Which car to take to Mexico?

In reply to Berck :

Towing my E36 M3 on a featherlite open trailer, 4500lbs total (?) behind my GX470 wasn't great.  It also had a 6500lb tow rating and I felt it was totally inadequate for the job of towing from my house to HPR, let alone up/down the hill where you are.  It just wasn't stable, the V8 in the GX didn't have enough power to pass if I needed/wanted to and the brakes (even with trailer brakes/trailer brake controller) weren't inspiring at all.  I'd much, much rather go to the overkill side on a tow rig than the adequate side.  That doesn't mean having an F550 but a Tundra would've been my choice over a Tacoma all day long for towing a car vs a Formula Vee...

SRT 392 Challenger of course.  With Yucatán plates.  Nobody berks with you because they assume you're connected...
 

Serious answer: Taco.  By a lot.  The Challenger was a hilariously bad choice for Mexico and I'm surprised Hertz even rented it.

The Tacoma actually has a little more power than GX470, but less torque. The Tacoma also weighs a bit less, and is perfectly stable towing.  I did install airbags to keep the rear from sagging when towing the heavy trailer with the bed loaded up.  Also had to install the hack to let you put in 2WD low range so that I could back the trailer without toasting the clutch on a hard surface, because reverse is geared way too high. 

I picked the Tacoma because: (1) Toyota, (2) Manual transmission, (3) Rated to tow the load.  I'm sure a Tundra would tow it better, and I do believe trucks should have an 8' bed, which is at least an option on Tundra.  I considered it, but I hate automatic transmissions. Especially the kickdown downshift going uphill.  With a manual, I can pick the gear I want to climb a hill before I get there instead of waiting for a transmission to get behind and lurch, downshift more than I need, then upshift again, only to slow down and repeat the process.  I'll admit that I've never tried a modern automatic like the 10 speed on the new Tundras.  Also the Tacoma was maybe cheaper and likely to get better mileage.  Not sure if either of those is actually true.  I get 14mpg towing the E30, and 14-18mpg towing the Vee.

Sure, I need 3rd gear to maintain 45mph going up the pass to get home, but that's what it's there for.  The 2GR-FKS doesn't really make power until somewhere around 4,000rpm when the cam timing switches around to make power instead of fuel economy, but it's plenty to get the job done.  On the interstate, I'm perfectly comfortable cruising at 75mph in 6th gear pulling the trailer, but I do have to downshift for even slight hills.  I think a lot of has to do with expectations.  I expect that I'm going to have to accelerate more slowly, that passing on 2 lane roads is not much of an option, and I need to leave a lot more room to brake.

I'm certain that a rolling palace of torque would make towing the rally car easier, but I don't *need* it.

As I just bought pretty much the exact same truck (inc. a manual) for the same reason, albeit in the much smaller mountains east of the mississippi, good to hear it's been an adequate tow rig. I don't share your disdain of the taco though, I quite like mine. I would also expect the taco to be a better towing chassis than a GX given the longer wheelbase and lower COG, torque aside. 

One think to check out if if you're willing to do some minor fab is replacement rear leaf spring hangers. Apparently a lot of the "taco shimmy" in the rear end can be traced to very flexible stamped-steel hangers and replacement pieces are supposed to be a big improvement in ride. It looks like a bit of a pain to install as the stock ones are riveted on, but no welding. No personal experience, but they're on the list for mine at some point.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hammer-hangers-by-archive-garage.519625/

sounds like you know what youre doing. focus RS is going to stand out like a supercar there, go with the taco and avoid the TSURU, its a driving coffin. 

To follow up: I took the Tacoma and it was completely the right choice.  Full coverage insurance was only $240, and I fortunately didn't need it.  No photos of the truck in Mexico, but this road was beautiful.  And terrible.

This is Sonora Hwy 3, and we drove the whole thing.  There was a 100ish mile section with potholes bad enough that I think any of my other cars would have gotten stuck in.  The road is completely empty, and I'd go 20 miles without even seeing a car coming the other direction.  150+ mile sections between towns, no phone service the whole way.  Having a flat tire or getting stuck would not have been fun, and I was so glad that I was in a completely reliable Tacoma with a full size spare.  That I didn't need!  First time driving to Mexico without a flat tire--sidewalls are good!  There were sections of road that *seemed* smooth, so there's nothing like being lulled into 85mph only to smack into a pothole at the last minute.  As far as I can tell, I did not bend anything...  The 18mpg sucked, there were sometimes fun roads that made me wish for a fun car, but this was the right choice...

I am in Baja/Sonora 6-7 times a year. 

I either take a land cruiser (60/200) or my free RX300.