Tacoma vs 4Runner TRD Off-Road

[toylandcruiser]

You are correct: in terms of towing, the Tacoma is rated higher. However, I still consider the 3.5l v6 barely adequate for truck purposes. The Tacoma may be rated for 6.4k lbs of towing, but I can promise you that towing that much weight on a regular basis with the Tacoma's drivetrain will not be pleasant. For all practical purposes, ~5k lbs is the limit for these midsized Toyota SUV's and trucks given their current drivetrains.

In terms of payload, the 4runner has the Tacoma beat by at least a few hundred lbs. And while you don't necessarily want to use up every lb of that payload rating with the 4runner's also somewhat mediocre 4.0l v6 w/ 5 speed auto, the overall chassis of the 4runner (based on the LC Prado) is much more purpose-built for handling that kind of weight IMO.

The 4runner's 4.0l v6 and 5 speed auto isn't leaps-and-bounds better than the Tacoma's drivetrain, but I think there is slight advantage in terms of low end torque, which is especially noticeable when starting to accelerate or move a trailer or load. At the high end of the RPM band, the Tacoma's 3.5l v6 does seem to perform very well...I just don't think a truck engine should have to rev high in order to deliver usable grunt. That's entirely subjective however. By all accounts, the Tacoma is still a solid and capable vehicle.

Given your desired end uses, I think either vehicle will suffice. I just think the 4runner offers more comfort and somewhat better build quality out of the two choices.

All Toyota’s meet j2807. If they say it’ll tow it, it’ll tow it.

 

[nomad_games]

FWIW, I believe the 4runner is made in Japan vs the Tacoma being made in China, the 4runners are better build quality.

I’m also a mountain biker. I appreciate being able to put my bike inside the vehicle and have it secure. Bikes gets stolen off of hitch racks and out of truck beds where I live. I have limo tint on mine and you can’t see the bike from outside or the vehicle. I do get dirt in the back from the bike sometimes. They make fabric covers for the entire back interior, though. I wish I would have gotten one.

I have a 19 TRD ORP with KDSS. This is my second 4runner and something like my 20th vehicle. I’ve put 22000 miles on it since November. Lots of highway and offroad miles. It’s by far the best highway driving vehicle I’ve owned that isn’t a sedan. I hated driving my previous trucks and my 3rd gen 4runner on the highway. The 5th gen is actually nice. And if you drive in winter, the weight on the rear wheels vs a Tacoma makes a difference.

 

[toylandcruiser]

FWIW, I believe the 4runner is made in Japan vs the Tacoma being made in China, the 4runners are better build quality.

I’m also a mountain biker. I appreciate being able to put my bike inside the vehicle and have it secure. Bikes gets stolen off of hitch racks and out of truck beds where I live. I have limo tint on mine and you can’t see the bike from outside or the vehicle. I do get dirt in the back from the bike sometimes. They make fabric covers for the entire back interior, though. I wish I would have gotten one.

I have a 19 TRD ORP with KDSS. This is my second 4runner and something like my 20th vehicle. I’ve put 22000 miles on it since November. Lots of highway and offroad miles. It’s by far the best highway driving vehicle I’ve owned that isn’t a sedan. I hated driving my previous trucks and my 3rd gen 4runner on the highway. The 5th gen is actually nice. And if you drive in winter, the weight on the rear wheels vs a Tacoma makes a difference.

Tacoma’s are not made in China.

 

[nomad_games]

Tacoma’s are not made in China.

Sorry. A google search says I was told wrong. Texas apparently. Although moving to Mexico. Either way, the 4runner build quality is better.


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[bkg]

All Toyota’s meet j2807. If they say it’ll tow it, it’ll tow it.

towing 6400# with a tacoma is silly at best.

 

[toylandcruiser]

towing 6400# with a tacoma is silly at best.

How come?

 

[beef tits]

towing 6400# with a tacoma is silly at best.

How come?

Agreed, why? A super duty will easily 2-3x it's own weight. How is 6,400 lbs too much for a 4500 lb truck, relatively speaking?

 

[Dalko43]

All Toyota’s meet j2807. If they say it’ll tow it, it’ll tow it.

Never said that the Tacoma wouldn't tow its max rating. Rather I said the experience would not be pleasant.

Have you ever driven the Tacoma with the 3.5l v6? It's not a traditional truck powertrain.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Agreed, why? A super duty will easily 2-3x it's own weight. How is 6,400 lbs too much for a 4500 lb truck, relatively speaking?

A Super Duty is not really like a Tacoma in this respect. Can a Taco get 6,400 lbs moving? Sure. But it doesn't have the brakes, torque and power to pull its max rated trailer comfortably. I think most people conclude that 4,500 to maybe 5,000 is about as much as you want to ask a Tacoma to do on a regular basis. I don't tow much but with mine even a single axle U-Haul heavy with shop tools & chests across Colorado wasn't an enjoyable experience. Felt like the tail wagging the dog to me.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Never said that the Tacoma wouldn't tow its max rating. Rather I said the experience would not be pleasant.

Have you ever driven the Tacoma with the 3.5l v6? It's not a traditional truck powertrain.

I have ridden in one towing a decent sized trailer. It performed as I would have suspected a v6 to tow. Once again if it meets the standard it meets it.

 

[beef tits]

A Super Duty is not really like a Tacoma in this respect. Can a Taco get 6,400 lbs moving? Sure. But it doesn't have the brakes, torque and power to pull its max rated trailer comfortably. I think most people conclude that 4,500 to maybe 5,000 is about as much as you want to ask a Tacoma to do on a regular basis. I don't tow much but with mine even a single axle U-Haul heavy with shop tools & chests across Colorado wasn't an enjoyable experience. Felt like the tail wagging the dog to me.

No truck relies on it's own brakes to stop a heavy trailer, and honestly no truck will be comfy, fast and feel nimble while towing at it's rated capacity.

I towed 8,000 lbs worth of trailer with my 7.3 Super Duty once from CO to OH (half of it's rated capacity). That experience was not pleasant; Doesn't make you won't want to go fast. Also trailer brakes tend to lock up often, it's a bit disconcerting. Towing heavy is never pleasurable or comfortable experience, no matter what you drive.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Never said that the Tacoma wouldn't tow its max rating. Rather I said the experience would not be pleasant.

Have you ever driven the Tacoma with the 3.5l v6? It's not a traditional truck powertrain.

You keep saying that about the 3.5L but the power and torque between it and the 4.0L 1GR-FE are similar. The early production in 2016 had some transmission mapping weirdness that made it seem worse than it really was. In real world towing tests the 2GR-FKS performs better than the 4.0L did.

They don't feel that different to me but that's only based on driving friend's trucks under nothing like controlled experiments. I think automatics suck and that's all I've had the chance to try. But the 6 speed RA60 in the 2nd gen Tacoma is no beauty pageant winner, gearing is wrong (basically the same as a Cadillac road car) and the alloy release bearing extension is just plain stupid from a longevity decision. The RC62 in the 3rd gen is better built and has better gear ratios.

The 3VZ was used in a lot of cars and it was fine as far as that goes, if you don't dink it for the head gasket issues which isn't a truck thing specifically. I think all the V6s aren't great truck engines, they have high torque peaks and feel sluggish off idle. With stock gearing my old 22R-E didn't give up anything to my Tacoma in low range. But even so all Toyotas benefit from proper gearing off road.

 

[phsycle]

I have ridden in one towing a decent sized trailer. It performed as I would have suspected a v6 to tow. Once again if it meets the standard it meets it.

Like blind leading the blind. Never towed but giving advice. Perfect.

What’s a “decent sized trailer?” A 15’ enclosed trailer weighing 3k lbs will tow different than a 8’ 5k lb trailer.

For midsize trucks, if you’re towing on a regular basis, I’d not go over 3k. My personal rule of thumb. And I’d not regularly tow large (12’+) enclosed trailer. Cross winds, passing semi’s, etc can make an interesting moment of “oh, fuuuu......dge.”
Flatbed trailers, you could probably be ok going up to 5k, but I would not want to go over that. 6.4k lbs? That’s full-size territory.

It’s not the engine. 3.5L Taco will handle the weight without issues. It’s the chassis. It’s just not meant to handle that much weight safely/comfortably.

 

[DaveInDenver]

No truck will be comfy, fast and feel nimble at it's rated capacity and one would be quite dumb to attempt pulling any trailer without a proper braking setup. I towed 8,000 lbs worth of trailer and truck with my 7.3 Super Duty once (half of it's rated capacity). That experience was not pleasant; Doesn't make you won't want to go fast.. so does power really matter? Trailer brakes tend to lock up often, it's a bit disconcerting, better to start slowing long before you have to stop.

Just my $0.02 but it seems like the complaints about Tacomas tend to be that it's not a full size. But that's self evident, of course 6,400 lbs is a lot for a nominally "small" truck. The old mini truck/Hilux/Truck came with 5,000 lbs towing ratings and that was almost comically optimistic even with 55 MPH speed limits. I honestly wish people would just accept that a small truck is small on purpose.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Like blind leading the blind. Never towed but giving advice. Perfect.

What’s a “decent sized trailer?” A 15’ enclosed trailer weighing 3k lbs will tow different than a 8’ 5k lb trailer.

For midsize trucks, if you’re towing on a regular basis, I’d not go over 3k. My personal rule of thumb. And I’d not regularly tow large (12’+) enclosed trailer. Cross winds, passing semi’s, etc can make an interesting moment of “oh, fuuuu......dge.”
Flatbed trailers, you could probably be ok going up to 5k, but I would not want to go over that. 6.4k lbs? That’s full-size territory.

It’s not the engine. 3.5L Taco will handle the weight without issues. It’s the chassis. It’s just not meant to handle that much weight safely/comfortably.

I’ve towed plenty