Towing 6400 with Tacoma

I pulled a 6'x12' open trailer loaded with shingles to our cabin up the 395 in Ca this summer. The trailer was listed at 1730 lbs empty. I loaded about 2800 lbs of material, bringing my gross weight to about 4500 lbs.
My gas mileage fluctuated between 13-15mpg going up. Coming home with empty trailer it got 16mpg. Regardless of empty or loaded, I had to keep it to 60-62mph or my gas mileage would just plummet.

 

Sales? That doesn't answer the question of who at Toyota chose this motor for the taco. I'd attribute the high sales to the 1st and 2nd gen track record of reliability and holding great value. The 3rd gen looks better inside and out, just has an inferior drivetrain IMO.

 

I tow an 17ft travel trailer with a taco LB AT / 6" lift on 33's/ two kayaks, two bicycles on the hitch behind said travel trailer. 4200 total with WD hitch, and within total specs for the Taco. I have not enjoyed highway speeds, but my rpms hover in the 3k range in S4. The motor and setup do not struggle. The mind does listening to it run "hard".
Oh and yea with that setup I get 8 mpg

 

Maybe "Lil Girl" is an appropriate nickname for the Taco as someone else suggested.

 

That 42 extra hp is only found at 6k rpm. The bore is the same between 4.0 and 3.5. 3.5 has a shorter stroke. Longer stroke = more torque. Also the 2nd gen Taco was a good 400+ pounds lighter. Power to weight ratio my friend.

 

My VW golf wagon TDi has almost as much torque as the Tacoma, 140 hp and 240 ft/lbs. Our trucks are great but towing a 8 foot wide x 16 long cargo trailer with a flat front won't be fun. Unless its a V nose, that helps.

 

The 4Runner around these parts is usually bought by Subaru dog moms, hot dog moms that got tired of leaking head gaskets and oil consumption issues. I'm sure the 4.0 is a dream when said dog mom needs a more money to spend at Chewy.

 

Yes, 42 is peak HP. It still makes more HP lower in the range as well. And model to model comparison is only like a 200# difference.

Look, I'd rather the truck be lighter, and I'd love for the throttle mapping to be set up for more low end power vs. eco mode, but when towing at speed, I will take the motor that makes similar torque from 3k RPM up and makes more HP virtually everywhere.

Bottom line is neither of these motors are real powerhouses and either one is fine for what they are. I've owned both and have no real complaints with either.

 

You sure that tire is filled? Because it’s off the rim.

 

Tow what you want with your truck,if it's rated for 6400 lbs go for it. Just because Toyota rates it for that doesn't mean that the truck is ideal for pulling that much weight. Those numbers that the manufacturers state are usually pretty optimistic,just ask the drivers of f150 Eco boosts what their fuel mileage is compared to what advertised.

 

Sales, as in it's what the customers wanted. 3rd gen is outelling previous gens by a wide margin. Toyota does extensive market analysis to determine what customers want and will buy. The 3rd gen has been a home run for them.

 

Why didn't their market analysis tell them that people don't like the shit speakers they use.

 

A V8 taco would be heaven. Like my V8 4runner was, and my Lexus Gx470 I currently own is. That's what makes me notice how weak this motor is. My Gx470 is similar in weight to my taco, but has a 4.7L V8 with over 300 TQ.

 

It told them most don't care. It wasn't listed as a priority.

 

Right, so they asked a million people which motor they'd rather have and they all said ooh oowie the 3.5 YES!! Is that what you are saying?

 

Fuck Toyota. POS Tacoma, lol.

 

Sounds like you need a beer. .

The 3rd Taco started dominating sales in late 2018 into 2019. A good number of those sales are previous Toyota owners like me. It's not like the 3rd Tacoma created some huge awakening that Toyota trucks are the beesnees. That's been known.

 

I have that covered...

 

I say that every day, especially the "lol" part.

The 3rd gen is a nice, solid little truck imo.

Notice what is happening to the sedan market lately? SUV's and trucks have eaten into that market. There are many first time truck buyers buying Tacomas. I think it was @stun gun who wrote that mid sized pickup trucks are the "gateway drug", since many people might be intimidated buying a full size as their first truck. I think there is a lot of truth in that statement.

Pickup trucks are basically utility vehicles, and I think some people who bought a truck because it is "trendy" are regretting it since at the end of the day, it's a truck...lol

Others will appreciate the usefulness and won't be happy not owning a truck for the foreseeable future, imo.

Got to go back to work, that beer is going to taste great tonight!