I have an 01 with the 3.7, it is a 5-spd, but it goes just fine, I have 37 inch tires under it and it still pulls a 2 place snowmobile trailer pretty easily. I dont think that they are the toughetst trucks ive ever seen, but they are ok. When my truck was stock i drove it from NH to NY and I got 29 mpg there and back. The 4 cyl with an auto doesnt have nearly as much power, but I would go with the 2.7, it is easy to work on and will run longer than a 6 cyl.

01 Tacoma 3 inch suspension, 3 inch body 35's
94 wrangler 5.5 inch springs, 4 inch body 37's