2016 SR5 4x4 4 banger for light off road and occasional towing?

Didn’t you know if you can’t accelerate fast that means it’s incapable of towing?!

 

I’d go for the V6 personally for towing however if you feel it will suit your needs just fine then go for it. If you plan on doing any sort of lift, armor, an bigger tires then V6 all day. I don’t have a 4cyl but would not be opposed to one if the price was right.
The 2.7 certainly has earned its reputation for simplicity and reliability that alone would sway me if I was in the market for my needs.

 

I would have gone for the 4 banger personally if they had still sold it with stick shift

 

My 2.7 Manual is lifted with bigger tires, things like that will greatly affect performance. Leaving it all stock, power loss will be much less noticeable. On hills on the highway, it will lose speed and momentum. Windy days on the highway slow me down coming into that strong wind. My big rokblok mudflaps probably slow me down a bit too. Rolling off from a stop, getting up to speed is a bit slow, the shift from 1st to 2nd is not fast. One day I'd like to make it my around town/play truck.. For now and for awhile more, it is my daily driver, and I run it 50+ miles daily

 

And if you want more power and speed you can always slap a supercharger in it.

 

Be warned that 2016's had the tow package as optional. That means a 4 cylinder without it was only rated to tow 1500lbs.

I'm afraid I dont know what exactly to look for to determine if a truck does or doesnt have the tow package, but you'll definitely want to seek out a truck that does have it. I believe all 4 cylinders had the tow kit as standard from 2017 onwards.

I love my 4 cylinder and I think you'll be happy with one!

 

Mine is a 2017 and does not have a tow package.

 

I think I might've gotten my wires crossed with the V6 since it seems that all 3rd Gen I4's are rated for 3500lbs according to Toyota literature. My bad!

 

The 2.7 is gutless. I own a 2004 4X4 RC. It won't go over 55 mph on a good day up a long 7% grade. I take a trip every year in it in the mountain states. They say it can tow 3500 lbs. I have never towed with mine nor have I ever put more than about 750lbs in the bed. Mine is rated for over 1700lbs.

The 2.7 was built for commercial applications. They are engineered to be revved. If you only tow once in a while and aren't in a hurry the 2.7 will probably work for you depending on how much weight you want to pull. Just rev it when you need the power. It certainly won't hurt it.