Low mileage from Toyota Tacoma

[tractors1]

2013 V6 4L long bed 4wd 4dr Taco gets 14-16 mpg towing a 4200 lb Escape. Better than my 1989 Ford 1 ton 4dr 4wd that got 9 whether I was flapping the doors or not and had a tailwind!

[BigSwede]

I get around 13 mpg towing at 70 mph (Lexus GX460 towing E15)... guess I'm too impatient to go 60 :-)

[AllanEdie]

Our 2014 Taco got around 11 mpg towing our E21. Our new 2.7 4x4 Ford ecoboost gets around 13 - >15 depending on conditions towing the same trailer. I don't drive aggressively, but I also don't spare the pony when I need to pass. Which by the way, the new Ford will do smartly uphill towing the E21.

The cost of the truck may not be justified by the mileage difference, no argument form me on that one. OTOH, the change in comfort, quiet, range, and power when needed make me very glad that we made the change. With a bit of luck, the Ford will outlast my towing career, but the Taco would not, so it was time for a replacment. If the Taco was younger, and I older, we likely would have kept it. But I am glad that was not the case, because the change has been the largest driving upgrade of my experience.

In our experience so far, the 2.7 with the 10 speed transmission are perfect for the E21. Longevity remains an issue, but the new Tundra with the turbo v6 seemed to have too many things not yet ironed out, and I prefer the aluminum body and smaller v6 of the Ford.

Different strokes, there are lots of vehicles that will do the job.

[Iowa Dave]

I remember hunting with my dad. Through we didn’t have a lot of money he always bought premium priced high brass, name brand shotshells. He wanted reliability, solid patterns and chilled hard shot for a clean kill. To him, that clean kill was the highest priority and a statement on his hunting ethic. He summed it up when he said “the price of the ammunition is a very small part of the total cost of the trip.

Fifty some years later, I believe this sentiment still applies and it’s our reason for not worrying about gas milage, dependability, and getting to our destination with enough time to set up while it’s light. Then to cue up the W.C. Handy composition Saint Louis Blues. “I hate to see that evening Sun go down as I crack a cold libation which is my evening repast and I pat the Highlander hood like a baby’s butt before I totter off to bed.
Iowa Dave

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by AllanEdie

In our experience so far, the 2.7 with the 10 speed transmission are perfect for the E21.

My experience exactly. I suspect that a lot of folks that buy a 3.5 do so because of a lingering doubt that the 2.7 is up to the job.

Ron

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

My experience exactly. I suspect that a lot of folks that buy a 3.5 do so because of a lingering doubt that the 2.7 is up to the job.

Ron

If I were buying new, I'd be wary of turbo-chargers, which I've always heard are points of failure. I'd probably opt for the 5.0 V8.

[AllanEdie]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

My experience exactly. I suspect that a lot of folks that buy a 3.5 do so because of a lingering doubt that the 2.7 is up to the job.

Ron

I agree completely. I have read all manner of comment about towing requiring, or at least benefiting from, the 3.5, but after carefully considering the arguments, I went for the 2.7, and am glad I did. More power is simply not needed for trailers the size of the E21.

Those who doubt the capability of the 2.7 need to have a look at the torque curves of the two engines. The 2.7 has better low end torque than the 3.5, and low end torque is what has the biggest impact on towing function and comfort, IMO. Our 4l Taco had oodles of horsepower, but only while screaming at high rpm. Also, the 5 speed transmission, coupled with inadequate low end torque, meant that we could get trapped in second gear on climbs if a sharp turn or slow vehicle reduced our speed sufficiently. With the 2.7 coupled with the 10 speed tranny, performance is spectacularly improved. I now just leave the transmission in auto, and it handles towing smoothly, never hunts between gears, including gearing down on hill descents to add engine braking, and will pass smartly even on a significant hill.

With humble apologies to the original collator and poster of this information on one of the Ford forums, here is what I mean about comparative torque:

So for fun, [the original poster] analyzed the dyno charts for the 2.7 (https://5startuning.com/got-2018-f15...y_image_1%5D/1) and 3.5 (https://5startuning.com/got-2017-f15...y_image_1%5D/2). The torque as recorded by the dyno has the 2.7 with more torque beneath 2600 rpm and a slightly lesser torque after 2600 rpm. I'm surprised that at ~2100 rpm, the 2.7 is measured to have more than twice the torque of the 3.5.

Data estimated the graphs for the 2.7 (3.5):
Torque @ 2100 rpm, 225 (100) ft lbs, 2.7 has 125% more torque
Torque @ 2250 rpm, 250 (200) ft lbs, 2.7 has 25% more torque
Torque @ 2500 rpm, 300 (290) ft lbs, 2.7 has 3% more torque
Torque @ 2750 rpm, 350 (360) ft lbs, 2.7 has 3% less torque
Torque @ 3000 rpm, 370 (385) ft lbs, 2.7 has 4% less torque
Torque @ 3500 rpm, 370 (400) ft lbs, 2.7 has 8% less torque
Torque @ 4000 rpm, 365 (375) ft lbs, 2.7 has 3% less torque
Torque @ 4500 rpm, 350 (365) ft lbs, 2.7 has 4% less torque
Torque @ 5000 rpm, 325 (330) ft lbs, 2.7 has 2% less torque
Torque @ 5500 rpm, 275 (275) ft lbs, 2.7 has the same torque


The vast majority of operation while towing is done at rpms where the 2.7 is a stronger engine, not weaker. Bottom line is that the 2.7 is a fine engine, and more than powerful enough to very comfortably handle a ~5000 lb trailer.

[Ron in BC]

Interesting data. I regard is as "my best tow vehicle ever."

Ron

[Unit # 1]

I tow with an F350 diesel. A bit of an overkill for a small travel trailer I know but I also pull a large equipment goose neck, 20K+, as well. When pulling my current travel trailer ( 18 ft about 3900 lbs, waiting on E23 delivery next month) in the 70 -75 MPH range I average around 14 mpg. I can do up to 16 mpg on the level if I am on secondary state highways running 55-60 MPH. Empty and running 70-75 mph I get about 18 mpg and 20 at 55-60.

[WillyB]

Be careful with that 1 ton. I hear those turbo chargers on all those diesel trucks running down the highway are their failure point. 😜

[SageRpod]

This came across my Google feed today FWIW.

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/...-on-the-market

[emers382]

We've been happy with our 2.7EB in our last two trucks. We're just home from a 9300km trip to the Maritimes and the new truck performed well. The only disappointment was the fact that with the 10 speed it seems to take more initial breaking before the transmission drops into lower gears when descending steep hills. I solved that by switching into manual and shifting down myself while watching the tach closely.

Since this is our only vehicle it's great having one that gets very good mileage when not towing.

[John in Santa Cruz]

We were very happy towing our Casita with a 2008 Tacoma 4x4 TRD OffRoad, got 13-15 MPG if we were just puttzin along. Used the taco to tow our Escape 21 home from Texas and got 9.6 MPG average over 3-4 tanks and the 18 gallon tank just seemed /way/ too small. Let son talk me into buying an F250 7.3 diesel, big brute of a truck witn an 8 foot long bed, but its 62 foot turning circle made maneuvering the Escape into tight spaces challenging. We've JUST upgraded to a 2019 Expedition 4x4 Limited and have yet to tow the trailer more than down to a dump station a mile from our house and back, it did that ever so well and was very easy to maneuver.

[sherminator]

Originally Posted by AllanEdie

Those who doubt the capability of the 2.7 need to have a look at the torque curves of the two engines. The 2.7 has better low end torque than the 3.5, and low end torque what has the biggest impact on towing function and comfort, IMO.

That's pretty interesting. I tow my 21NE with both my 2017 Expedition that has a 3.5L EB, and my son's 2017 F150 that has a 2.7L EB (both have the 6 speed tranny), and while both are great tow vehicles, I swear my 3.5L spends more time in 6th gear and gets better mileage. I'll have to check the rear end gear ratios to see if they're different.

Edit: I have a 3.15 gear in the 3.5L EB and my son has a 3.55 in the 2.7L EB. I cruise very nicely at 60mph at 1500rpm in my Expy.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I have a 2019 Expedition with the EB 3.5 series 2, and the 10 speed. that engine is pulling strongly in 6th gear at rather low speeds, feels like its got a lot of torque from 1500 rpm and up, like a big diesel except it doesn't fall over at 3000 rpm

the torque is basically flat from 2000 rpm up to about 5000.
oh, since I have the HD tow package, I have a 3.73 rear end.

[Sailor now Trailer]

I too had a 3rd generation, 2017 Tacoma OR 4X4. While I really liked the truck, truth is, it couldn't get out of it's own way. We towed a 16 Scamp and burned a lot of gas doing so. No torque was it's weakness.
When we bought the E 21c, we traded the Taco for a 2022 Ram Eco Diesel. Couldn't be happier.

[John in Santa Cruz]

where my Tacoma 4x4 TRD really shined was on fire roads and not too extreme jeep trails... outfitted with BFG KO2 all terrain tires, it was a great dirt-mobile. the electrical rear axle locker got us up some steep muddy hills.

oh, my Taco had the 6 speed manual. I generally avoided 6th gear when towing. It was an 'access cab' rather than a double cab, so it had a 6' bed and 1200 lb payload.

[MullensE19]

Not going to get a lot better with Gas engine. Toyotas are historically and currently hard on fuel. My sons 4 runner eats more fuel empty then my Diesel towing.

[jhampel]

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 Eco Diesel two wheel drive and tow a 2020 5.0TA. I average 18-20 towing and 33 highway (consistently) without towing.


I can tow over 400 miles without refilling and still have about a quarter tank left. The truck has a 26 gallon tank.



It has been an excellent truck so far with about 46K miles.

[Chama]

Watched a YouTube video yesterday of a comparison of a Tundra V6 Twin Turbo and a Dodge hemi V8 pickup both towing the same 7000 pound trailer on the same, 50 mile, relatively flat course. The Dodge Ram got below 8 mpg and and the Toyota V6 twin turbo got 8.8 mpg. Half of the trip was on I-25 in CO and the other half on a non-freeway highway route. So, if you want mileage and towing, neither one of these vehicles is the one for you.