Love my 5 lug base model (4 cyl/manual) but want 6 cyl/auto with more towing

Thread title kind of says it all but the question is:

Are there any years or models to watch out for while wanting to get these additional features out of a 2nd gen?

. . . for example, I have my eye on a couple...One is a '12 TRD & the other is a '14 TRD, both dual cab w/6' beds

 

i feel like it towing is a focal point skip the tacomas all together and look for something with a v8!
but then again my father over-towed boats with nissan hardbody and v6 for a lot of his life haha
but he did have v8 tundra and an f150 at other points lol

 

I would avoid the 2012 just because SAIS issues are much more common in that year other than that 12 and 14 are basically identical aside from the 14 having a slightly updated radio.

As stated above if you want to tow anything of substance your better off going with a full size truck.

 

anything over 3500, better off with a bigger truck IMO

 

I wouldn't go quite that far. But while they are rated for 6500 lbs somewhere around 4000-4500 is a sensible max. I've pulled 4000 lb trailers in the past with my Tacoma. Yes, the F150 I had pulled it better. And I wouldn't want more than 4500.

Forget tow ratings, look at the payload numbers. There is a sticker on the driver's door jamb with a statement that reads "You should not exceed XXXX lbs including cargo and passengers). A crew cab 4X4 Tacoma will be somewhere between 1000-1300 lbs. The tongue weight of a 4500 lb trailer will be almost 600 lbs. That would leave you somewhere between 400-700 lbs for passengers and cargo in the cab. If your truck is closer to 1000 lbs payload a driver and one passenger could put you overweight. If your truck is closer to 1300 then you have a little room to work with, but not much.

FYI, Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Honda Ridgeline, even Ford Maverick will be closer to 1500 lbs payload in the same 4X4 crew cab configuration.

A word about 1/2 tons. They vary considerably. Don't just assume any 1/2 ton is going to pull more than a Tacoma. Payloads in 1/2 tons vary between 1100 up to just under 3000 lbs. Many of them, especially those 10 years old or older won't handle any more weight than a Tacoma. Others with the proper equipment will come close to some 3/4 ton trucks. On paper some will show 13,000 lb tow ratings. They won't really pull 13,000 lbs for the same reason a Tacoma won't really pull 6500. But the ones rated for 13,000 will easily handle 6500.

 

Yes, I get it - I grew up with a Chevy & Ford duallies used to pull 10K-12K boats....I'm not going to go that big, either in what I want to tow or in the vehicle....Just wanting more than the 4cyl can do without beating it up

 

Avoiding the 2012 because of issues with SAIS is the kind of info I'm looking for so thank you - I know what the towing limitations are for these trucks but with a 4 cyl 5-lugger, I'm at the very bottom just looking for a bit more ease in towing while I also get into an auto