4th Gen Tacoma (2024+)

Even with a higher tow capacity my Tacoma struggles to pull even 3,000 lbs. If you’re buying a Tacoma to tow mainly I truly believe you’re getting the wrong truck. I hope the new engines will make towing easy even at 6,000 lbs.

 

You have no clue what they will be and like I said they will not be 20mpg. That's what the tundra is rated for . And the 3rd gen Tacoma is currently rated that . It's their flag ship truck, they will improve the MPG . And don't tell me what to buy father

 

It is occasional towing, nothing crazy…sub 3000lbs for now (upgrading in 3 years, so looking and comparing) if it is going cost me $55-60K OTD, just to pull same load a little better, surely not buying a hybrid Tacoma. Can get a 1/2 Ton for much less, mpgs won’t be that much different either. Would think the non-hybrid 4G be plenty for improving yanking around 3000 lbs.

Chasing high mpgs is an odd race, want high mpgs to save money, but comes at premium price. Doesn’t make sense.

 

It's a GD Highlander motor in a midsize truck, mpgs aren't going to be nothing to write home about. If anyone is concerned about mpgs in a truck get a 4cyl 3rd gen or a Powerboost.

 

Some of us will appreciate the added mpg and torque.

 

Nothing wrong with turbo charged motors. Hybrid is probably fine as well, I don't think the trade off for hybrid is worth it in a truck. I don't care about mpg in a truck, or any vehicle. Tryck engines are already very efficient. Using less fuel is always good on the wallet. All the EPA, and mpg talk is physiological conditioning as the consumer has no say in what manufacturers build, and what energy producers produce.

 

That junk 3.5. My 2014 4.0l tows over 6000lbs just fine.

 

It might do it, but it definitely doesn’t do so “just fine.” It struggles even if you pretend it doesnt

 

Are those 3 speed trannies that gen?

 

5 speed auto in the 4WD, 4 speed in the 2WD.

6 speed manual.

 

Engine isn’t really junk, it is how the trans is programmed. With cruise on it is all over the place, no cruise it is fine. Manual trans is best for towing, so you get to exact gear you want, not the truck. S-Mode in the autos isn’t too terrible either.

Wouldn’t tow near capacity with any truck, no matter the tonnage. Personally like to shoot for half, keeps things happy, you, the truck, and everybody around you.

 

Not sure that is a fair comparison considering the starting at price is for an SR and the starting at price for a hybrid is for a limited. You get a lot more than just the motor for $17k.

 

I get 14-16 now 75/25 city/highway, so a 20% improvement sounds awesome lol. I can get 22 on the highway, but usually around 20 MPG. 27ish would be amazing.

 

And that is the problem with the hybrid (and Toyota) for that matter. They like to roll options together in a package. So if you want one thing, say like the hybrid drivetrain, you are forced to get a bunch of add-ons you may not want or need. Know a lot of guys say “but you get so much more!” yeah, maybe some of us don’t want all those options. I barely use all the options on my SR, and that is considered bottom rung by most people.

So don’t blame me! It is Toyota that makes it unfair. Chevy does this with their 1/2 Ton diesel, should be able to get that in the work truck model. Have to buy an upper trim to get it though.

I wanted a manual trans in my access cab 3rd Gen, however I would be forced to into the Sport trim to get it. It was a $3K jump in price over the SR, not mention would have to change out some things (suspension, hood, wheels, etc) to get the sport to my liking, add another $3K+ or so to that price increase just to get a manual trans. Maybe if they had the manual in AC OR, that would have made more sense to me, but not in the Sport. Would be a hell of a lot easier (and cheaper) if they simply offered it the SR, might even saved $1500. Also wanted the utility package (rear seat delete) that would have saved another $1700, can’t get it with the V6.

Not a huge fan of how Toyota specs their packages. Ford is a little better, but not by much.

 

Anyone who thinks the 4.0 is some torque monster over the 3.5 is fooling themselves. Neither is a powerhouse. One likes to rev, the other can't because it's lifted from a riding lawn mower. Neither one is towing up any sort of grade at 1500 RPM and maintaining highway speeds. They just aren't. Especially 6000#.

 

My dad has a 2003 , they still had that horrible 3 speed

 

I would definitely buy one of those Toyota Land Cruiser "Gladiators" as shown in that last pic if they ever offered it again. (FJ40?/ 60's) They could get the tooling out of the archives "vault" and sell it as is tomorrow with a modern power train and if I could pick: it would be a 2TR-FE under the hood.

 

The 1st gen Tacoma transmission is a 4 speed and is very far from horrible. I much prefer driving it compared to early 3rd gens. It’s shocking how much more responsive the drivetrain is on my 96 vs say a 16-19 or whenever they changed the tuning

 

2003? They dropped the 3 speed auto in 1988 iirc.

 

Sorry I meant 4 , my dad has one but he bought it in the US because it was a gold colour you couldn't get in Canada