Anyone tow with a Nissan NV 3500 van?

Be careful with the fuzzy math. Any passengers in the NV vans deduct from the advertised 8700 lb tow rating. Not any different from all the SUVs, but that's not how Ford rates their vans. Just be sure to look at the GCWR and make sure you will have enough.

Also, the NV 3500 has a payload as low as 2,480 lbs and max payload of 2700 pounds. That's less than a Ford E150:E The problem isn't GVWR in this case, its actually a very hefty curb weight approaching 7,000 pounds. That's 1,000 pounds more than an empty Ford or Chevy 1-ton van.

If I were considering an NV van, I'd wait a model year to see if by chance a heavy-duty version with the Cummins 5.0L becomes an option.

An NV van with the small Cummins, again assuming they would offer a HD version with a nice payload, could be a very interesting package for RVers who need lots of passenger capacity in their TV.

Or rather than waiting you can get a very nice E-series or GM van with plenty of capacity and be done with it.

I don't disagree at all with the fact that the E van is a better towing platform. The new ones with the Torqshift and the V10, with the right axle ratio cannot be beat. I have a friend with a 2V V10 F350 and sometimes I think I'd have done just fine with a V10 truck instead of my 7.3 and had less to think about.

But the fact of the matter is (at least what I've seen) is that the E vans are spartan on the interior and basically stripped of any kind of creature comforts that are even on entry level Ford cars. You cannot get an E van with side curtain airbags for all rows, proper head restraints, etc. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Nissan fills the gap with the NV 3500 in the SL trim for people who just want a little more from their van experience. I think it fills a niche for people with large families who want to pull more than a pop-up or smallish trailer. Which, for all of us who watch our numbers, is all most third row SUVs are good for once you load them with passengers and cargo.

So I was curious if anyone had actually bought one, towed with it, and had some real world weights to share :)

I hope someone that actually owns one chimes in for you; here in Phoenix I see many of them clearly in commercial service but I'm not sure I've seen one yet that at least appeared to be for personal/family usage.

Any interest in the GM vans, or not your cup of tea? Off the top of my head it seems I notice many HD GM vans that appear to be personal-use vehicles, particular van conversions. I hear that 6.0L/6speed is a great combo, and at least one forum member (can't remember his name) has one and is VERY happy with it.

Back to the NV, any idea what its rear axle rating is? You may have a hard time staying with GVW with multiple passengers and a TT hooked up, but I'd be curious as to the rear axle and its capacity.

I tow with the van in my sig., but I am definitely going to look at the mew Ford Transit, for 2014-15 (when they come out). Available Eco-boost V6, 3 roof heights and 3 body/wheelbase lengths.
The E series is a great tow vehicle, but the Transit will(should) provide all the up to date safety features.

When we looked at my EB I originally was wanting to get an E350. Couldn't sell the wife on it at all due to the interior. The big negative was the rear seating was just plain bad. I am really hoping to make the switch though when the new Transit van arrives. Nissan NV is better in that respect, and I had a co-worker planning to buy one to haul his 8+ person family around. He went for a E150 shuttle conversion in the end though.

That's a good reminder about Ford's T series. I can't seem to find much official information about it ... anyone have a source for what GVWR and GCWRs are available or is that still fuzzy?

My local dealer just called me and said they have a top trim Nissan NV 3500 in. I plan to look at it tomorrow afternoon. I'll take a pic of the door placard as I haven't been able to find out the front and rear GAWR ratings online.

One thing to keep in mind... It's a lot easier to upgrade the interior than it is to upgrade the chassis to handle more weight if you are overloaded. My van's interior was upgrade by CVCandMore and I'm extremely happy with it. Every seat reclines to its comfortable for even when doing 1,000 miles in a night. And there's still the high-end van converters like SportsMobile and Van Specialties who can make a real nice interior.

The Transit van has been delayed until next summer. It will have 2 wheelbases, 3 lengths, and 3 roof heights. If you go here (it requires flash) you can see the configurations: http://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/transit/combinator/

I do like that you now have a 15 passenger van with ample cargo space and factory dual rear wheels. Also center-isle bucket seats are standard. There more info buried in this PDF:
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/2014/2014MY_Whats_New_Book_03-12-13_v27.pdf

TriumphGuy wrote:
That's a good reminder about Ford's T series. I can't seem to find much official information about it ... anyone have a source for what GVWR and GCWRs are available or is that still fuzzy?

My local dealer just called me and said they have a top trim Nissan NV 3500 in. I plan to look at it tomorrow afternoon. I'll take a pic of the door placard as I haven't been able to find out the front and rear GAWR ratings online.

Looking forward to hearing your impressions of it!

bmanning wrote:
If I were considering an NV van, I'd wait a model year to see if by chance a heavy-duty version with the Cummins 5.0L becomes an option.

An NV van with the small Cummins, again assuming they would offer a HD version with a nice payload, could be a very interesting package for RVers who need lots of passenger capacity in their TV.

Or rather than waiting you can get a very nice E-series or GM van with plenty of capacity and be done with it.

I have seen them(NV 2500) around here towing 8500# trailers.