What to buy? D4D auto or V6 auto?

[sass]

Hi all,
I'm after a little advice.
I'm currently looking for a new (to me) hilux (must be dual cab and auto) but I'm unsure on which is the better option.
The V6 & 5 speed auto is a weapon of a combination, good power, smooth and very car like to drive,
but I can not find a D4D with the 4 speed auto to test drive anywhere in Brisbane.
What are they like compared to the V6 auto?
I have test driven a couple of diesel auto Navara's and must say they were complete crap!!!!
No power at all !!!!
I'd hate to tow with one!
The hilux will be used as a daily driver and tow vehicle for our customeline camp trailer.
I know the diesel will have the torque to tow the trailer off the line better but I don't want a car that struggles at every overtaking attempt at highway speeds.
Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Cheers
Sass

[camwill69]

Sass,
You have come to the right place as I know that two members own customline campertrailers, one is a V6 the other is a D4D (me).

Dluxv6 is manual V6 while mine is D4D auto.

This is going to be a typical holden v ford, toyota v nissan arrgument. The guy's with V6's will say only way to go and vise versa. So with that I will say the D4d auto is the only way to go. If you do long trips often, the money you save on fuel will pay for the deisel pump that Drew will tell you you have to replace every time you fuel up (hey Drew).

Moderators could make another poll for this to help you out.

Regards,
Cam

[premier]

Well I have both D4d auto dual cab and 4.0v6 auto single cab....now they're completely different to drive, the v6 is SO MUCH quicker at overtaking etc, but the D4D is effortless at the towing duties (2200kg boat and 1900kg caravan) and to be honest the fuel economy isnt a great deal different when they are not towing......but there is a HUGE difference when they are. The D4D is about 4-6 ltrs/100 better off when dragging heavy loads, so I guess it really comes down to whether your worried about running costs or not......if I had to pick one or the other I would go for the V6 and supercharge it but hey thats just me.

[rodw]

I am delighted with the auto and now I have a performance chip, it is awesome. i don't pull a trailer but I have 500kg or so in the back most of the time. Check this thread out:
viewtopic.php?f=62&t=4763

[matske]

How many km per tank are you guys gettin on auto diesel I got a auto diesel now got 700 km on highway driving

[Dluxv6]

Cam, Sass
mine is a manual though
hate to say this but i agree with you on loooonnnnngggg distance towing i would prefer the oil burner but (it is a big but) the v6 is a better option for me around town and shorter travel, i wouldn't change it for the world
and no you don't need to change the diesel pump only clutches
both me and cam tow customline trailers loaded up, the v6 pulls like freight train but will eat the fuel if you get into it

Cheers Drew

[pootrol]

mines a v6 auto and i tow a caged box trailer every day with ladders, copper, cable, tools and aircons. performance has never been an issue with heaps of over taking power on high ways and enough grunt to out run most at the light to get the next lane. i tow my half cab fibre glass boat with it and can easily hit 140 over taking up hills. the down side to all this is every day usage i only get 400klm to a tank. with out trailer and just the work gear and material in the back it can get upto the 550klm mark. i test drove a diesel and honestly after having a GU td42t ute before i didnt want the feeling of driving a diesel again i wanted car performance seeing as it was a daily driver and work truck. i know economy wise it would of been better with the d4d but it wasnt for me. when i moved i had a big tandem cage trailer with every possesion in it to do one trip. mini me, dirt bike,v8 engine, engine hoist,scrap steel,welders,compressors,work and house hold materials, tools. pretty much what you would expect in a shed. was really happy with how it pulled all that but i went gentle as i was worried about cooking the auto for the trip.

[sass]

What sort of fuel figures are you getting towing your customelines?
My current hilux is an 1989 SR5 manual with a 7MGE 3 liter straight 6 out of a supra, tows well at highway speeds and uses around 18 to 19 liters per 100km when loaded and towing (around 16.5l/100km when empty around town). Surely a new 4l V6 auto could at least do figures equal to if not better then these.

As for Diesel Vs Petrol
As far as I can see there are pros and cons for both.
The D4D is powerful (120kw), torquey, efficient, and smooth but more expensive to service/repair and with all the new computerised injection it isn't as "bush friendly" as the old mechanical injected diesels were.
The V6 has power (175kw) but the torque is higher in the rev range (auto and torque converter help with this a little though), Its smooth and quiet. Yes It will be more thirsty then the D4D but not ridiculously if driven correctly Id imagine.

I don't do many long Trips/touring. Mostly weekend trips and A week here and there all normally within 800kms of home.(Straddie, Fraser, Woodgate, Double island)

Is the D4D really so much cheaper to run?

Premier says the D4D uses between 4 - 6L less per 100kms when towing. (Lets say average 5L)
On a 2000Km Trip that is 100L less fuel the the V6.
100L x $1.40 per Liter = $140
OK its a bit but not exorbitant.

Any pros and cons between the 4 and 5 speed autos?
Any Issues or horror stories?

The other reason I'm thinking V6 Is the D4D autos seem to all have a premium price tag as well 2 to 4 grand over a V6, That's allot of fuel.

[Boof]

I know mines a Prado and not a Lux but its the same engine and driveline I love the V6 towing both around town and on the open road, imo save the 4k and spend it on gas. The Prado now gets 350-400ks from around $35 worth of gas, comparable to diesel economy but with all the petrol power.

Before the gas I looked into trading ours in on a D4D one and after fitting the gas doubt I will ever own a diesel

[azzss]

I'd go with the v6 because a) you get 5 speed auto and b) with the money saved you could fit a liquid injection gas system as these have been quoted as making MORE power and touque than petrol and economy only about 10% worse plus you get a good touring range with both fuels.
Cheers.

[Boof]

Is the gas still efficent when towing or loaded?... a mate of mine had gas installed into a work ute and although the economy is great for running about as soon as he starts towing decent loads then the gas works out no cheaper than the standard unleaded fuel.

Ours is the sequential vapour injection imo the liquid has not been around long enough for me to chance it.

Economy wise towing its the same as unloaded around 5% worse economy and no noticeable power loss. In fact to be honest I actually think it has more torque on gas, as it will hold gears longer on cruise control before dropping back when compared to the same hill at the same speed on petrol.

I recently towed a mates GU Patrol wagon on a car trailer on the gas, went like a dream and even had him considering ditching the 3.0L diesel he has. I have never been a fan of LPG as I have had work cars with the older systems, and the newer ones are like comparing carby to fuel injection imho. I will continue to own petrols on gas

Fitting was $4500 but after the $1750 rebate came to just a little under 3k which is a lot less than it would have cost me to trade up to a D4D

[utemad]

mines a v6 auto and . i test drove a diesel and honestly after having a GU td42t ute before i didnt want the feeling of driving a diesel again i wanted car performance seeing as it was a daily driver and work truck. went gentle .

This i understand completely.. i left my trol ute for an xr8 ute.. bit too big of a performance jump so i reckon a lux might be in the middle.. to get rid of the trols diesel like drive .. 3 inch exhaust and dump pipe and a denco turbo and she pumps 150hp to the wheels ( up from like 88hp on mine ) and better economy.. i just wished i did it day 1 and not 4 months before i sold it .. ps if i could buy it back i would . but a new trol ute is to exxy vs a lux

cheers utemad