Tow/haul mode experience

[RHIPDX]

I don't have 4A on the '26 Lariat. 4WD is all manual.

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[Texasota]

Does tow mode put the trans in 4A, or is that just the Raptors?

On my XLT it doesn’t change drive mode. It only changes the transmission shift schedule.

 

[Barry Johnson]

I had the 2.3L before to haul my teardrop at about 4400lbs. I went all over the place with it - up into the Canadian Rockies, down into Colorado and around the Cascades. Basically, it managed, but was pretty sluggish climbing up into the mountains. Thats why I eventually upgraded to the 2.7L, for both HP and Torque. Bottom line, the 2.3L can do it, the 2.7L just manages it more easily. And if you aren't doing mountains, it matters less.

Yep, have the V6 and pull out LGM up and over Snoqualamie Pass in WA with no problem.

 

[alrashid2]

Don't tow anything (yet) but I like Tow Mode when driving in the mountains. The engine braking is nice!

In my old Subaru, it had paddle shifters and was really smart about letting you quickly downshift but would then automatically return to automatically switching "gears" (CVT but you know what I mean). Unfortunately the Ranger isn't so smart. I've tried downshifting with the shifter buttons and it seems to take too long and then get stuck there too long.

 

[Oreamnos]

Our experiences are even more alike than you think. My runs were Portland road trip via Bend to LaPine via Detroit Lake, and Portland round trip to Timothy Lake via Gov't Camp. Same mountain roads (plus a couple of trips to the ocean via the Coast Range). My setup is very similar except for adding a bed cover and roof rack with kayaks. The Timothy Lake sun was the one with tow/haul mode. Bed cover definitely helps the consumption too.

Just returned this afternoon from a few days at Crater Lake. On this trip, I used normal mode for all of the US 97 driving, and only used tow/haul for the ups and downs inside the actual national park boundaries. Seemed to work very well that way, and my overall MPG was about 2 MPG better than my initial trip over the mountains all in tow/haul. Hard to draw any real conclusions from that.

The tow/haul is pretty aggressive with its downshifts, so I found myself often moving the shift lever into "manual" and selecting gears directly. I often didn't need as low of a gear as the truck's computers thought I did. I have no problem with it being aggressive, since that's what it's designed to do, and I know how to compensate to suit my tastes, when appropriate.

I have a Leer canopy on order, so that will likely have an MPG impact too. Might result in smoother air flow into the front of the T@b.

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