[hall120]

We’re brand new to RVing and are looking at either a Tacoma or Colorado since that’s anything bigger won’t fit in our garage. We’re open to almost any features on either truck, but want to keep it under $40k.
We don’t know what TT we’d get but would likely want to keep it around 3k lbs (open to suggestions)
Anyone out there have much experience towing a TT with either of these trucks?
Thanks
192.168.2.1
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192.168.1.128

 

[DeeK]

how big an RV? we started with a 2010 taco towing our 2000# trailer and i didn't care for it, always hunitng for gears, always downshifting, high rpms, and low mileage. bought a 2017 colo diesel and love it. but, always worry about the long-term reliability. i think you'll be hard pressed to stay under $40K for a worthy tow vehicle. but, for towing, there's no comparison between the tacoma and the colorado. we also find the colorado to be a more comfortable travel vehicle than the tacoma but the tacoma was more worthy in the backcountry.

 

[6speedTi]

Tacoma vs Colorado.
If you compare gas to gas numbers it might be worth looking into. Colorado diesel wins hands down in the same class. I had a Tacoma gas but it was a 2wd 4cylinder. I can't give my opinion on towing but I can tell you I hated the truck. Noisy, bad fuel economy, inherent transmission problems by design that Toyota knew for years and never corrected it. They bandaid it with stupid repairs. So I'm not a fan of the Tacoma but I still will say compare the two and see what your conclusions are.

 

[Croixman]

The last Taco I owned was a 2014 model with the 4.0 v6. It was a great truck and I towed a 19' bass boat with it a few times. It did a good job with it. I towed the same bass boat with my Colorado 2.8 D and it does a better job. I have no experience with the current gen. Tacoma and 3.5 v6 offering. I will say I test drove a couple before buying this truck and one of the things that drove me away from the Taco was the seats were low to the floor which made it uncomfortable for longer trips, especially as I age. The Colorado has power seats which let me raise the seat to a better riding position. I'm not sure if that's still the same case for the new Taco's. Plus I really wanted to own a diesel of some type. Other than the seat position I really liked my Tacoma and if they offered a diesel I probably would of bought one, but I'm really liking this Colorado 2.8 diesel and have no regrets buying it. Personally I think for a mid-size vehicle and light duty towing this setup is a freaking gem.

 

[splitley]

We’re brand new to RVing and are looking at either a Tacoma or Colorado since that’s anything bigger won’t fit in our garage. We’re open to almost any features on either truck, but want to keep it under $40k.
We don’t know what TT we’d get but would likely want to keep it around 3k lbs (open to suggestions)
Anyone out there have much experience towing a TT with either of these trucks?
Thanks

I have a 2016 2 wheel drive and a 2018 Winnebago 2106DS Trailer weighs in at 3800 empty, so with all my gear loaded up roughly 4500 lbs, towed it from Tucson to Seattle an all over southern AZ, plus 3 trips to Mexico, I average 14-18 mpg towing, going over 10,000'passes she just hums along, never over 3000 rpm's on the climbs, hope she keeps it up! I just leave it in drive and use cruise control, It's got 47000 mi.on it. Ordered it in Feb of 16, I'm 70 yrs old and gotta say it's been a great truck, oh I use a Equalizer hitch and no problems with wind or anything else, I pretty much stay at 65 mph when towing as I worry about tires, plus replaced all the trailer tires with Goodyear endurance tires, good luck! hope this helps.

 

[splitley]

I have a 2016 2 wheel drive and a 2018 Winnebago 2106DS Trailer weighs in at 3800 empty, so with all my gear loaded up roughly 4500 lbs, towed it from Tucson to Seattle an all over southern AZ, plus 3 trips to Mexico, I average 14-18 mpg towing, going over 10,000'passes she just hums along, never over 3000 rpm's on the climbs, hope she keeps it up! I just leave it in drive and use cruise control, It's got 47000 mi.on it. Ordered it in Feb of 16, I'm 70 yrs old and gotta say it's been a great truck, oh I use a Equalizer hitch and no problems with wind or anything else, I pretty much stay at 65 mph when towing as I worry about tires, plus replaced all the trailer tires with Goodyear endurance tires, good luck! hope this helps. Oh, it's a Colorado with 5 ft box and it's a crew cab

 

[SFLTruck]

Coming from a life long Toyota guy I say Colorado Diesel. I'm sitting right now at a camp site (got here today) and the 2.8 is so well mated to the truck. It just hums along at around 68-72 and just powers up and down most inclines without changing gears. The wife has a 2017 Highlander and it changes gears all the time when not towing!..... Diesel all the way if you're going to be towing, gas if not.

 

[24travel]

Hi there, I have a 2wd Z71 Diesel shorted CC and bought it specifically for the same reason as what you are looking for. Garage and towing. I have towed for 4 years now and have had no problems. My TT is a Jayco 21QB (25ft tip to tip). Weight of trailer is about 3500# empty and 5000 loaded. I use the equalizer hitch and couldn't be happier with it. Cant tell you much about a Tacoma, have never owned. The GCWR is about 12k#'s, I run close to the limit at about 11k. Have take trailer form Southern California to Michigan, got a trip this summer to South Dakota and no there will be no worries. (knock on wood). JMO, 25-26 ft TT would be my max with this truck based on recommended Wheel base to TT length. Hope you enjoy your Colorado and your new TT.

 

[KirkDob]

We’re brand new to RVing and are looking at either a Tacoma or Colorado since that’s anything bigger won’t fit in our garage. We’re open to almost any features on either truck, but want to keep it under $40k.
We don’t know what TT we’d get but would likely want to keep it around 3k lbs (open to suggestions)
Anyone out there have much experience towing a TT with either of these trucks?
Thanks

I've towed several trailers well over 5000 lbs including a car hauler with my 57 Studebaker Hawk on board with my Colorado diesel and it did great. I am very pleased with this truck.

 

[Nitroboy1]

I tow a 24 ft travel trailer, unloaded weight 4800 with all our gear about 6000. I would highly recommend a duramax tune a good hitch I use a Equalizer for the weight distribution and roadmaster active suspension my baby Max pulls like a beast but in windy conditions the tail wags the dog some nothing I can't handle but one must pay attention

 

[dgbinpc]

We tow a Rockwood Mini Lite 2109s with our Chevy 2018 Colorado Diesel Z71. It does quite well, decent mileage (all things considered) and pulls pretty well too. Recently added the Boost Autoparts tow mirrors to the truck, and they are quite helpful. I recommend them. Towed it on a 5k trip last summer with no issues. This setup replaced our Toyota FJ and R-Pod. I loved the FJ, but it was pretty gutless when towing, and got horrible mileage. Combine that with a small gas tank (15 gal vs. 21 for the Colorado) and we are stopping for gas a lot.

 

[OswegoJon]

We’re brand new to RVing and are looking at either a Tacoma or Colorado since that’s anything bigger won’t fit in our garage. We’re open to almost any features on either truck, but want to keep it under $40k.
We don’t know what TT we’d get but would likely want to keep it around 3k lbs (open to suggestions)
Anyone out there have much experience towing a TT with either of these trucks?
Thanks

Here’s my experience: TT is 23’ around 4K loaded. Had a 2011 V6 taco- loved the truck, but it had trouble with the trailer- downshifting, high RPMs, very poor MPG. Don’t even think about the mountain passes. Replaced it with a Colorado 2.8 diesel, and it’s night & day. Very happy with it towing, huge difference, wish we did it years ago. Hope this helps you.

 

[24travel]

I tow a 24 ft travel trailer, unloaded weight 4800 with all our gear about 6000. I would highly recommend a duramax tune a good hitch I use a Equalizer for the weight distribution and roadmaster active suspension my baby Max pulls like a beast but in windy conditions the tail wags the dog some nothing I can't handle but one must pay attention

Don't know if you tow with fresh tanks full, but I have a tank right over the axel and with 40 gal. Don't feel to much wind at all.

 

[Nescio16]

Definitely love/hate here.... The emissions system is definitely no laughing matter, but when it is running right it is an amazing truck.

 

[Lester C Rodan]

I had a 2006 Tacoma with the 4.0 V6. The brakes totally sucked, so I changed them to 4 wheel disc.... now it had brakes. I have an aluminum flatbed car trailer that I tow and have had a car on it as large as a Ford Torino with a big block in it. My Tacoma used to pull it just fine all over the western USA. Of course, I had to slow down for hills, but face it, everything does.

It had 260,000 miles on it, and was running great, never any real problems to complain about. So, I went and drove the newer Tacoma in 2018. Went out of the dealer, down the block, made a U-Turn and came back. Sales man asked what was wrong... told him "My 2006 has more power than this, and the brakes on this thing still suck." I had hoped they would have fixed the poor brakes, but they didn't. The 3.5 they have now technically does have more HP, but that is at 6,000 RPM!

I went shopping.... I got a Colorado with the 2.8 Duramax. Plenty of power and does drive stable with a large car and trailer. I figured it was about 6,000 LB I brought back from Clearwater Florida back to Southern California. Averaged 19 MPG, and yes, the brakes are great.

I will say this, my 2006 Tacoma was a better built truck with better quality components in many areas. My bitching about my Colorado is:

At about 6,000 miles I changed the rear diff cover to an aluminum cover to help disperse heat, and add a little capacity. When I trained the factory gear oil, there was water in it!

I noticed that the front tires were wearing and when I put it on a 4 wheel alignment machine the rear axle was 1/8" out of being square with the front axle line. The front end didn't have one setting that was close to correct. It did drive straight, but I sure tore up the front tires. I fixed ll of this and it now drives much better, and I get an average of 0.5 better MPG.

I've listed these other mods with photos in another area on the forum, but I added a Catch Can or a CCV filter for the crankcase vent. There isn't one on it, and the inlet to the turbo had a coating of oil, now it doesn't. (Note, any turbo diesel should have a CCV or catch can because of the higher crankcase pressures in these engines.)

I also installed a bypass oil filter after an oil analysis showed a very high level of ash in the oil.

As a result of the poor wheel alignment issue, the tires only lasted me 33,000 miles.

 

[Florida beachbum]

We’re brand new to RVing and are looking at either a Tacoma or Colorado since that’s anything bigger won’t fit in our garage. We’re open to almost any features on either truck, but want to keep it under $40k.
We don’t know what TT we’d get but would likely want to keep it around 3k lbs (open to suggestions)
Anyone out there have much experience towing a TT with either of these trucks?
Thanks

I ordered an ATC 16 ft aluminum enclosed v-nosed trailer to use for camping. I had windows,extra roof vents, rv door and a 2’x2’ door for a window air conditioner. Empty trailer weighs 2300 lbs. minimax pulls it with no problems at all. Only thing I did to the truck is put the full size tow mirrors on to see around the trailer. I’ve owned two different 38ft rv trailers but it was time to downsize. We put the kayaks in the trailer and hit the road. I wouldn’t max out the trucks tow capacity it’s just safer and easier on your rig.

 

[Garrobo]

Hi there, I have a 2wd Z71 Diesel shorted CC and bought it specifically for the same reason as what you are looking for. Garage and towing. I have towed for 4 years now and have had no problems. My TT is a Jayco 21QB (25ft tip to tip). Weight of trailer is about 3500# empty and 5000 loaded. I use the equalizer hitch and couldn't be happier with it. Cant tell you much about a Tacoma, have never owned. The GCWR is about 12k#'s, I run close to the limit at about 11k. Have take trailer form Southern California to Michigan, got a trip this summer to South Dakota and no there will be no worries. (knock on wood). JMO, 25-26 ft TT would be my max with this truck based on recommended Wheel base to TT length. Hope you enjoy your Colorado and your new TT.

We’re brand new to RVing and are looking at either a Tacoma or Colorado since that’s anything bigger won’t fit in our garage. We’re open to almost any features on either truck, but want to keep it under $40k.
We don’t know what TT we’d get but would likely want to keep it around 3k lbs (open to suggestions)
Anyone out there have much experience towing a TT with either of these trucks?
Thanks

 

[Garrobo]

We flat tow our lifted Jeep JK on 35s all day. Keeping it at 72 mph, 2020 Colorado zr2 diesel shifts fine with transmission temperatures no higher than 190F and gets about 18 mpg with no problems. That Jeep is around 6k lbs.
I love that truck.

 

[6speedTi]

I had a 2006 Tacoma with the 4.0 V6. The brakes totally sucked, so I changed them to 4 wheel disc.... now it had brakes. I have an aluminum flatbed car trailer that I tow and have had a car on it as large as a Ford Torino with a big block in it. My Tacoma used to pull it just fine all over the western USA. Of course, I had to slow down for hills, but face it, everything does.

It had 260,000 miles on it, and was running great, never any real problems to complain about. So, I went and drove the newer Tacoma in 2018. Went out of the dealer, down the block, made a U-Turn and came back. Sales man asked what was wrong... told him "My 2006 has more power than this, and the brakes on this thing still suck." I had hoped they would have fixed the poor brakes, but they didn't. The 3.5 they have now technically does have more HP, but that is at 6,000 RPM!

I went shopping.... I got a Colorado with the 2.8 Duramax. Plenty of power and does drive stable with a large car and trailer. I figured it was about 6,000 LB I brought back from Clearwater Florida back to Southern California. Averaged 19 MPG, and yes, the brakes are great.

I will say this, my 2006 Tacoma was a better built truck with better quality components in many areas. My bitching about my Colorado is:

At about 6,000 miles I changed the rear diff cover to an aluminum cover to help disperse heat, and add a little capacity. When I trained the factory gear oil, there was water in it!

I noticed that the front tires were wearing and when I put it on a 4 wheel alignment machine the rear axle was 1/8" out of being square with the front axle line. The front end didn't have one setting that was close to correct. It did drive straight, but I sure tore up the front tires. I fixed ll of this and it now drives much better, and I get an average of 0.5 better MPG.

I've listed these other mods with photos in another area on the forum, but I added a Catch Can or a CCV filter for the crankcase vent. There isn't one on it, and the inlet to the turbo had a coating of oil, now it doesn't. (Note, any turbo diesel should have a CCV or catch can because of the higher crankcase pressures in these engines.)

I also installed a bypass oil filter after an oil analysis showed a very high level of ash in the oil.

As a result of the poor wheel alignment issue, the tires only lasted me 33,000 miles.

Thanks for the nice write up. A catch can is always on the list especially with a turbo diesel. I had alignment issues since new but I'm very picky. After installing my 2 inch front levelers the alignment definitely changed. Now it's almost perfectly straight by my picky ways. A catch can is definitely in order. Strange thing is that my 1.6 cruze diesel has a catch can and the Colorado diesel doesn't. 🤔

 

[bigoilbob]

I had a 2006 Tacoma with the 4.0 V6. The brakes totally sucked, so I changed them to 4 wheel disc.... now it had brakes. I have an aluminum flatbed car trailer that I tow and have had a car on it as large as a Ford Torino with a big block in it. My Tacoma used to pull it just fine all over the western USA. Of course, I had to slow down for hills, but face it, everything does.

It had 260,000 miles on it, and was running great, never any real problems to complain about. So, I went and drove the newer Tacoma in 2018. Went out of the dealer, down the block, made a U-Turn and came back. Sales man asked what was wrong... told him "My 2006 has more power than this, and the brakes on this thing still suck." I had hoped they would have fixed the poor brakes, but they didn't. The 3.5 they have now technically does have more HP, but that is at 6,000 RPM!

I went shopping.... I got a Colorado with the 2.8 Duramax. Plenty of power and does drive stable with a large car and trailer. I figured it was about 6,000 LB I brought back from Clearwater Florida back to Southern California. Averaged 19 MPG, and yes, the brakes are great.

I will say this, my 2006 Tacoma was a better built truck with better quality components in many areas. My bitching about my Colorado is:

At about 6,000 miles I changed the rear diff cover to an aluminum cover to help disperse heat, and add a little capacity. When I trained the factory gear oil, there was water in it!

I noticed that the front tires were wearing and when I put it on a 4 wheel alignment machine the rear axle was 1/8" out of being square with the front axle line. The front end didn't have one setting that was close to correct. It did drive straight, but I sure tore up the front tires. I fixed ll of this and it now drives much better, and I get an average of 0.5 better MPG.

I've listed these other mods with photos in another area on the forum, but I added a Catch Can or a CCV filter for the crankcase vent. There isn't one on it, and the inlet to the turbo had a coating of oil, now it doesn't. (Note, any turbo diesel should have a CCV or catch can because of the higher crankcase pressures in these engines.)

I also installed a bypass oil filter after an oil analysis showed a very high level of ash in the oil.

As a result of the poor wheel alignment issue, the tires only lasted me 33,000 miles.

The electronic suspension adjustment blinds you to bad alignment. I got new tires at ~41K, and found that my alignment contributed to their wear. Forum - is there a way to be informed of how much "help" the electronic adjustment is giving us?