Hi everyone!
As of now not an Xterra owner but seriously looking to buy one. Have owned 2 Nissan pickups in the past, one 4X4 and one 4X2. Have a question that you guys can probably answer for me before I commit to an Xterra. We currently are full time RVers, I have a 40 foot fifth wheel, weighing approx 21,000 pounds that I tow with a Ford F550, setup for heavy hauling. In the summer time we travel and tow a 19 foot Airstream - GVW 4500 pounds. We will be getting rid of the fifth wheel and the F550 and will be travelling in the summer with the Airstream. A lot of our travels will be in the western US, lots of hills and mountains. In your opinions do you feel that the Xterra will handle towing our Airstream adaquately. I realize that the towing capacity for the Xterra is 5,000 pounds but that doesn't tell me what I really need to know. Thanks in advance for any Help!!!

I can't speak specifically to the X, but are you talking manual or automatic tranny? I assume you know how to tow safely and take it easy on the vehicle.

Does the Airstream have trailer brakes? Can it be outfitted with them? Probably not a bad idea when your trailer weighs as much as your tow vehicle.

If an auto, a supplemental tranny cooler may be another good idea.

Good luck; I'm watching this thread as I may be getting a rigid pop-up eventually.

Woody

Thx WoodyTX!

I've towed large and small for several years but have always had a tow vehicle that was very capable of handling the load being towed. The F550 with the 6.0 diesel is setup for heavy hauling, only gets 12.5 MPG. I want to downsize and get something that is reliable and will get better fuel economy. I don't need a rig that big to tow the Airstream.

Automatic Tranny. Airstream has trailer brakes. The first add ons would be tranny cooler , tranny temp gauge and equalizer hitch.

Good point, although I don't think the X will get you mileage... but then again, 10,000 lbs takes a lot of energy to move. :)

It will, however, give you a nice toy to play with once you get there. :D