4cyl Towing Question

Hello guys, I am new here but have been a longtime lurker. You all actually helped me pull the trigger on my first Taco about 9 months ago, a 2008 Prerunner with 115k on the odo. I loved that truck quite a bit, until somebody totaled it 3 weeks ago. I’m just rounding out the process with insurance, and am finally starting the process of looking at new tacomas.

Apologies if this is the wrong forum for this or if it has already been asked, but I have not seen a specific question like this for my exact scenario. My old truck was the 6cyl Prerunner, no towing package. I installed a hitch mount on it myself, as I tow a Maverick 15.9 HPX-S to fish the flats of Florida. The skiff is light, no more than 1200lbs trailer weight, and I don’t plan to upgrade to anything more than a 17ft in the future. I never had a problem towing or pulling the boat from the ramp even in the worst algae and steepest conditions.

I am considering a 2021 SR RWD, but a 4cyl. I’m wondering if I am going to have more issues towing with the 4cyl comparable to the 6cyl with my boat situation. Logically I would say yes, but the towing capacity on the 2021 far exceeds what I had on my 2008. Any input here would be appreciated as I love the truck but am getting very hung up on the 4cyl issue. I don’t plan to tow anything more than the boat, as I have enough friends with heavier duty trucks that can deal with trailering something larger if need be. I also don’t care about the speed of the truck, I’m happy driving old man speed for better MPG.

 

Most of them will not have a hitch receiver or trailer connections, so you’ll have to factor that in.

I haven’t towed with the third generation four-cylinder but I have with a second generation in Kauai where I never drove over 35 miles an hour.

If you don’t have unrealistic expectations and it sounds like your boat isn’t that heavy and you’re in Florida you should be fine.

Make sure you have a good tires or your first boat ramp experience might be fun.

 

Luckily this one has a hitch receiver already. That was the one bear about my last truck with having to attach one. I am still pretty hesitant on the 4 cylinder just due to the fact that i do plan to get a larger 17 foot skiff eventually which will most likely add another 3-400 lbs onto towing weight.

 

I think it would pull just fine with a stick shift .
The main problem with the four cylinder auto is not a lack of torque , it is the terrible shift point programming that is designed for fuel mileage and the trans hunts around trying to find a speed using "artificial intelligence" with no way to sense "load" like a human can

 

Make sure it has trailer connections too because I have a hitch receiver on my 3G that I just connect a bike carrier to and never bothered getting trailer wiring put in.

 

Fair point, not sure why I didnt take that into consideration.

 

Hello and Welcome!

You'll be okay.
The tow rating for the 4 cylinder is 3500lbs.
https://truckpowered.com/2021-toyota-tacoma-towing-capacity-and-what-it-can-tow/

Have fun and enjoy the Tacoma!