Originally Posted by
TuMicks
I had a 2005 Tacoma 6 spd manual, 4wd, extended cab. I never had my 2 dogs in the cab, I think it would have been sorta snug. I don't know about the crew cab. We got an ultralight travel trailer (17 ft. long) and it was too much for the taco to haul. Plus, when towing, I got 10 mpg and with a modest size tank... that doesn't get you very far.
I traded that in on the 2017 F150, 4wd, crew cab, 6 cyl ecoboost engine (3.7L) and the towing package. Here is the crazy thing. Are you sitting down? It gets better mileage than the tacoma. Around town, I'm getting plus/minus 16 mpg (the tacoma was better) but on the road, I can set the cruise control on 65-68 mph and I'm getting 24-26 mpg. It's crazy. So if I'm pushing the speed up, I "only" get 20-22 mpg. But, OMG... if you stomp it, the turbo screams and it'll snap your head back.
Towing that little ultralight trailer is no problem. It handles great. On long uphill climbs (of which we have many in NV) I will have to kick it out of cruise and slow down.
I was really interested in the Dodge Ram. But, after spending lots of time reading reviews of all the models, it was clear that the Ford has invested a lot in putting cutting edge technology into their trucks (their biggest money making line, by far.) The body is aluminum, (which dropped the weight down by 700 pounds) and according to what I've read, the steel frames are so tough, the bolt holes have to be drilled with lasers. It's safety rating was #1 in 2017.
Check it out.