Toyota Tacoma as a tow vehicle

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the forum!

While I would like to see you get into a Pod, my advice is somewhat discouraging. When I purchased my RP173, I had a CMC Canyon with the 2.9L engine (4 cyl). It was completely inadequate for the task. It was a struggle to get up to and maintain highway speed - even on flat/level roadway, with no wind.

So, my advice is to wait until a more powerful tow vehicle is in your possession.

In most, if not all States, any trailer over 1000 lbs. is required to have it's own separate braking system. This is commonly an electric system (there is a "surge" brake system on some trailers - usually utility trailers). It is likely you would need to install a "controller" in your vehicle to accommodate this.

Thanks for the replies. I was afraid that my truck would not be powerful enough.  If I were to upgrade to a Tacoma with a V6 engine and added the tow package, would this be a better option?

Originally posted by Podster Except for diesel, I don't know there is anybody happily towing with any 4-cylinder engine, at all.

I'll provide the exception to the above. The caveat is that the 2-liter, 4-cylinder engine in my Escape is the Ecoboost (turbocharged) one. The vehicle is rated for 3500 lbs. Because it is turbocharged, it does have the power needed to climb some pretty steep hills. It did so when we did parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway this summer. It has 240 hp and 270 lb.-ft. of torque. These specifications are with premium fuel. I will agree that to try to tow with a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine would be miserable.

The one thing that does make me want to change is not the engine, but the Escape we have is front-wheel drive, not rear wheel or 4 wheel drive. It is easy to spin the front wheels when starting out from a dead stop, even with a weight distribution hitch. This is especially so if the start is on a steep uphill section. It was bad enough on pavement. I would not have wanted to try to do so on dirt roads. The GPS wanted to route us over some dirt roads in Pennsylvania on our last trip. I disregarded that and went the longer distance to get to a paved road because of this. To avoid spinning the wheels, I just had to start out with gentle pressure on the gas pedal. Jackrabbit starts were not an option. We had no issues with normal driving or stopping, just the starting.

Yes, V6 TC or  TC Diesel would be better. However, I4 TC can be adequate. It is better than V6 naturally aspirated. For example, our previous vehicle was a 2009 Ford Escape. We had the I4 engine with a specified tow rating of 1500 lbs. The available V6 was rated at 240 hp at 6500 rpm and 223 lb-ft at 4300 rpm. For all that, the tow rating still would have been inadequate for our R-Pod. The 2L Ecoboost achieves greater hp and torque at much lower rpm. At any altitude, the naturally aspirated V6 would have lost significant power while the turbocharged I4 maintains power.

I would not dream of even trying to tow an R-Pod (or any other trailer of significant weight) without WDH. Even if I had AWD or 4WD with the Escape, I would want it. Keeping the front wheels firmly on the ground makes for better steering in addition to better traction. Even with a larger vehicle such as an Explorer, I would want a WDH.