gas consumption

Ok, my last Tacoma was a 1999 4cyl. 4x4 TRD 5 speed and I was getting 25-26 all the time. I have a 2008 Frontier which I am trading in this week, nice truck but gas mileage is only 18- 19 with an automatic and thats highway. I want to go back to the Tacoma 4cyl. because of the gas mileage. You guys telling me if I drive highway I should get this mileage again or are the new ones gettin less?

 

I did some experimenting one time with my '97 Prelude a few years back, wanted to see whether I got better mpg in hot weather running the AC, or with the AC off and the windows open. I found that I actually did better with the AC on and the windows closed, guess it reduced vehicle drag/enhanced aerodynamics. That only applied to highway speeds, however, around town I did better with open windows and no AC.

 

Sorry, I am getting the 4 cyl. 4x4 SR5 package, manual shift, pyra mica color, 6 foot bed.

 

Not true for the 2.7L 4-bangers. The 4-speed auto gets 1 MPG less than the 5-speed manual city and hwy.

The V6's have a 5-speed auto that gets 2 MPG better city and 1 MPG better highway than the 6-speed manual.

Here's a comparison of the 4-cylinder models from the Toyota website. They don't list a 4-cylinder 4x4 automatic - and neither does Edmunds - so I guess you can't get that configuration. All of the 4x4 autos are V6's.



The 4.10 rear gear kills MPG in the 4x4 4-bangers. The 4x2 has a 3.31

I just got 25.6 MPG in mixed (40/60 city/highway) driving on my second full tank (forgot to check the first) - so I'm right in line with Toyota's estimates. Theoretically, I should be able to do a little better once fully broken in - and if all highway. That's with a reg. cab 4x2 4-cylinder 5-speed manual - being easy on the throttle and shifting below 3k in most cases. I haven't checked the tire pressures since I bought it, so they're probably pretty soft. I could probably bump them up a couple of pounds.

 

I got a 2.7L, automatic, with 16 inch wheels(instead of the 15's) and I get like 14 or 15mpg! Why do I get so low compared to everyone else???

 

Your truck is a 4x4 - and those are pretty tall & wide 16" tires. Even though the inside tire diameter is only 1" bigger than stock, I bet the outside tire diameter is a good bit taller than the original tires. If your speedometer is not corrected for the taller tires, it's reading slower than you are actually driving and as a result, your odometer is registering less miles than you're actually driving - which would make your MPG appear worse than it really is. Maybe that's it? Edmunds.com says your truck was rated at 17/21 when new (and stock). If you're driving is mostly city, you're not too far off. The difference is probably the larger wheels/tires. Of course there's also driving style. The other thing is that 17/21 MPG estimate from 1996 used the old testing methodology, which was a lot more optimistic than the new way. The new way gives results that are closer to what most people will get in "real world" driving.

 

Thats depressing, Its really a toss-up then, if I am getting 19 -20 on my 6 cyl. auto. 4x4 Nissan, trading it in for a 4 cyl manual is 4x4 really not buying me much. Other than having to pay an extra 5 grand on trade in.
I was hoping to get back to 25 mpg like of 99 tacoma, but if I'm only going to get 22 why bother. Now I'm really depressed.

 

Sorry man... better to find out now rather than after you've bought the truck with unrealistic expectations. I was hoping for more from my 2WD reg cab too... but these are technically mid-size trucks. They're not the tiny little trucks from the 80's. They're all loaded up with safety equipment now too... door beams, air bags, etc. Toyota claims the curb weight of my truck is 3250 lbs and a 4x4 Access Cab 4-cyl. 5-speed is 3955 lbs. That's a lot for a 4-banger to pull around. A mac daddy Double Cab 4x4 Long Bed V6 5-speed Auto is 4190 lbs. - which is only roughly 500 lbs. shy of a base model full-size Ford F-150!

 

I have been getting about 25 highway mpg . I drive conservative and it has been in the 30's and 40s with the Oxygenated fuel. I wonder what I would get with real gas. We have the O2 stuff year round up here. I have plenty of power for my needs. I will be towing a 19' fiberglass trailer with it.

 

Yeah, I kinda knew when they went from a small truck to a mid size plus keeping the same 2.7 4cyl something had to give. That stinks because I want to go back to a tacoma, but its not worth spending the money if I get no real benefit out of it. I just spent 24,000 on a new truck and they only want to give me 17 -18000 for my truck thats not even a year old yet. That tells me they are asking way to much for new vehicles.