2012 Toyota Tacoma towing Legacy Elite II

[Mike and Carol]

We picked up our trailer in May and took 10 days to meander back to San Antonio.  We towed with a 2012 Tacoma, TRD Sport, 4.0L V6, 2 wheel drive with the TRD Supercharger.  HP is 306 and torque 320.

 

We left Hohenwald and drove north to Land Between the Lakes on the KY side.  We then drove west to Branson, MO and stayed at Table Rock Lake State Park.  From there we went south into Arkansas to Crater of Diamonds State Park.  Then, we headed west to Mother Neff State Park just south of Waco.  Then we drove south to Boerne/Fair Oaks Ranch/home.

 

There was a good mix of mountains (Ozarks) and flat land.  We also had heavy rain and a very windy day.  Mostly 2 lane highways, but a 35 mile interstate stretch and then Waco to home was US281 which is mostly 4 lane and 75mph speed limit.  I kept my speed between 60 and 65.

 

In all cases the Tacoma performed well.  A couple of the climbs in the Ozarks resulted in speed drops from 60-65 down to 50-55.  We pulled up most hills with no drop in speed (supercharger helped).  As far as stability, the really windy day (north winds while we were driving west) required effort to stay in my lane.  Semi's passing us on the interstate caused no issues.  I know part of that is due to the stability of the Oliver.  Braking was fine.

 

My gas mileage while towing was 12-13 mpg.  One tank was 11.3, but the others were in the 12's or 13's.

 

Negatives:  the gas tank is too small.  After 125-150 miles I was at half a tank or below and looking for a place to fuel up.  Also, knowing that we were at 80% of our weight limit I was always concerned with water tank levels and cargo.  Not much room for increasing weight.

 

Verdict: I would say the Tacoma is an adequate tow vehicle for the big Oliver.  It should be a very good tow vehicle for the small Oliver.  That being said, I did trade in my trusty Tacoma last week for a bigger truck.  The Tacoma was 5 years old with 100K miles.  Plus, I got bit by the new truck bug!

 

We're going further up into Texas Hill country this weekend to Fredericksburg with the new truck.  Will post impressions on the difference in towing between the Tacoma V6 and a big V8/bigger truck.

[rideandfly]

We've been discussing moving up to a larger TV at the end of the year. Look forward to hearing your comparison!

 

 

[topgun2]

Back in 2011 I sold my beloved Taco and bought an F-150 Ecoboost Ford.  I never towed my Elite II with the Taco, but my previous campers were 4,000 pound hybrids and I towed them extensively.  My reasons for selling the Tacoma were (like Mike and Carol), not based on power but mainly on fuel capacity.  The straw that broke the Taco's back happened when I was headed West on Interstate 70 in the middle of Kansas.  There was a 40 mph headwind and I had the cruise control set on 60.  My miles per gallon at that point was 4!  OK, that is bad, but I could handle that and the resultant price of gas except for one thing - I was having to look for a gas station far too often.  Yes, I thought about simply getting a larger or additional tank, but at that point the truck was five years old and it was simply time to let it go.  For the record, I don't remember the exact size of the engine, but it was the largest 6 that Toyota had at the time, the truck was the TRD 4x4 top of the line model.

 

I'd love to own another Tacoma but until they provide an even bigger engine with a larger gas tank and more towing capacity, I'll stay with a larger pickup.

 

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

I wonder if Tacoma wthout the super charger would be adequate?

I think that without the supercharger it would still be adequate but there would be significant slowing on hills.  The supercharger adds 30% to both HP and torque.  There is still the upper limit of 6500lbs with or without it. The new model Tacoma has a smaller V6, 3.5L,  but increased power over the old 4.0L.

 

It was really two things that got me looking at a bigger truck - fuel tank size and weight.  As I look at making some trips out west, I don't want to be constantly searching for gas stations and worrying about tanks that should be emptied and cargo that shouldn't be carried.

 

This was our second Tacoma, good reliable trucks that fit in the garage!  I'm having to do some rearranging of garage cabinets to get this new truck in.  Right now it lives in the driveway.

 

Mike

[rideandfly]

We owned a 1987 Toyota pickup and currently own a 4 cylinder 2003 Tacoma. Had excellent service from both vehicles. Been looking at the Tundra or F150 to purchase at the end of the year.