Hi-currently own a tundra and love it. When time comes for a new truck I’m considering a mid size as my needs are not the same as they were 10 years ago.
Wondering if anyone drives a Tacoma and what their experience using it to tow have been? I know that I can google the towing capacity! I haul an 18ft Lund and a 6.5’x14’ wheelhouse.
Thanks!
I don’t own one but think it would be fine to tow what your asking about. That being said, what benefits are you getting from downsizing? Room in the garage or parking? Gas mileage is probably not that much better and you will feel a lack in power and control with the midsize compared to that Tundra, they are beasts when it comes to towing and hauling. Just my 2 cents.
I went from a 2000 Tundra V8 to a 2014 6cyl Tacoma Sport a while back. Most of my towing was either a small utility trailer or a 17.7 ft lund. Each handled the loads well, however I felt a bit more secure pulling the load with the Tundra. I think it was likely due to the V8 power and the 4 speed auto transmission that would rarely downshift while hauling stuff, whereas the Tacoma’s 5 speed would shift quite often between 4 and 5. The manual for the Tacoma said when hauling with to put it in 4th (override overdrive), which would eliminate the constant shifting, but seemed like a waste of gas to me so I usually left it in D to use overdrive. Towing capacity of the Tacoma would be plenty for your boat … dunno about the wheelhouse, but probably.
i dont have personal experience towing with a tacoma but i do think John raises some good questions. what would you make the move for? I own a Tundra and my research tells me the MPG savings from the Tundra to the Tacoma is around 2 MPG. Not worth the sacrifice in power and room IMO
When I went from Tundra to Tacoma it was primarily because the Tundra was a rust-bucket, even though it was “rustproofed” when new and 10 years later underwent a recall where the chassis was again rustproofed. It went through two sets of brake lines and various other rust-related replacements (parking brake system, etc) even though it only had under 60k miles on it when I got rid of it. I thought maybe Toyota learned their lesson on rust, but found the Tacoma pretty much the same, although I got rid of it with less than 30k on it. It, too, was rustproofed upon purchase and underwent a 2021 recall rustproofing procedure where they injected the chassis with some kind of rustproofing chemical. BTW, the Tundra would do 21 mpg at very best whereas the Tacoma could squeeze out 25-28 when it really wanted to. Plus, the newer Tacomas are almost the same size as the original Tundras … maybe a few inches more narrow.
They still seem to be very reliable trucks even though I have seen many unfavorable reviews related to the engine performance even vs. the old 4.0 V6. It would be fine towing your boat, but likely leave you wishing you had more power towing the wheel house. I looked at one a while back, but I am tall and couldn’t get comfortable in the drivers seat.
Mostly cost-
my 07 tundra is chugging along alright-the plan always was to turn that over to my son when he is licensed next winter and then im looking to get something new–but looking at the price of trucks now…my god some cost similar to the first house my wife and I bought in 04!!
Have a 2016 3.5 v6. Tow a 16 foot aluminum boat often and it does fine. Not fantastic for towing but ok for light-ish stuff. The 6 speed auto tranny is pretty annoying tho, even without a trailer. Super squirrelly. You’ll want to put it in s-mode and limit it to 4th gear most of the time while towing, sometimes 5th in the right conditions. And keep your speed 65-70 or less when possible. Still wish I was able to find a manual in my year/model. Miss the control of a stick
i dont have personal experience towing with a tacoma but i do think John raises some good questions. what would you make the move for? I own a Tundra and my research tells me the MPG savings from the Tundra to the Tacoma is around 2 MPG. Not worth the sacrifice in power and room IMO
I went from a Tacoma to a Tundra, and this is absolutely true. I hauled a 17ft Alumacraft back and forth to Canada more than once, and was hauling a 26ft camper as well with the Tacoma. It pulled both just fine(though the weight of the camper was in all reality too much), and I have ZERO complaints about the Tacoma. I put 100K miles on it. I upsized to the Tundra for one basic reason-towing that camper and thinking I’d be using it more than I have. The second reason became the insane amount the dealer offered my for my ’13 Tacoma and the stupid low rate my bank offered for financing. For once, it was just too sweet.
All that said, daily driving on my Tundra vs the Tacoma mileage wise is nil. Running 65-75mph on the interstate is the Tundras prime mileage(15-16mpg); towing the boat there is less than 1mpg drop off(14mpg, if any). Pulling the camper fully loaded at highway speeds, I’ve been experiencing about a 2mpg drop. Averaged 13mpg driving up into Musining from Rhinelander last fall.
Tacoma at 17mph highway, with boat-14mpg, with camper at highway speeds-9 to 10mpg at best.
That said, I loved that Tacoma. It was a great truck-as is my Tundra now.
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