving in the high top ever problematic?
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Old 03-16-2014, 09:13 PM   #6
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Although Nissan claims the NV 1500/2500/3500 series shares almost no parts with any other Nissan model (except the drivetrain), it is very close to the Titan pickup... I believe closer than it is to the Frontier.

Nissan quality has been variable in recent years, and not up to their previous standards, but I have not heard of problems with the trucks (in contrast to the Quest). Certainly Nissan's engines continue to be highly regarded.

I wouldn't worry about driving dynamics with the high roof. Most of the mass of the vehicle is in the drivetrain and structure, which are no higher with the high roof than with the standard roof. It might increase crosswind sensitivity, but I doubt it's any worse than traditional North American full-sized vans with raised roof configurations for shuttle van or RV use. Of course, using a parkade is out of the question, and most home garages are out, too.

It looks like an NV high-roof must be a cargo van (the passenger versions only being available with the low roof), so some sort of interior finish providing insulation for warmth and noise should be considered. This is the same as with any cargo van.

If the candidate NV 2500 shares an engine with the Frontier, that would be the V6. There is also a V8 available (the one also in the Titan and Armada). Unfortunately for performance, the NV 2500 appears to be much heavier than a Frontier - almost a ton heavier. It is as heavy as a full-sized extended-cab North American pickup truck. Although the specs indicate that it will reliably and safely tow up to 7000 pounds, grade-climbing performance even with just an Escape behind it might be a little slow... just at an educated guess.
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Old 03-16-2014, 10:44 PM   #7
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I was wondering about the tow after checking the vehicle weight, but I suspect towing will slow me down on most inclines. I only started getting serious about cargo vans after I fell down the rabbit hole of the billions of aftermarket stuff on the market. Good training for the future Escape spec sheets I suspect. I'll test drive the NV later this week (it's 3 1/2 hours away).
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Old 03-17-2014, 12:14 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robinLL View Post
Thank you everyone so far. Hillary, yup, you guessed it, floor space for crates! The NV I might (okay, probably will) get is a high top, and it comes with the factory tow pkg. I've owned mostly Toyotas, and have been spoilt with reliability, and really don't want to lose that. Was the driving in the high top ever problematic?
It was not problematic at all, and we definitely drove in wind! It felt really stable overall, but has a little looser steering than most things I've driven. It didn't bother me and I adjusted right away but I could see it bothering someone. She has gotten the Sprinter stuck in mud a few times at events, thus me wanting an AWD version. We have sighthounds and do racing and coursing, and living in OR and WA we drive on a lot of muddy fields to do it!
She has a platform across the back with a huge crate underneath and another one above, along with a ton of space for gear, and then on the left side behind the drivers seat are two smaller stacked crates. You could easily arrange it with even more crate space depending on what you wanted, hers is dual function as a camper, so that upper platform in the back can be slept on. Depends on what size dogs you have and what you want to be able to do in it, if it's towing an Escape obviously you don't need a bed in it!
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Old 03-17-2014, 12:36 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Although Nissan claims the NV 1500/2500/3500 series shares almost no parts with any other Nissan model (except the drivetrain), it is very close to the Titan pickup... I believe closer than it is to the Frontier.

Nissan quality has been variable in recent years, and not up to their previous standards, but I have not heard of problems with the trucks (in contrast to the Quest). Certainly Nissan's engines continue to be highly regarded.
.
The Titan is the only full-size pickup that Consumer Reports does not recommend - because of a repair record that is "below average." However, the Frontier is very highly rated.
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