Nissan Stagea or Mitsubishi Legnum as a tow car?
Discussion
So both of these cars are AWD or RWD and both have turbocharged 6 cylinder engines, auto and manual gearboxes and acres of load space so I'm thinking one of these cars could be good as a tow car while still being capable of providing a bit of fun on the daily snot commute?
Does anyone on here use theirs to tow anything?
Does anyone happen to know the towing capacities of each car? I'm guessing this will vary quite a bit between AWD / RWD and Auto / Manual models?
Am I right in thinking that the AWD version of the Stagea is pretty much a GTR underneath and as such is going to come with the same running costs?
I'm beginning to think of getting rid of the WRX and just buying a dedicated track car instead so the car would need to be capable of pulling a trailer with something along the lines of a Caterfield on it as well as a few spares and the like.
Does anyone on here use theirs to tow anything?
Does anyone happen to know the towing capacities of each car? I'm guessing this will vary quite a bit between AWD / RWD and Auto / Manual models?
Am I right in thinking that the AWD version of the Stagea is pretty much a GTR underneath and as such is going to come with the same running costs?
I'm beginning to think of getting rid of the WRX and just buying a dedicated track car instead so the car would need to be capable of pulling a trailer with something along the lines of a Caterfield on it as well as a few spares and the like.
Edited by deviant on Wednesday 7th October 07:08
I would expect a Stagea to be a much more solid, reliable tow car than a Legnum. The Autech version with the GTR motor is like hens teeth, most of them have the RB25 in NA or turbo form, still thirsty due to moving a 1700kg brick around but very reliable. Legnums are 4wd or Fwd, slightly lighter but known for being a bit fragile.
Mate lunched the autobox in his 2.5NA Stagea, but he did have a nasty habit of bouncing off the rev-limit in neutral then slapping it into drive. Cue four 225-side stripes about a foot long, and a rapid exit from the scene.
Mate lunched the autobox in his 2.5NA Stagea, but he did have a nasty habit of bouncing off the rev-limit in neutral then slapping it into drive. Cue four 225-side stripes about a foot long, and a rapid exit from the scene.
Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 7th October 07:10
Well, i have an Autech 260RS version and it goes very well with 340bhp at standard boost. I am sure it would tow nicely would not like to cut the special bumper about and put a tow bar on though.
I know the 2.5's are a good tow car though as i was also at Santa pod at the weekend and someone was using one to tow their race car. They do not have tiptronic, but do have a sport mode and a diff lock system which could be handy. The original Jap advert for the Stagea shows a car in Snow to prove it's ability. I did not see the fast Legnum, but my Stagea managed a 13.95 run with a 60ft of 2.09 and a terminal of 103mph.
I considered the Legnum as they are a nice car, but more costly to maintain and not so tunable as the RB25 in the Stag.
Hope that helps
Eddy
I know the 2.5's are a good tow car though as i was also at Santa pod at the weekend and someone was using one to tow their race car. They do not have tiptronic, but do have a sport mode and a diff lock system which could be handy. The original Jap advert for the Stagea shows a car in Snow to prove it's ability. I did not see the fast Legnum, but my Stagea managed a 13.95 run with a 60ft of 2.09 and a terminal of 103mph.
I considered the Legnum as they are a nice car, but more costly to maintain and not so tunable as the RB25 in the Stag.
Hope that helps
Eddy
Cheers guys. I did some more searching around last night and found a few people here in Aus are using Stageas to tow. There was a bit of fuss finding someone willing to make a tow bar strong enough but there is a mob that made a jig and will do one rated to 2500KG.
The people using them to tow are not pulling light cars either, generally other sedans as well as loading up the back of the car with tools, wheels and fuel cans. People with an auto have fitted a substantial tranny cooler and were not reporting any issues with towing.
The only problem I am finding is that nobody seems to be able to say what a Stagea is actually rated at by Nissan. Yes you can get a tow bar to suit and the car copes fine with the task but from a legal point of view I would be in a world of crap if the thing is only rated to 800KG and I had an accident or got pulled over by plod.
The people using them to tow are not pulling light cars either, generally other sedans as well as loading up the back of the car with tools, wheels and fuel cans. People with an auto have fitted a substantial tranny cooler and were not reporting any issues with towing.
The only problem I am finding is that nobody seems to be able to say what a Stagea is actually rated at by Nissan. Yes you can get a tow bar to suit and the car copes fine with the task but from a legal point of view I would be in a world of crap if the thing is only rated to 800KG and I had an accident or got pulled over by plod.
I use my Legacy GTB to tow my track nail. Works well for me, tows easily and is a reasonable drive the rest of the time. Don't see why the Legnum or Stagea should be any different really 
There are strange regulations about the EU and towbars now - I don't know how it applies to imports as I avoided the issue completely (The UK Legacy towbar fits the GTB, so I'm using one of those). EDIT - guess that doesn't apply as you're in Aus though
If you're only towing a Seven type thing I'd have thought either auto or manual and most engine variants would be fine - it'll be light enough.
There are strange regulations about the EU and towbars now - I don't know how it applies to imports as I avoided the issue completely (The UK Legacy towbar fits the GTB, so I'm using one of those). EDIT - guess that doesn't apply as you're in Aus though
If you're only towing a Seven type thing I'd have thought either auto or manual and most engine variants would be fine - it'll be light enough.
Edited by FlatPack on Friday 9th October 20:48
Assuming you're thinking of 3rd-gen Legacies as they're around the same age as Stageas/Legnums, correct me if I'm wrong.
Aussie did get a Legacy (sorry, Liberty over there!) GTB (2.0TT) from new, it was slightly detuned from the JDM versions (260bhp down from 280, basically the auto-spec motor) to allow for more variable fuel quality iirc. Not sure of other differences. 100kg lighter than a VR4 and 200kg lighter than a Stagea which is a good thing in most circumstances but may be a drawback for towing depending on the weight of your trailer.
The other Legacy option is the Legacy 3.0R or Outback with the same motor, a 3.0NA flat-6 with 210-240 nice smooth bhp. No cambelt to worry about, a less stressed motor could be a good thing for towing though it doesn't quite have the grunt of the TT.
You'll also find it far easier to find a manual Legacy than VR4 or Stagea - Autech versions excepted I don't know if they even made a manual 4wd Stagea.
Aussie did get a Legacy (sorry, Liberty over there!) GTB (2.0TT) from new, it was slightly detuned from the JDM versions (260bhp down from 280, basically the auto-spec motor) to allow for more variable fuel quality iirc. Not sure of other differences. 100kg lighter than a VR4 and 200kg lighter than a Stagea which is a good thing in most circumstances but may be a drawback for towing depending on the weight of your trailer.
The other Legacy option is the Legacy 3.0R or Outback with the same motor, a 3.0NA flat-6 with 210-240 nice smooth bhp. No cambelt to worry about, a less stressed motor could be a good thing for towing though it doesn't quite have the grunt of the TT.
You'll also find it far easier to find a manual Legacy than VR4 or Stagea - Autech versions excepted I don't know if they even made a manual 4wd Stagea.
Edited by GravelBen on Saturday 10th October 13:30
Thanks for the info GravelBen 
I'm really liking the look of the Subaru, there are a few here as Legacy and there are plenty of 6 cylinder Outbacks which look like a nicer car to live with and be in than the usual 6 cylinder local cars.
They seem to hold their value really well though, in my budget (AU$20-25K) they are mostly over 100,000KM.
I'm really liking the look of the Subaru, there are a few here as Legacy and there are plenty of 6 cylinder Outbacks which look like a nicer car to live with and be in than the usual 6 cylinder local cars.
They seem to hold their value really well though, in my budget (AU$20-25K) they are mostly over 100,000KM.
I think the Forester is effectively a jacked up Impreza - contrary to popular belief it's certainly smaller than the Legacy anyway. To be honest if you're only towing a Seven and get a lightweight trailer it'd probably be ok though.
Gratuitous (if somewhat grainy, it was going dark!) pic of my Legacy towing my Striker... towed car and trailer combined weighs less than 900kg so it doesn't exactly struggle.
Gratuitous (if somewhat grainy, it was going dark!) pic of my Legacy towing my Striker... towed car and trailer combined weighs less than 900kg so it doesn't exactly struggle.
Quite a few people use the Stagea for towing and then wonder why when they have a heavy trailer and heavy car on the back they have little control , the combined weight of the trailer and load must not exceed the weight of the tow car!!
You dont need to have a plate to be over the manufacturers limits if you break the rules and have an accident you will be handing Bubba the soap in the shower!!
You dont need to have a plate to be over the manufacturers limits if you break the rules and have an accident you will be handing Bubba the soap in the shower!!
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