Will Gen 3 Tow Better than Gen 1?

So I have a gen 1 manual. Unlike the new 3.5 is actually has good low-end pull but that evaporates quickly after 50-60 mph.

The gen 3 3.5L has quite a bit more HP and torque but if you crunch the numbers, the power to weight ratio of the gen 3 isn't far off from the gen 1 because the gen 1 is so light.

Will a gen 3 even tow my 3,000 lb pop-up any better than my 2001 I own now?

 

Yes.

 

I believe that the 1st gen's V6 only put out 190hp. Even with a heavier vehicle, 276hp is a big step up.

I know horsepower isn't the only factor, but I don't know the torque numbers off the top of my head.

 

Our 16 tows very well. You "almost" can't feel it compared to our Gen1 Double cab, which runs out of breath.

 

Has plenty of power for towing 5000lbs+. I turn on the ECT switch to keep the engine in a happier rpm range so it's not lugging the engine. I think of it as a tow/haul switch on other brands.

 

Well if you have a manual 3rd gen it's certainly no comparison. Probably isn't even with the auto.

 

From I have heard the manual will out-tow the auto because of the rear-end gearing.

 

I tow a 4800lb boat. It does pretty well with it.

 

Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCkBmiZV09w

 

Funny I see people saying their truck tows 5000lbs good and some say it absolutely sucks. I live in Colorado I can imagine towing in Colorado is a whole different ball game than towing in Florida. I appreciate the responses however.

 

I do tow on flat terrain most of the time.

 

It is absolutely different. I towed a bunch of tools recently and the loaded trailer was maybe 2,000 lbs. Flat ground, I didn't feel a thing. However, when I got to the mountain passes, I could feel her running out of air. My #1 goal for modding my 3rd gen TRD OR is adding a supercharger to help with the air at higher altitude.

 

It's a matter of perspective. Does it tow as well as an F150 with a V8 or turbo charged V6? No. But it's a midsize truck with a naturally aspired V6 that probably gets 5 mpg+ better than the F150.

Imo: it tows well even uphill but expect to be in the 4-5K rpm range when towing some serious weight and trying to keep up with traffic.

 

I wouldn't go go as far as saying 5 mpg better than the f-150. Almost every engine in the F-150 with the exception of the base 3.5 (non-turbo) will get similar MPG as the Tacoma unloaded and will probably get better MPG while towing since the EcoBoosts run at low RPM. In many cases bigger V8's get better towing MPG than smaller V6's because a V6 has to rev high and breathes less efficiently as those RPM's.

 

All I can report to is unloaded mpg. I had a 2013 F150 with an ECO Boost V6. Got 15-17 mpg mixed driving. Getting 22 same mixed driving with my Tacoma. Towing 5000lbs with the ECO was 12-13 driving across Texas (mainly flat). Can't report on the Tacoma's mpg as I haven't towed for a long distance to compare.

 

Toyota needs to pull their heads out of their asses and drop that 5.7 into a Taco. If Dodge could do it, they can.

 

It would do wheelies taking off from a stop light with that setup.

 

Toyota will never put a 5.7 in a Tacoma. This is why: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy

 

LOL a stock 3.4 loaded down has trouble doing grades while holding 55mph, a 2nd or 3rd gen can accelerate up those grades

 

My gen 1 tows my Casita (2500lb dry weight, see my prof image) fairly well on flat land but yeah, all bets off on any sort of grade. I wouldn't feel comfortable towing my Casita over I-70 west of Denver because of the traffic.