tacoma vs tundra for towing

So, I currently have a 07 tacoma double cab. Has the v6 with the tow package. Want to buy a 3200 lbs travel trailer and make some trips out west (from MN). Looked at some other posts about towing on this site, including the towing bible post. Concerned about the gas mileage i will get with he tacoma pulling the much weight (probably be about 4000 + lbs with all my gear) and just the wear and tear on the tacoma. A friend suggested trading up to a Tundra. But the gas mileage on the Tundras might not be much better. Would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks

 

Am guessing your gross trailer weight will be more like 4500 + pounds, plus passengers and weight in the truck bed. How much mountain towing will you be doing? Suggest testing after purchase in hilly country close by. May want to consider weight-distributing hitch, and possibly anti-sway. It may help to experiment loading trailer to get best tongue weight. As far as mpg, it is what it is. Your tow rating should be around 6500 pounds with tow package.

 

Towing and gas mileage are not friends, regardless of the vehicle.

Buy to tow safely and easily, and accept the MPG as a cost of your towing fun.

 

been there before and ended up with an old turbo diesel for hauling in the end

My 2700 lb camper was fine until bikes, food, water, toys, clothes, firewood, gear, chairs and electronics entered the equation along with 4 passengers. It would do it but I had to refuel on long trips.

 

We easily daily our Taco and tow our 4700lb RV two or three weeks a year, it does alright.
Better than dailying a Tundra and towing easily.

 

I get roughly 10mpg when I'm towing my sled trailer which I have never weighed but is probably right around 2700lbs loaded. I don't baby it though, in Northern Maine I'm typically pulling at 75 or 80.

 

Tundra.. hands down... Having owned a 2nd Gen Tacoma and now a 3rd gen Tacoma - the 5.7l V8 is just a beast and will make towing something like that enjoyable. Out west in the mountains you'll probably see around 10-12mpg towing with the Tundra

 

Fuel economy: the V8 Tundra is powerful but the fuel economy is pretty bad - the truck all by itself (without trailer). So consider how often you'd be towing vs how often you'd be using it normally (commuting, grocery getting / around town, etc). In other words, compare the daily economy without a load, Tacoma vs Tundra. It's good to look at the big picture since you'll also be using the vehicle without a trailer, I assume.

Wear & tear: I would not worry about that. Your Tacoma has the tow package, plus many people have hauled and towed heavy stuff for years and these trucks hold up pretty well. Keep up on maintenance and put your foot to the floor when necessary.

 

I wouldn't expect better mileage out of the Tundra when towing. The issue with travel trailers is the profile. Better mileage comes with lower speeds and reduced wind resistance.

That is the same mileage I get from out Tacoma when towing a 4,500lbs (dry weight) travel trailer in the mountains out here.

 

I own a 3rd Gen Tacoma but will be trading it in due to how poorly it tows. I have owned all prior generations. The second generation towed much better than the 3rd Gen hands down. I would not suggest using a 3rd Gen for towing. The 3.5L, and the transmission have power issues without towing and when you tow (with ECT, and S4), it simply does not reach its torque powerband until 3000+ rpm. That means towing at 65 your at 2600, and it simply lugs along and is a very poor towing experience. Just for reference I tow a 3000lb trailer on a regular basis (2-4 times a week over 100 miles). Toyota really dropped the ball on the 3rd Gen IMHO. Its fine for non-towing situations if you like a truck that is low-powered, but beyond that, its a real disappointment.

 

There are some good comparison videos on youtube comparing two with only about 1 or 2 mpg difference depending on the video. The 4.0 and the 5.7 essentially share the same automatic transmission but the 5.7 will have a more comfortable power band. The 4.0 will be higher reving. I'd looking into comparisons on braking power. I towed a bass boat a few times and it definitely put a strain on my brakes.

 

A lot of great advice from everyone, I appreciate it. I will most likely do a few test trips with the Tacoma and see how it goes.

 

I can get 13 towing 7k with my Tundra on the flat roads here in Michigan.

I've never towed in the mountains with the Tundra, so can't offer what it would get me.

With that said, i don't think 14 mpg normal driving is that bad for the Tundra. I only get 17 with the Tacoma.

Once you tow with the Tundra, you will have a hard time towing with the Tacoma. It really is that much better!

I still love my Tacoma for everything else. I must like driving the tacoma, i only put 2600 miles on the Tundra in the last year.

 

That's what trailer brakes are for.

 

I tow about 4,000 lbs. when our toy hauler is loaded up for a long trip. It was a miserable experience until I added a supercharger. It's much better now, but still no Tundra.

 

This sounds like my last camping trip to Pensacola from Houston. With 4 of us, gear, bikes and a pop-up in tow my mileage was horrible. I made more stops on that trip than I ever had before without towing. Of course I had to keep it out of OD and it was running between 2700 and 3000 RPM on the highway so that definitely didn't help. And it was just an overall not "comfortable" towing experience. That's why sadly I decided to trade the truck in on something bigger since we decided to get a larger travel trailer too. I loved my Tacoma, but it was not going to be able to pull the 32' TT we are getting. One day I'll get another Tacoma to daily drive. For now, I'll be ok with my new V8 Diesel truck.

 

It all depends on your personality and experience.

I will not tow anything other than maybe a couch with my Tacoma. Too much of a pain in the ass.

I have towed with super dutys and diesels since I could drive though. Hard for someone to go back to hamburger once they have had steak.

 

Towed this from Bakersfield to Los Angeles (100+ miles) no problem over the grapevine. Didn't struggle over the incline. Kept the RPMs low and downshifted when coming to stop. MPG did suck maybe 10mph? Uhaul trailer is already 2500lb the merc maybe pushing 3100lbs.

 

While you CAN pull the weight with a Tacoma but you, and the truck will be happier with a bigger truck. The bigger issue isn't pulling the weight. It is payload capacity. Most Tacoma's have around 1200 lbs payload. The tongue weight of a 4000 lb trailer will be around 500 lbs leaving you only 700 lbs for passengers and cargo inside the truck. That ain't much.

While towing the Tundra will most likely get better fuel mileage than the Tacoma. Tundra's get poor fuel mileage overall, but they ain't the only 1/2 ton truck, there are several that will all but equal Tacoma. Realistically you're looking at 2-3 mpg worse in a Tundra vs a 2nd gen Tacoma. Over 100,000 miles you're looking at about $2500 more in gas. Both will use more gas to get to 100,000 miles than most think. About $15,000 for a Tundra vs $12,500 for a Tacoma with gas at $2.25/gal. I think that if I can afford $12,500 for gas spread over 7-8 years then $15,000 wouldn't break the bank.