2024 Tacoma hybrid for Escape 5.0?

[Lagom]

Hi! The 2024 Tacoma hybrid compact pick-up truck with the I-Force MAX engine is a surprising little beast. It has a towing capacity of 6000 pounds and a bed payload of 1230 to 1680 depending on the trim options. Bed can be 5 or 6 feet.

Is it realistic to hope that it can haul the Escape 5.0?

I'd need to bolt the gooseneck mounting all the way through the truck bed, into the frame, right? I know people did that on older Tacomas. I wonder if over time anyone learned that it damaged the frame as a result of making it pull weight in ways it wasn't meant to do?

This is my only option for a pick-up truck. If I can't haul an Escape 5.0 with it, I won't be able to get a 5.0.

What do you guys think?

 

[brroberts]

Personally, I’d want a little, not a lot more truck, but there is at least one 5, and probably more, towed with a Tacoma.

 

[WillyB]

Howdy Neighbor - ISH! My next door neighbor is from Scott City.

I don't have any knowledge of Tacomas but I pull a 21C with a F150 that has the 3.5 twin turbo EcoBoost motor and I can tell that the trailer is behind me especially on our Missouri hills. In the Rockies you really know you were pulling the trainer.

Also, remember payload is since it includes the trailer pin weight, you, passengers, dogs, gear etc that is placed within the truck.

Just food for thought.

 

[Centex]

IMO it's a candidate if carefully optioned in consideration of actual VIN-specific payload (distinct from advertised 'maximum possible' payload). You'll need to look at the payload sticker on the doorframe of actual Takoma's on the dealer's lot to see the VIN-specific payload capacity with various options.

Note that the I-Force Max (hybrid) is only available on (six) Tacoma models, all are the full double-cab (I-Force Max is not available with the shorter / lighter 'XtraCab'), and only one model with the 6ft bed. Attached FYI is a compilation of some pertinent specs from the Toyota website. On paper, all of these are 'workable possibilities' for towing the 5.0, IMO.

Yes, your 5th-wheel hitch mount, whether rail or gooseneck type, for an Andersen hitch or otherwise, must fasten to the frame under the bed.

A competently installed hitch mount, particularly those which are designed for 'no-drill installation' (use existing holes in the vehicle frame) should not jeopardize frame integrity as long as your rig is within payload, GVWR, and towing weight limits set by Toyota.

Remember, the weight of the hitch-mount and the hitch itself count against your payload. I have not researched the available hitch mounting options for this particular vehicle. Noting that the 2024 Tacoma has a 'composite' bed, that may bear on available options.

Hope that helps, Good Luck, and Have Fun Shopping.

 

[Chamberman]

Hi! The 2024 Tacoma hybrid compact pick-up truck with the I-Force MAX engine is a surprising little beast. It has a towing capacity of 6000 pounds and a bed payload of 1230 to 1680 depending on the trim options. Bed can be 5 or 6 feet.

It is a beast for short durations and then its a turbocharged 4 cyl... Not that the gas engine isn't up to the task but that high level of gas + electric power is not there all of the time. Make sure that you understand the limitations that a small battery parallel hybrid will impose especially when towing. I can tell you for a fact that you'll be pretty much all gas motor with no electric on long uphill highway grades.

I think that there'll be a lot of hybrid Toyota truck buyers that are seriously disappointed once they see how limited in duration the extra power is when towing. The Toyota sales guys aren't going to tell folks this, hell most of them do not even fully understand the hybrids and how they operate.

 

[jnfrombigt]

An issue that would concern me is where do you get a hitch for this truck. I have a GMC Sierra 1500 and I could only find one manufacturer for a gooseneck hitch. I suspect this would be a custom install.

 

[Chamberman]

Please note that the 2024 Tacoma i-Force Max is a 3.5l V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine combined with the hybrid electric components.

I think that you're thinking of the Tundra and not the Tacoma.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/vehicle/2024-toyota-tacoma-i-force-max/

 

[Centex]

I think that you're thinking of the Tundra and not the Tacoma.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/vehicle/2024-toyota-tacoma-i-force-max/

You are correct, thank you, I've deleted the misguided / incorrect post.

With that in mind, IMO the points / opinions in your post are quite valid considerations.

 

[GinoandLinda]

An issue that would concern me is where do you get a hitch for this truck. I have a GMC Sierra 1500 and I could only one manufacturer for a gooseneck hitch. I suspect this would be a custom install.

Same here. This is what ultimately pushed me away from pulling our 5.0 with a Nissan Frontier and subsequently moving up to a Ford F150. Fifth wheel hitch options are limited for mid-size pickups. If your heart is set on a small fifth wheel/Tacoma rig, I would look at the Scamp.

 

[Micheal K]

There are early reports of transmission failures on the new Tacoma. I’d wait until Toyota has had time to work out the bugs or look at a more mature competitor.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/2024-toyota-tacoma-owners-keep-reporting-transmission-failures

 

[DanandDaphne]

Like others have said, you could possibly make something work but there is no in bed hitch options for this truck so you would have to have something custom fabricated.

With the new composite beds bed rails aren't an option. That would mean either a custom frame mounted permanent goose ball or potentially modifying the mounting hardware of a B&W turnover ball that is really for a different truck.

I wouldn't buy a new truck for this with all that uncertainty. If B&W made a hitch for this truck I would say go for it. We have a 24 Tundra to pull our 5.0 and B&W does make a hitch for Tundras. I would be surprised if B&W ever makes a hitch for the Tacomas because of very limited interest.

I think it would be a great TV for a 19 though.

 

[Jake930]

Personally I would want a bigger truck for a 5.0. We were ordering a 19 when I made the mistake of letting my wife go in a 21. We changed our order to a 21 and also traded our Tacoma up to a Tundra as I was not comfortable towing a 21 with the Taco. A friend of mine tows a 19 with a Tacoma and says he would not want anything bigger on the back. And I know of one person that after towing his 21 with a Tacoma traded up to a F150 as he was sick of spending all his time at 4 and 5000 rpm’s and 9 /10 miles mpg.
That being said , there are people that do it, but I wouldn’t.

 

[Selkirk]

I personally don't think I would tow anything bigger than a 19 with a new Tacoma.

I contemplated a new 4th gen Tacoma as a TV for my 19 (replacing a 2nd gen Tacoma). Ultimately, I concluded that although it represents an improvement over the prior generations, it still lacks the capability I really want for my next truck.

- As others have mentioned, the hybrid version can only deliver its extra power for short durations. IMHO, it serves no real advantage over the non-hybrid powertrain for long-haul towing...especially in areas with long/steep grades. I really wish the Tacoma offered a non-hybrid powertrain with about 400lbft of torque, such as what is available in the Ranger/Colorado.
- Payload capabilities for examples I've looked at are barely improved from the outgoing model. 1200ish lbs seems typical for non-hybrids. That's low for a 5.0. Maybe payload for the hybrid version is higher?
- Pulling a 5500lb GVW trailer with a truck rated with a 6000lb towing capacity is too close to the limit for me.
- The price of the new Tacoma with the hybrid option is rather steep. As much as I don't really like half-tons, it's hard to justify purchasing a premium mid-size truck when far more capable full size trucks are available for about the same money.

 

[salmo7000]

Yeah I don’t have a Tacoma, but I ended up deciding on a 19 instead of a 5.0TA because I feared my 2017 Colorado diesel wasn’t enough truck. For comparison purposes, it’s rated to tow 7,500 lbs and has a payload of 1,390 lbs. Could it tow a 5.0TA?? I’m sure it could. Should it?? That’s another question, and the answer is partly dependent on how willing a person is to cut back on what they bring to manage payload, and where they’re going to be towing. If you’re going to be towing a lot up and down steep mountain grades in the western US and Canada, you may end up wishing you had a bit more power.

I do think a new hybrid Tacoma would work fine for a 19 or even a 21, depending on where you’re towing. I was thinking about it myself, until I saw the cost. That put the hybrid trims out of contention for me, that’s for sure!!

 

[iamunique127]

My Tundra CrewMax has limited payload capacity. Although the truck with factory tow package and 5.7L engine is very capable when towing the 50TA, I have been on a mission to reduce the weight of everything I can so I am within my payload rating.

I estimate a real-life 700-800 pin weight, leaving only about 500 lbs for everything else including my wife, dog and anything in the cab or box of the truck. That includes the hitch and mounting hardware.

I recently changed to an Anderson rail mounted hitch and saved myself about 100 lbs weight in the box. I've reduced the weight of my levellers by going to plastic and made myself some reduced-weight cedar landing gear and stabilizer blocks. I've recently bought a cargo carrier for the rear of the trailer on which to carry most things that would formerly have been in the box of the truck, including wheel chocks, a jug of drinking water, camp stove, 10 lb. propane tank and maybe a plank or two.

All that to say: if you get the Tacoma, configure it with as much payload capacity as you can. I'd also go with the 6' box. The 5' box may be just too tight for comfortable turning. Figure out in advance how much that gooseneck hitch will weigh and what all you want to carry in the truck. You will be surprised how fast you eat up your payload.

You may actually be better off considering a tow behind trailer with significantly less hitch weight or a Tundra with more payload. I know it's not the same vehicle but the new Ford Rangers can have surprisingly high payloads.

 

[Radar1]

I had considered getting the 5.0 with my Ford Ranger, which has a higher payload and higher tow rating than the best that the Tacoma hybrid offers, and also has a steel vs composite bed.
After using the calculator on the Escape web site for where I would need to install the hitch, I decided the 19' was a better option for short bed trucks due to limited turning angles. I've seen too many crumpled cabs from backing too tightly with a 5th wheel even on full size beds that I didn't want to join that group.

 

[BravoDeltaRomeo]

I hope no one else is on the road if you plan on hauling a 5th wheel with a Tacoma. It won't be safe and you will surely be over your limits.

Don't do it.

Ask on Tacomaworld and see what they say.

 

[Doug2000]

I am a Toyota loyalist, but I’m not buying the new Tacoma or Tundra. Both have had issues. Until they get all the issues ironed out, I would look at something else. Considering the hybrid is only available on high expensive trims, I’ll pass.

As for a mid size and 5.0, I would never do that. Pulling long hills will kill a 4cyl motor.

 

[GDBLU]

I haul my 5.0 with a 2024 Nissan Frontier SV 4X4 Longbed(6') with a NA 3.5L V-6 rated at 6000+ for towing.. At highway speed RPM is about 2.4K in 7th (9-speed Trans). Eng Redlines at 7K. I hardly notice it back there, tracks very well even in moderate winds. I think it's because it's a 5th wheel, I might want a heavier truck pulling the same bumper pull size trailer

 

[GinoandLinda]

I haul my 5.0 with a 2024 Nissan Frontier SV 4X4 Longbed(6') with a NA 3.5L V-6 rated at 6000+ for towing.. At highway speed RPM is about 2.4K in 7th (9-speed Trans). Eng Redlines at 7K. I hardly notice it back there, tracks very well even in moderate winds. I think it's because it's a 5th wheel, I might want a heavier truck pulling the same bumper pull size trailer

Fifth wheels are usually more stable than bumper pulls, plus having a good portion of the trailer over the bed, you pretty much have a 17' trailer hanging off the back. Problem is you give up most of the truck bed.

I'd be interested to know your range. We had planned to tow our 5.0 with a 2019 Frontier but gave up when we couldn't find anyone that would mount the hitch and decided to go with an F150.