I had an '05 Tacoma, Quad Cab, long bed, 4wd, tow package. the best truck I've ever owned... not the nicest... but the best.

I towed a 21' travel trailer that maxed out the towing capacity (3500lb)and it towed pretty damn good! Hell - it even stopped good the few times I forgot to hook up the brakes on the trailer. Fuel economy took a big dip when towing (about 9-10 mpg) and I usually kept it out of overdrive and below 60-65. It was nice to get 20+ without towing though.

I lost it in the divorce. I had the truck up to 120k and towed with it the last weekend I drove it - believe it or not it was still on the original brakes. Without a trailer, off the line or in passing gear that thing will suprise the sh!t out of you.

Went shopping for trucks after the divorce and guess what - couldn't afford a used F'n Toyota... ended up with a used half ton GMC. Dont get me wrong - It is a super nice truck - way more comfortable than the Toyota - the climate control, heated leather seats and electric everything kick a$$ till you have to fix it. But if I had my choice now I would still be driving a Toyota...

Craig, I used to tow an 18' Alumaweld Seadory with a '92 Dodge Dakota with 265 HP. No problem towing, no problem braking. Not sure what HP the Tacoma has but hope this helps.

unless you have a 3/4 ton truck with the brakes a half ton wont do that well stoping. If your hauling gravel or a full bed you wont be able to do it safely with a v6 tacoma that has a full size bed a 1/2 ton with air bags and trailer brakes are a min. If the boat launch is 10 min from home that 4.0 v6 tacoma is fine but not driving it hour and half to sekui. The new 5.7 tundra is built for towing and is a sweet truck but id still rather have a cummins.

i have a '10 dbl cab tacoma with the long bed, a canopy and the tow package. i have no difficulties towing my 18' starcraft aluminum (90 merc 2-stroke main, 9.9 4stroke kicker) and all the gear. i have the auto trans (don't think you can get the 6-spd manual in the dbl cab?), and it hunts for the right gear a bit while towing. the tow package included a tranny cooler and the oil filter is mounted remotely to help with heat dissipation. a few weeks ago, i towed my friend's drift boat, 4 guys, enough beer for an army, tents, firewood, coolers, food, all the fixin's for a winter weekend camping/fishing from seattle to forks with no problems at all. i had more than enough power to pull out into traffic after we stopped for more beer, and passed several rigs on some of the uphills. i'm not sure of the mileage, but that's one of my issues with this truck. i only get around 18-19 around town. i talked to a guy at a gas station one time who had the 5.7 tundra, and he said he got the same mileage with the V8. i've logged about a million miles in toyotas, never had one leave me stranded, never blew one up.



willy

They have a electronic mpg on the dash. 18-19 is a strech for those 5.7 the new ones clame 16-20 mpg but the 07 to 09 are claiming only 14 to 17. My buddy just bought an 08 tundra and he was only geting 16 before he lifted it now its more like 14. Not saying you cant tow with your tacoma dc but its not going to tow that great at 234 hp and 266 ft lb of torque. Just saying. Nothing against your truck there great but its less than the first gen tundras towing capacity and those needed a towing brake to tow any fifth wheel. My 2.7 tacoma will tow a drift boat no prob

Hunting supposedly is bad for tranny.
Switch off OD.



Mine too.
I can go hog wild.

I was pleasantly surprised by the power that the 2.7 makes.
Mine holds 5th gear on cruise in moderate grades.

It all depends on how much weight you plan on towing.

There is no supposedly about it. Hunting back and forth creates heat. Heat is the number one killer of automatic transmissions.

I know.
Just trying to be polite.
Thanks for the backup.

yeah, i always drop to 4th when towing, probably should have mentioned that. you'll never overheat a manual, and I miss having one sometimes. and i agree the taco is probably not the greatest tow vehicle on the road, but it certainly is capable to comfortably tow the boat in question. i used to tow my 16' smokercraft with my '87 xtra cab 22R, and didn't have any real issues--but i didn't take it over the pass. i wouldn't hesitate to pull my current boat anywhere with the taco. there's no way i'd want to pull a 5th wheel, tho.....



willy

Now that's cheatin' right there.

No thats a real truck. haha

The towing capacity for the Gen 4 tacos 2008-up is 6500 lbs. I figure my boat, trailer, motors and gear weigh in around 2500 tops. Passengers, fuel, etc another 500.




Willy

The gas mileage on the Toyo V6 blows too. You can get better mileage and more power/capacity out of a Chevy 1/2 ton with the V8.

Big 10-4, however, you cannot fit a .5 ton into some of the shitholes a yota can fit....it was enough to sway my purchase.

Factory locker aint bad, neither.

Gas milage to power ratio are less than optimal in all 4x4 yotas. Give to get, I guess.

Hes looking at the Tacoma.

He should go with a Tundra or a Nissan Titan. If he gets the ford, he better be tall. The boxes are really deep.
4x4 is also required. I looked and drove the tacoma. Its short on power and most transmissions are over rated, not under rated. 5.6 liter Titan has 317 hp. You can get them with factory sprayon bedliner and the cargo channel track system is the real deal. Call your auto insurance too, cause the rates are different for every truck brand and model.

There's no Gen 4 Taco. (4Runner or something ?)

Current Taco is Generation 2 (2005 - present)

The Taco 2.7 is in a league of its own on capability and fuel mileage.
I was shopping for basic transportation with 4x4 and light towing.

The best fuel mileage that I've recorded is 26.7
Two people
Loaded with camping gear
Moderate grades
Cruise set at 65

I can run in the upper 70's and still be in the 20's on fuel.

My first mid-size truck.
Pushing 50K and all expectations continue to be met.

Topic drift.
Sorry OP.

You have to agree to slalom drive at 85 before you can get one of those.
And blast up the outside lane as much as possible.

Back to topic, please.
Tacoma V6 Towing.

your 2.7 must be half electric. haha I have a 97 reg cab 4x4 with the 2.7 and it will get in the 20s cruzin 70 but best i think i can get is 23 or 24 tops. usaly 22 best.