2020 towing vs older trucks

Towing is about torque and rpm. HP relates to top speed and has very little to do with towing. The 2nd gen Tacomas turned out 266 lbft of torque at 4000 rpm. The 3rd gens turn out 265 lb ft at 4600 rpm. Not a huge difference, even 4000 rpm is a lot, but the 2nd gens have a slight advantage. This is especially an issue with manual transmissions. Much less so with an automatic.

Just for comparison my old 1985 or 1995 Fords with the 4.9L I6 engine only had 150 HP, but developed 265 lb ft of torque at only 1600 rpm. They would pull significantly better than any Tacoma. Ford used that engine in 3/4 ton and 1 ton trucks. It was in some school buses back in the day and some smaller dump trucks. For years it was the standard engine used in UPS delivery vans.

Back in the days of manual locking hubs and 4X4's with 3 sticks on the floor it was quite easy to shift into lo range without going to 4X4. They used to place large warning labels on the dash advising drivers NOT to do so because it would damage the drive train. You almost triple the amount of torque going to the rear axle, which is more than the running gear is designed to handle. In 4X4 it is split between front and rear. I've seen guys snap U-Joints and twist drive shafts doing this.

 

The thing about towing is it isn't all about the ability to get going, Most anything with a hitch can pull stuff over the weight rating from the factory to some extent. Can it do it at 80 mph and reliably? Probably not But the component people forget alot of the time is also related to stopping and controlling the cargo with your vehicle which is probably as if not more important in some situations

 

The 2016 Tacoma pulled faster than the 2015 on the fast lane truck on YouTube. Search TFL Ike Gauntlet

 

Towed my 17' boston whaler fishing for the first time this season with the new tacoma v6 auto. With the trailer and motor its gotta be at least 2k lbs. I was pleasantly surprised how well it went when compared to the tundra that use to pull it. Except for a couple steep grades in the ect mode it was no problem. Checked the fuel mileage on the display...19.2 mpg... The tundra had a best at 14.5 mpg. Except for the harsher ride i think i'm going to like this truck just fine.