3.6 Direct Injection Gasoline V-6 for 2016?

While at a party this weekend I was talking to a Toyota mechanic, who also is a Tacoma guy that has a badass long travel 1st Gen. We were talking about why Toyota refuses to bring its diesels to the US, and at that point he told me something that I haven't heard anywhere.

He said that Toyota is going into a partnership with Mazda to produce a 3.6 liter direct injection gasoline V-6 engine at a plant in Mexico, which will be made in turbo and naturally aspirated models. This, I find completely plausible - Toyota is making its own EcoBoost to replace the antiquated 1GR.

But he also said that the Tacoma is slated to get the naturally aspirated 3.6 because of tightening CAFE standards for light trucks. He said that Toyota is gutting power across the board for the sake of fuel efficiency, with the sole exception of the Tundra. He said that the 2nd Gen 1GR Tacoma will be last model to make any real power, and that future models will get better gas mileage but have anemic output. This I find difficult to believe, especially with regard to the Tacoma, since the 2015 Colorado with a diesel indicates that GM is taking the mid size segment seriously once again. The 3.5 Ecoboost makes 365 hp and 420 lb·ft in the F150, while delivering better MPG than we get in a heavier platform. If Ford can do it, surely Toyota can (I know, I know - Ecoboost doesn't live up to all it claims - but it's far more powerful and at least as fuel efficient as our 1GRs).

I'm pretty sure our mid-size Tacomas fall within the 75 sq ft "footprint" for light trucks for CAFE purposes, which means the window sticker goes from 17 to 18 mpg in 2015, and then up to 19 mpg for 2016-2021. In other words, no radical changes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpor...y#Agreed_standards_by_model_year.2C_2011-2025

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS IS HEARSAY AND THAT I'M NOT CLAIMING THIS INFORMATION IS ACCURATE! The only reason I'm repeating it is because the guy really knew Tacoma tech and seemed like a credible source.

Does this sound like BS or not?

 

3.5 maybe ?

http://m.autoblog.com/2006/02/22/high-end-v6s-the-lexus-direct-injection-3-5l-and-cadillac-3-6l/

 

I hear so much about the Mexico plant and their "future" changes to happen but I truly don't think too much about it. If those were the plans they would be posted somewhere with a credible source.

Unfortunately hearsay is exactly that, and until something is posted from Toyota I think speculation is "ok" but shouldn't be taken too seriously. I know this guy was a Tech, but where did he hear it from? Even internal corporate model changes typically have some sort of sourcing from investor meetings and future holding groups to be aware - then these are posted somewhere.

 

good, cause we all know the best quality products come from mexico, like my luk clutch for example!

 

Sounds plausible but without any info to back it we'll just have to chalk it up as another rumor. But you are correct CAFE standards are about to start changing and there's no way Toyota will keep the same engines in the Tacoma just because of this very fact. Although the 1gr and 2tr are very good engines they're just outdated.

As far as gutting power I could very well see Toyota just shooting for about the same power levels with a 20-25% increase in fuel efficiency. Truthfully the 1gr offers plenty of power for it's mass market truck and the 2tr offers adequate power.

 

Toyota,,,,,,, what are you thinking? Back in 2006, you had (and still do in the current 14's) a great 3.5L V-6 in the Lexus IS350. 306 hp, I forget the torque and a 6 sp auto. So, maybe that transmission wouldn't hold up to the additional weight of lets say a 4X4 DCLB but the engine was a decent unit in terms of mileage (we got 28 hwy) and refinement. Yeah, a recall was out for replacing the valve springs, but that engine was both DI and PFI. I had dreams of how that engine/trans combo would make my X-Runner go.

Toyota seems to have caught the bug that GM has had for so many years and Ford Too. They just don't listen to what the consumers are asking for.

 

this thread.. will go to $hit in 3...2....1....

 

Mazda = Ford btw, and the Eco-roast is a big pile of shit! My dad has had 3 replacement motors in his new F series due to falling performance over time.

And a Line service tech would know about as much as the public...

 

The Mazda-Ford partnership was severed years ago. I also questioned why Toyota would partner with some bit player like Mazda, but apparently its SkyActive technology is desirable.

EcoBoost's problems aside, smaller displacement direct-injected, turbo charged engines are definitely the wave of the future. And Toyota can presumably build one right.

 

I'd love to have a slightly beefier version of the 2.3L turbo I had in my Mazdaspeed3. That thing put out more HP and torque than the 3.5L in the Tacoma does. If Toyota and mazda can come up with something good, that would rock. I've owned 2 recent Mazdas and both have been great. Mazda is a lot different than it was 10-15 years ago.

 

FYI...http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2010/10/ford-to-sell-off-most-of-remaining-mazda-stock/

 

I understand about the separation, The funny thing is Toyota would never partner with Mazda when they already have an amazing partnership with Yamaha, i.e. LFA Engine

 

ya it priceless...gooood ole doug.

 

That would be 35 more HP and 6 more MPG. And if we give up torque it will be gutless. The best way to get those numbers is to drop 1,000 or 1,500 pounds, not going to happen unless you go tiny and that won't sell here.

I'm thinking turbodiesel BUT ONLY IF they can keep the price same as a gas motor. If they can sell enough diesel motors (by not offering anything else) they can keep the price down, but it the have to offer a 4 cyl, a V6, and a diesel the diesel will be a 10 or 15% thing and we will be stuck paying thousands of dollars extra for an efficient unproven powerplant.

 

GM and Chrysler both have 3.5/3.6L engines with 300hp and 270 trq with 24+mpg in real world conditions.

I would expect nothing less in the new tacoma.

 

You would really expect nothing less? Tacoma doesn't lead in HP now. 236 vs Frontier at 261. And Tacoma still outsells Frontier nearly 3:1.

I don't expect the Tacoma to all of a sudden jump into the lead. Even with GM pushing 300+

 

I really don't see a partnership with Mazda either. Toyota has shown itself to be perfectly capable of designing above par powertrains for the last 40 years(in the US that is).

 

I find everything you said very plausible,..although unpopular.

This goes right in line with the Automakers plans as high MPG is the defining factor in all new cars. (Make one wonder where the price of gas will do in the near future.)

This is also what I have heard for the new Tacoma re-design, in that Toyota was going to replace the 4.0 L V-6 with a 3.6 L V-6. But I heard that the new V-6 was actually going to have more H.P. but less torque and offer better MPG.

I wrote Toyota about when the re-design was going to take place. Originally it was planned for 2014 but it may be 2015 to 2016 before the re-design comes out. The Tacoma has been so popular and the competition so poor in that market that Toyota can change when they want to.