why are we getting v8 gas mileage with v6's

there is no doubt that our tacomas are the best 1/4 ton around but why are the v6's so hard on fuel,is that new v6 in the 2016 any better?

 

1/4 ton? what the hell is that?

 

I bought a truck to use as a truck. If you drive it like a grandma and never see over 3k rpms, you can easily get 20+ mpg. Oh and don't mod it at all.

 

OP (drifterss454),

I'm with you on this. Yes, I bought a truck and to a degree it should disqualify me from moaning too much about gas mileage. However, my next door neighbor has a new GM full size, and his truck kicks my brand new, high tech, Atkinson cycle, multiport and direct port switching, 3.5L V6's arse for gas mileage.
To be fair, the truck is new and there is a break-in period, and the cold weather significantly affects gas mileage, but if my mileage gets even close to his when it gets warm out, I will consider it an act of God.

 

I agree with the op. I can have 400+ hp in my full size and get the same or better mileage as the taco. The Tacoma is a great truck, but there is no excuse for the mpg. Bring on the diesel Toyota, gm did it!

How can a v6 in a full size get better mpg than a similar size v6 in a smaller, lighter truck?

 

550 lbs if it's a metric ton.

 

1. Fuel is the cheapest it has been in 10+ years.
2. The EPA Estimate was on the window sticker, or available for you to find online prior to you buying your truck.

If you don't like the fuel consumption, buy a different vehicle.

 

My 2004 chevy V8 got better mileage. But why should Toyota change? We keep buying it as is right?

 

I think we are all aware of these points, more of a question as to why?

 

Really? I have an '84 C-10 w/ a 400 small block on 37"'s, 3-speed on the floor. That thing barely gets 10 mpg. But it will get 10 mpg whether you're empty or pulling a house. Stomp on the gas and open all 4 barrels and I'm lucky to get 5 mpg.

 

Stab in the dark here because I was not on the research and development team for Toyota but my guess is cost and "reliability." I would assume that the EPA is not pressing them for better fuel economy because, they have so much of their sales in Prius, and Corolla etc.. Also, Toyota and Nissan were the only MFG of mid-sized trucks for a few years... was there no incentive to change?

 

My V8 gets V6 mileage, no complaints here.

 

I'm not disappointed with the fuel economy I'm getting. None of my mid-size trucks have gotten better fuel economy than a full size, they've always been V6 extended or double cab trucks usually with 4x4. I buy mid-size trucks because I don't want a full size truck.
Manufacturers don't want mid-size sales to cut into their full-size sales too much so they have perverse incentive to keep their mid-size trucks slightly less desirable than full size alternatives, both in terms of fuel economy and feature parity.

 

One thing I've noticed, for whatever its worth, the in car live fuel economy readout definitely seems to be on the pessimistic side.

 

A lot of anecdotal nonsense in this thread. V8 Silverados on Fuelly.com average 14-16 mpg, V8 F150s average 15mpg. 4.3L Silverados average 18, as do 2.7L F150s, with 2016 V6 tacos averaging 18.5.

Basically, all gas pickups get 14-19 mpg, and the taco is on the upper end of the range. New Ridgeline might be a bit better, based on Pilot data. But dont expect any gas pickup to get Prius mileage.

 

My V8 dakota gets 12.5 mpg. However, I do drive it like a V8 should be driven. I didn't buy a truck for a grocery getter, I bought it for the towing/pulling power. If I wanted to save gas I would have bought a bicycle.

 

I believe one reason why my 2004 5.3L v8 Silverado got the same gas mileage as my new v6 2016 Tacoma is TORQUE. With that v8, I could lug around town or down the road with barley pushing down the gas pedal (low rpm). This new Tacoma is low on torque and does not allow for "lugging" around town, thus I need to push into the gas pedal more (higher rpm) to meet my desired speed. So, I'll learn to live with it. I still get a lot more features, "bells n whistles" that I really enjoy that I could never afford on today's full size trucks. There will always be trade offs, nor the perfect truck.

 

I think this is a solid point. A bit of grass is always greener on the other side going on here. Every vehicle will have people who want power/fast/great acceleration and will drive accordingly. They will also have drivers who care about fuel/range/hypermiling bragging rights. If you look at the actual fuel economy thread, a fair deal of owners are average north of 22 mpg, in 4x4 with off road package, there are also those who only average 16 with 2x4 sport package. It has way more to do with how you drive than the truck you drive.

Something else to consider being these trucks started coming out at the beginning of winter, and still completely in winter, fuel economy for the most part will be significantly worse. When you combine bad winter gas with people letting their cars warm up for a few minutes - especially in really cold areas, fuel economy is going to suck.

 

My 4-cylinder is getting 15-17mpg no matter what I do (now there's some v-8 mpg)...So, I,ll be happy if/when I can eek out 18-20 mpg when I get my new V6 Tacoma....Although, with the ethanol and other crap in the blend here in CA, I wont count on it. But, at least Ill have more power for those times when I do put 1,000 pounds in the back