New to Towing with a Tacoma

Well heck, is that even worse for towing?!

 

It's a good question and I'll argue that the real world difference is negligible. Notice that the tow caps didn't really change from 2nd Gen to 4th gen. That's for a few reasons, primarily because the GVWR will be a limiting factor. But in the real world, there isn't a humongous difference between the 4.0 and the 3.5. both pump out the same torque with the 3.5 gaining advantage in horsepower but also a noticable disadvantage in curb weight. The 2nd Gen was already husky, but 3rd gen is a fatty, and the 4th is going to be worriedly obese. Funny thing, the bigger the engine, the more crap they want to pack into the frame.

I'll be real curious to see how the 2.4 asthmatic hamster does with towing, but again, it's just a bunch of Internet nerds arguing over fractions of seconds. In the real world when you first hit that blast of headwind when trying to make the summit, you'll be cussing at your truck just as loudly no matter what powerplant is under your hood.

 

We hit a strong headwind on the 10 just outside Palm Springs in my RV. Man, that was an experience! The wind was so strong one of the giant windmills caught fire
and was within view of the freeway. Wife was asleep or I would have had her take a photo.