The joys of towing - 10mpg!

You're relatively new to TW.
After being here for a minute, I can tell you it's anyone's guess.
Many of those behind the wheel of a 3rd gen Tacoma would be far better suited in a well equipped Sienna, and not that long ago, that's what they would have been driving. Pride, however, can be a tough pill to swallow.

 

Assuming 18mpg normal everyday unloaded driving (that's my average anyway), at 4500lbs empty weight you're burning 3.16oz of fuel per mile per ton to move down the road.
Hauling your 5900lb load in addition to the 4500lb truck and averaging 10mpg, you were burning 2.46oz of fuel per mile per ton.
So on that trip your truck was more efficient at moving mass than it is unladen

 

Not pain, all about fun and revving it where it wants to be!

 

Oh I've been here long enough to learn the Taco crowd has a lot of stubborn complainers, nay-sayers, and overly willing to give their unhelpful, uneducated, and/or unwanted opinion type folks. That didn't take long to see. In the case of this thread it's just one of those moments where you would think anyone with 2 brain cells would understand this truck isn't meant for this purpose, and you shouldn't expect it to perform like a full size diesel. But people still surprise me after all these years.

TBH, I've found the taco community in general, not just on TW, to be one of the worst car communities I've been a part of. I've left quite a few tacoma groups on bookface because of the immaturity and trolling. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good troll or friday dumpster fire, but there were some groups where it wasn't entertaining, it was non-stop uncalled for bashing of folks who were just looking for help. Big cases of little dick syndrome.

 

As I said, if you are satisfied with mediocrity, so be it. It is a truck, not a car with a bed. It is not an expectation that I can move a house, but using it within the accepted range of what it is designed for should not be discounted as trivial or ignorant. You can live in your "Toyota is perfect in every way" bubble if you want, but in the real world, there are real criticisms.

Your ignorance astounds me that you seem to think my lack of satisfaction with the use of the truck within specifications is a result of less than average intelligence. If it can't handle near max capacity, then those capacities are greatly overstated. Of course it would be embarrassing to offer capacities that are lower than the competitors and I'm sure Toyota looks at something like this that 95% of buyers will never use their truck any different than they did their Sienna so it is ok. I assume you to be part of the 95%.

 

Yup my manual does fine towing considering it’s a midsize truck.

Only thing is the reverse gear being too tall which leads to tons of clutch slipping when reversing a trailer. 2LO mod is on my plans.

 

I tow 3,000 - 5,000lbs probably 6 times a year. It's definitely fair to say the Taco is mediocre at towing those loads, but it certainly can handle it without much concern. It's also fair to say that the experience towing those loads can be annoying over longer distances with the way the transmission is. I'm still very happy with it but, full disclosure, my last vehicle was a 2016 JKU so my bar for towing performance is very very low

 

I agree, I pulled a 18’ scamp type fiberglass that tipped the scales at #3000 lb last year with a Subaru Outback Wilderness 2.4 turbo, this year with a 2023 V6 4x4 Off Road. The Subaru actually did noticeably better thru the mountains and had better mpgs!

 

Huh. Did my TDI wagon with a uhaul and I was getting about 14. That said... you're towing. Right lane and 55-ish.

 

It doesn't do that bad towing our loaded scout trailer (5x8 crammed full of stuff) in the hills. Yeah, 12mpg or so, in the hills I'm usually in 3rd or 4th and about 3500 RPM, usually about 55ish because the roads are curvy and sharp.

 

It is a bit odd right?....
To be fair the Tacoma weighs more right off the bat, and it's pretty boxy to begin with.
The subaru is a bit lighter and is more aerodynamic -

But still....

 

Engine Options, Horsepower and Acceleration
Base engine: 2.5-liter flat four-cylinder with 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque
Available engine: turbocharged 2.4-liter flat four-cylinder with 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque
Drivetrain: all-wheel drive
Transmission: continuously variable automatic (CVT)

 

It's a midsized, 1/2 ton truck. It's not a 3/4 ton, not a 1 ton... it's a 1/2 ton, and one of the smaller 1/2 tons at that. Please, show me how many others regularily use a 1/2 ton tacoma to tow other vehicles? No one, why? Because they aren't meant to.

I never said the taco is perfect, there's plenty I don't like or get frustrated by, transmission being the biggest frustrations, but I also understand what truck I bought and it's realistic capabilities.

No where in any manual, brochure, or advert does state it can tow at max capabilities without a hinderance to performance. In fact, on page 183 of your owners manual it specifically states;

"Your vehicle is designed primarily as a passenger-and-load-carrying
vehicle. Towing a trailer can have an adverse impact on
handling, performance, braking, durability, and fuel consumption."

Additionally, on page 193 it states Toyota does not recommend exceeding speeds of 65mph, and on page 195 states to not tow in D mode, and while in S mode to tow in S5 or lower, both cases which you did not follow the manual or manufactures recommendations.

You can try and make me out to be the ignorant one, but I think everyone else here would agree that you're the ignorant one expecting a midsize 1/2 ton V6 Tacoma to pull 5,900lbs (dry btw, so likely more than that) at 70mph on the highway in traffic without struggling, without ECT (you stated you "tried it"), and from your comments of "assuming 8th gear" driving in D mode and not S4 or S5. You're using the truck in a way it wasn't intended, and you're doing it incorrectly to boot. End of story.

Get your expectations vs reality in check. The rest of us are able to understand this, you apparently can not. Don't like the Tacoma, sell it and buy something else. Next time buy something that's more suited to your wants and needs.

 

Ah, the old "because Toyota said so" excuse. Keep reading you manual pal!

 

I don't think anyone is arguing with you here on the Tacoma not being an ideal tow vehicle but your expectations for it aren't realistic, you can't drive fast, tow heavy, and get great gas mileage all at the same time. You have to compromise somewhere.

You will find that many vehicles have inflated tow ratings and will not be happy towing their max tow rating at high speeds and on hilly roads.

If you follow best practices you ideally shouldn't exceed around 75% of your vehicles tow rating especially when pulling a trailer that catches alot of air and/or in mountainous terrain.

My dad's 2012 Super Duty diesel isn't happy either when we tow near it's max tow rating, it handles it but it stays in lower gears and screams when you try to push it down the road at 70 and hit a hill. Perfectly fine towing at a reasonable speed though.

 

These are my favorite kind of posts..I tow a 26ft boat fully loaded with gear with an F-250 and it tows it like a champ but I get 8-10 mpg...towing and fuel economy aren't exactly the best of friends.

 

I actually get better mpgs in the mountains towing than I do the flats. Most recent trip with roughly 2200lbs between camper trailer and gear and I averaged 14.2mpg over 3000 miles. I typically saw low 13's on the scangauge in the flats, but 15 to sometimes 18 in the mountains. I was surprised, I expected the opposite, but being able to coast for long distances really helps.

 

Leave it on 6th with a manual and it won’t do good either. I never go above 5th when towing, sometimes I have to leave it on 4th

10 mpg is normal especially with the weight you are towing

I’ve driven in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale before and never felt like I’ll be ran over. Stick to the right lane and go slower

Buy a different, bigger truck if you want a better towing vehicle

I know I said my manual truck does fine for a midsize truck before, but my expectations aren’t as high as yours, and I never pulled close to 6k lbs (and I’ll never do that)

 

I'm sorry, but you are wrong on all accounts. A manual I could leave in 6 and when I hit an over pass, it will not down shift if I'm in that 68-70mph range. While I might slow a bit on the uphill, I gain it back on the down. With the auto, unless I lift, it downshifts, rpms jumps and my mileage goes to shit.

You clearly haven't driven in Miami. Now don't get me wrong, there are times that traffic is at a dead crawl and you are luck to do 10 mph, but when there is no traffic, you got to move.

Why would I need a bigger truck? The Colorado which is the same class does a much better job at towing. Why can't Toyota build a truck that is a truck that isn't running a minivan motor? That is the better question. Again like the other fan boys, why are you satisfied with mediocrity?