I4 vs. V6

Considering new or near new Tacoma. I want a manual. How does the I4 compare to the V6? Seems the four would struggle a bit to get up to highway speed and I drive the highway daily.

Thanks for the input.

 

Drive a few examples and determine for yourself.

It totally matters where you live (terrain, fuel available), how you drive, how you intend to use the vehicle 80% of the time.

You also say new, or near new. It makes a difference. '16s are different.

 

I4 does fine in all conditions. BUT it doesn't do it with the power of a V-6, of course.

I have an I4 and I do just fine on the highway and I tow a bass boat pretty much every weekend during season. Don't get me wrong I'm not in the fast lane! However, on the ramps I do just fine getting the boat out, which is impressive for an I4 if you ask me.

 

The highway is where the 4 really shines plus cheaper insurance and tune ups. If you drive a lot of hills or are in a big hurry, get the 6.

 

I have the V6. My friend has the i4. He says his, "is a dog. When you pull out in front of other cars to get in front of traffic, it never seems to get up to speed fast enough" He wishes he had my V6. I never have his problem. I wouldn't mind getting the MPGs he gets with the i4 /Manual, though. I paid less for my used V6 Auto, than he did for his truck. There are a series of trade offs.What do you need / want in YOUR truck? We both live and drive in a relatively flat portion of Maryland.

 

The I4 would be easier to work on for sure. I'd probably opt for the V6...... but an I6 would be really nice.

 

This. I don't even understand why someone would even consider the 4 cylinder anymore. Probably would get better mpgs with the 6 and it wouldn't be working as hard.

You get the best of both worlds. Want power? Use ECT. Want fuel economy? Leave it off.

Does the 4 cylinder even have an ECT button or is it just the 6?

 

I had a 4banger 2014 that cost me 145 a month.
Then I got a 2014 sport v6 and my insurance went down to 140 a month.

Op for me the gas mileage was worse with the 4 banger than my current v6.

 

Test drove an I4 auto and it had ect. Pickup was fine. Its not a race car by any means, but is it supposed to be? it did gearhunt a bit, but I heard about the new autos doing that for 1500 miles or so. It drove fine and had no issues getting up to speed. Probably faster than my 3.4l 4runner. I still want to test drive the manual. For the package I want I see no reason to buy a v6.

 

What package do you want? I guess if you're just using the truck as a daily driver and not ever planning on hauling or towing anything than the 4cyl will be fine, but from what I've heard it's a dog. It's not just about speed, but you're buying a truck, remember if you're planning on ever having to tow or haul, the 4cycl will be working much harder.

 

Don't buy an I4 for gas mileage, I had a 2010 regular cab 4cyl and it got 19 around town and 18 highway. My v6 gets 19 and 19 and has loads more power

 

Yep...if you're not buying the I4 for gas mileage, than what are you buying it for? Reliability is the only thing I can think of...but i'm sure the 3.5 will be just as reliable.

 

OP,
The 3.5 V6 with the 6-speed manual has plenty of power on the highway. It turns about 2200 at 100km/h (62mph) in 6th, and it would take a pretty damn steep/long hill to lug it down. The trade off is fuel economy, because anything above 2000rpm the mileage starts to drop. I've found the sweet spot for driving the V6 MT is about 45-50mph in high gear - this returned the best mileage for me so far (9.3L/100km). Lol obviously back roads

TBH I've not driven the I4, but with the weight of this truck I can't see it being overly "spritely" on the highway. No offense intended to four banger guys, I know you love your trucks

Frank

 

I bought an I4 because it is my view that simpler is better. No direct injection. Proven motor. Under-stressed design. Manual trans available which is likewise very tough. I bought a Tacoma because I wanted something I did not have to worry about (the defenders I have to worry about).

That and they did not make anything close to what I wanted in a V6 manual (base work truck spec).

 

I had three 2.7L stickshift Tacomas. I would only get the 2.7L 4 cylinder because I was thinking oh its more reliable, cheaper and better mpg. The 2015 4 banger 4x4 stickshift I had, which is what I thought I wanted, is 4,000 lbs with 159hp. I never got more than 18 mpg because I had to stomp on the gas all the time and it's at 2,600 RPM at 75 mph. It has no balls on the hwy. After awhile I got tired of driving slowpoke. I traded it in for a 2016 DCSB 4X4 SR5 V6 auto. Let me tell you, it's totally worth getting the V6. 278hp is more fun than 159hp period. I averaged 18 to 22 mpg and my highest is 25.3 mpg. Hard to believe my 2016 DCSB V6 got more power, more cab space, better gas mpg than my old 2015 4 banger access cab!

 

The answer is obvious.

 

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I think there are some benefits of purchasing the 4banger. One of which is that it comes in a manual! For the 2016 you have to purchase the TRD off-road in order to get a manual paired with a v6. This freaking blows in my opinion.

I have a 2010 4 banger. It doesn't have a problem getting up to highway speed at all. In fact I drove it from California to New Mexico going about 85mph. My rpms were past 3,000 the majority of the way home, but the i4 didn't have a problem. Its a really solid engine. I think a lot of people has the wrong impression about the i4. It's not a power plant but will do 100% of daily driving without a problem. If your going up a hill you just have to downshift, not that big of a deal in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I'd get the 16 TRD OR, 6 speed . But for now, the i4 is pretty damn good.

 

Yeah from what i've heard it's a pretty solid, bulletproof engine. I'm sure that is one of the top reasons of buying... along with being familiar with it.

 

I agree that the choices for the V6/6MT combo are extremely limited. Hell, in Canada you have only two -TRD OR AC 4x4 and TRD Sport DCSB 4x4! And there's no such thing as a 2WD 4 banger with a MT either!
All I wanted was a SR-5 AC V6 MT, but nope.. not even possible to have one built that way. But, alas, I'm learning to live with the gadgets in the OR, some of which are actually useful