Trade my 21 Trail model in for new 2025 sr5?

I have a 2021 Tundra Trail 4wd crew max in Army Green with 48,000 miles on it. I purchased it in May as a CPO with a 100,000 miles warranty. My work has me towing a sxs buggy 2-3 days per week (much more than expected when I purchased). My MPG’s are pretty low when towing. I have an interest rate of 6.9 on the truck.

Would like better mpg when towing since I drive 30k miles plus each year. Is it worth upgrading to 2025 SR5 tundra at the 2.9 Apr offered by Toyota?
Plan to keep either truck 6-8 years before trading in.
Just trying to see if the change is worth it. Looks like I can be in a new tundra for approx the same payment and only adding 10 months time to my loan.

 

Why is your work not paying for your truck and gas? You could refinance as well.

 

That's no miles for a 21...

https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html.

 

I doubt you will notice much of a difference in your MPG when towing. Just the way things work.

 

OP, you are not likely to see better MPG's when towing in a Gen 3. They are not designed for towing mpgs, their improved MPGs come from long unladen highway trips at constant speed and idling with a V6 that utilizes start/stop tech as opposed to a V8 that stays running.

If half-ton towing MPGs is your goal, the GM 3.0L Duramax seems to return the best fuel economy. However the trade-off in the extra costs associated with Diesel, DEF usage, and increased maintenance offset any cost savings from mileage gains.

In reality, considering your 5.7L '21 runs on 87 octane, is geared for towing, and utilizes a large displacement (for a half-ton), you probably have the most efficient half-ton for towing.

 

This^^^^

 

I’m getting 7.5-9.0 mpg pulling my buggy and trailer. Pretty poor. That at 65-70 mph

 

Depends on which direction wind is blowing, but typically heading west with a travel trailer coming in at about 6k lbs loaded, I'm typically just around 9.5mpgs at 65-70mph, between 70-and 75mph drops to 8.5mpg. Heading east, 10.5 mpgs at 65-70mph, and 9ish at 70-75mph. I am in S4 the entire time.

I am never in cruise control.

 

I tow all the time with my 2021 Tundra and before that I had a F-150 Ecoboost. Now, before you drop that beauty you may want to do some research on what mpg you will get in the new Tundra. For starters when towing my 8,100 lbs camping trailer my F-150 ecoboost only got 7.5-8 mpg when towing. Why? Because it had a 3.31 gear ratio and two twin turbos sucking air and fuel to get power. When one of the turbos grenaded my engine at 144,310'ish miles and destroyed the engine, I bought a 2021 Tundra and it is a much better towing truck then that F-150 ever was.

For starters, the 4.30 rear end gave me 8.5-9.5 mpg which in the long run saves me money. Plus, that 4.30 rear end off the line is pretty close to the same experience I had with my F-150 turbo off the line when towing. The 38 gallon tank makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE when towing distances. I was stopping every 150-170 miles in the F-150 where I can do 275+ when towing my camper with my Tundra.

Now, the new Tundra is a twin turbo and has a 3.31 rear end. Not saying it is going to be exactly the same as my F-150 was since it is newer, but I cannot imagine you are going to do better towing mpg than the current Tundra. Since you didn't post your towing mpg numbers I cannot compare.

Now, you can throw all that out of the window if you live in the mid-west, because then getting a turbo would definitely be worth it with the altitude. I live in Texas where it is really flat, so that should give you the reference of why I get the numbers I do.

Just keep in mind once those turbos start spinning they eat gas like Stacey Abrams at the buffet line.

 

It is my own company and I use the vehicle 100% for work so my expenses are deductible.
Really trying to rationalize the upgrade from an economics and durability standpoint.
Current hwy mpg is around 14.5 and when towing 8.5.
I would say 1/3 to 1/4 of my annual miles involve towing a 4000 lb trailer. Truck is used off road a good bit too.

it appears I would save $2,000-4,000 a year on gas with the 2025 tundra.
The flip side is the toyota dealer I use for service says the 2021 tundra is absolutely bulletproof and will last a long time. No verdict on 2025 tundra durability/reliability.

 

Might be a matter of personal preference. Both trucks will fulfill your needs and more. I wouldn't lean on cost-savings being your determining factor, especially towing. If it were me, might consider waiting to see what 2026 model brings if you find yourself wanting to change things up. I'm not sold against the new Tundra but need to see some of the reliability issues resolved, especially if I was using it 100% of the time for work. You're current Tundra should provide that consistency, out of the shop, making you money.

 

Towing takes power, and power takes fuel, period. Doesn't matter much if that power comes from displacement or forced induction, they're both gonna' guzzle when towing.

You'd probably gain an MPG or two by slowing to 60-65 vs. 65-70. Towing mileage drops off a cliff at speed.

The TT V6 will get better mileage when not towing (Unless you're rippin' around making boost all the time ) but towing MPG's aren't going to be much different between gassers. Diesel would improve towing mileage but that comes with it's own set of other expenses.

I will say that 14.5 MPG highway seems low. If I'm conscious of MPG's (consistent speed, not a lot of on/off throttle, etc.) I can maintain about 18 hwy. pretty easily in my '19 w/5.7

Towing mileage sucks, it always has and it always will.

When I'm towing it's almost always for pleasure. If my trailer's hitched up then I'm on vacation so I don't worry too much about mileage other than to budget for the trip.

When calculating what a vacation is gonna' cost me in fuel I just budget for 10 MPG. (It's a nice round number so the math doesn't make my head hurt.) Going up the mountain it might only be 8 MPG, but coming back down it could be 12+, it seems to average out pretty close to 10.

I tow @ 60-62, maaaaybe 65 occasionally. 5,500 lb. travel trailer. Not heavy but large frontal area. I think wind resistance kills mileage way worse than weight does especially when you hit certain speeds.

Hold your hand out the window at 40 MPH, then do it at 60+ and feel the difference. Now picture how many hands worth of drag there are on the parachute you're towing.

 

My local dealer made me an offer I couldn’t refuse so I am now in a 2025 sr5 4x4 tundra.
I bought the 21 in May with 20k miles on it for $42,000, drove it 30,000 miles and traded it in for $42,500. Never had that happen on any vehicle. New tundra was $6000 below msrp and I got a 2.99 interest rate. Hard to pass that up.

 

If you can get a good enough deal then yeah. Otherwise in my opinion the 2.5 gen feels better towing than the 3rd. Just not as Gucci … also you MPG isn’t be much different towing with the 3rd gen.

 

Congrats on the new Truck. Hopefully it doesnt give you regrets like other 24/25 owners.

https://www-torquenews-com.cdn.ampp...ealer-engine-failure-needless-say-i-regret-my

 

If I had to bet, I would bet that you will not be able to drive your new truck for 50k and sell it for more than you bought it. There are many reasons for that. But then again, you didn't sell it, you traded it in, so it's not exactly the same.

 

Only time will tell if that was a good decision.
I hope you got the same 100K mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.
Good luck..

 

That is only a characteristic of late-2nd gen Tundras with low-ish miles. With the engine recall on the 3rd gen and multiple documented failures after the recall window, your new one lost a significant chunk of value just driving it off the lot.

The ttv6 is Toyota’s EcoBoost. You get eco or boost, never both at the same time. I would think it tows more confidently, but any mpg improvement will come from unloaded highway cruising. Most people report about 3mpg difference after a whole tank given the same mods (LT tires, lift/level, etc if any) and driving style.