MPG really isn't that different chinscoop/no-chinscoop so... what is your deciding factor?

Fuck yeah man!
I'm at work ugh...ringing in the new year while everyone else parties around me

 

I don't factor in MPG when looking to purchase a 4500 lbs brick.

 

I will find a pic of our '07 Rav4 V6 towing my 17.5' Deep V fishing boat. Absurd looking and maybe not super safe (tail wags the dog pretty severely), but I did it for many years and literally several thousand miles. Major downsides were the horrible body sag, the fact that the transmission had no sport shift or overdrive lockout modes, and concerns about braking force (need trailer brakes for sure). I think the Rav4 Adventure could do it and its crossed my mind more than once. Yet, the Tacoma tows much better and you learn to love that 6-ft bed.

 

I was more admitting that I shouldn't be posting in this thread

 

Some of my dirt bike buddies went the Subaru Outback/Forester route and seem happy. Open trailer with a couple bikes is around 1500 lbs, so well within its limits. My personal rule of thumb is always tow about half. The Taco is real happy 3500 lbs, anything over it starts to struggle. It will tow it but not well.

For the people who only need a truck occasionally a CUV is probably a better choice, albeit not as cool. We had a TRD loner for a week, I liked it well enough, loved the 30+ mpgs I was getting out of it. It would certainly work. Do a lightweight aluminum moto trailer, toss the MX gear bags in the back, done. Would work for about 95% of the things I need it to do.

That said love my Tacoma, don’t have to worry too much about ripping it up cruising Forest Service roads. The RAV4 would make a great 2nd vehicle for us. Tried talking my wife into one, but she wanted to keep the old 1st Gen Taco going.

Could live with an Outback too.

 

I used to tow a 5x8 open trailer with a Subaru Forester. We hauled three dirtbikes and all our gear with that damn thing. It worked great for our purposes.

 

It would certainly work, get a little tight for camping trips, though so does my Tacoma.