Our 6 Cyl is supercharged in a lotus.

The 3.5 v6 (2GR-FE) is apparently in the new Lotus 400, and is supercharged to 400 HP or so on stock internals.. So apparently this engine could handle an intercooled supercharger on stock internals atleast somewhat reliably, interesting, I wonder if any companies will make one for our truck.. I sure would like some more torque!

I'm a little sad that we get almost the same exact motor as a camry v6. This seems like an effort to standardize engines across the vehicle range rather than picking an engine that actually fits the trucks needs and characteristics. It does the job, but I think the 4.0 was a much better fit personally, there's just a feeling of lack of grunt even with the 4.30 gears in the manual 4x4 while fuel economy is only marginally improved (which may be more due to aero/tires rather than the engine).

This thread might rustle some jimmies since im sure people are tired about all the talk about the "weak v6" but I thought it was interesting!

Edit: I made a mistake, we have the 2GR-FKS with D4S and Atkinson Cycle so not quite the same but still a pretty similar engine.

 

400 would be nice, if MPG didn't take a hit.

 

Easy - just order the parts from lotus

 

Truck usage really lends itself more to forced induction than natural-aspiration. Toyota's 2.0L turbo (now installed on many Lexus models) has almost double the torque below 2.5k rpm as this V6, and obviously gets better fuel economy as well.

I'm hoping Toyota eventually offers a turbo four in the Taco, but I expect they'll wait until the new Ranger takes a big bite out of Taco sales with its turbo powertrains. As odd as it sounds, Taco enthusiasts really need to become big Ford fans in a couple years if we ever want the Taco to enter the 21st century.

 

It's worth noting that the 2GR-FE in the Lotus' are a bit less complex than the 2GR-FKS in the Tacoma. The major additions being the D4S system and the on demand Atkinson cycle. I'm not saying you can't supercharge the FKS though.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_GR_engine

 

Not quite the same. We have an Atkinson cycle and D4S, 2GR-FE does not.

 

Yeah, I guess I must've miffed that a bit. I thought we had the FE not the FKS and those additions definitely change the engine so it may not be as easy.

I edited the post, thanks for the correction!

I think forced induction is proving itself to be decent for trucks but I'm still of the mind that either a small turbo diesels and v8s are the best motors for trucks. Today's trucks seem to be too large for N/A 4cyls and even 6 cyls can feel sluggish, gimme a v8 TACO!

 

I would rather have a little less power with more reliability than more power with a supercharge/turbo. Toyota has always produced de-tuned engines in the name of QDR and simplicity.

 

The Ranger's numbers (both power/torque and mpg) are going to destroy the tacomas if they put their new flagship 10 speed auto in it with the ecoboost.

I still don't understand why Toyota made the decision they did with this power train combo knowing full well what Ford was doing....

 

I absolutely 100% agree.

 

Lotus loves Toyota engines. The one they use in the Elise is a 4-cyl 2ZZ-GE which is essentially a Yamaha 1L bike engine jumbo-sized to 1.8L and built by Toyota. It has a noticeable cam-over that kicks in at 6000 RPMS and feels a bit like a turbo. I was disaponited when I determined the VVT-i in my 4.0 doesn't have a noticeable kick-in like that car does. But I guess I've never had my 4.0 up to 6 grand either

 

I dont know what all the complaints about power are about. At least on road, with ect on the truck moves just fine. Even in regular mode if i want to get going fast it pulls plenty. Its a pickup truck.

 

Agreed

You guys would have hated the early trucks with their corrolla motors.

 

Pickup trucks should come with truck engines and not luxury sports sedan engines.

 

They do, they're the full size and v8 options.

They also make light duty trucks, tacomas would fall into that catagory.

 

I actually enjoyed my old 1992 Toyota pickup with the 4-cyl. It wouldn't pull the hat off your head but I was just fine with it.

The 3.5L will certainly get things done. It's just lethargic below 2000 and then pulls like hell above 4000. It's a bit bipolar. I expect I would be happier with the turbo 4-cylinder if tuned for longevity.

 

That seem's to be Ford's opinion of how things should be too. I'm waiting to see how many of these Ecoboosts make it past 300k miles without needing some significant coin spent on them to fix all the flashy wizz-bang parts like twin turbos....

 

I hit 5k all the time getting on the interstate.

 

Well, Toyota is in the business for making money, and regardless of what they throw in it, the Tacoma name sells and sells.

While I agree, if Toyota put a similar setup to the Ecoboost motor in the Taco, I would've definitely chosen that drivetrain over the N/A, they know that they're going to make money with they're current reliable drivetrains that customers come back for over and over.

 

Omg thread fail.