Why Toyota so boring now?

Mazda seems to be marketed by the press and media as a more fun to drive car than say a Toyota or Honda.

Everyone rides toyota for being a boring auto manufacturer which is mostly true but I will say Mazda is just as boring as toyota they just don't get criticized for being a boring auto manufacturer like Toyota.
The Mazda 3 has the same underpowered engine as the Toyota Corolla just with a more sporty ride.
The Mazda 6 has the same underpowered 4 cylinder engine as the Camry and they don't even offer a v6 model. At least the Camry has a V6 option.
The Miata and FRS/86 are great handling cars but have underpowered 4 cylinder engines that a V6 Camry can out run in a drag race.
I guess the Japanese auto manufactures stick to their strengths which is making great 4 cylinder cars. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Mazda make better 4 cylinder vehicles than the domestic brands but make mediocre to average 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder vehicles.

The domestics brands strengths are 8 cylinder vehicles. The American brands make great full size pickups and muscle sports cars which are the two segments the Japanese brands fall short.

 

I normally would agree with you there too but I swear mine was shit before I hit 2000km.

 

IDK, wife's Mazda 3 is fun to drive. it's not a speed demon by any means, but has that sporty feel to it. It's a nice break from the truck every once in a while.

 

The Mazda 3 definitely has a more sporty feel to it compared to the corolla. My aunt has one and the transmission in it is smooth like butter. Probably because it doesn't have a CVT like the corolla. Meh.

Not a fan of CVT automatics.

 

Me either. I put in in sport mode and change it manually, drives her crazy.

 

What gets me is people bitch about the "lack of power" out of the V6. Its a mid size truck, not a sports car. Did you not drive it BEFORE you bought it ? I had a BMW 650i that I traded in on my Tacoma. That was really fun to drive but had to baby the throttle big time to get 16 mpg. Consumers want more power but they also want better gas mileage. That is a fine line that auto manufactures need to walk. I've been a Toyota fan for 25 years. Some things have changed over the years with their quality but for my money, it still beats just about everyone else out there.

 

Think people expect a hot rod and off road vehicle all in one, including mileage of a Prius. Not happening but can't get over it. Need to get over it or get rid of it and stop complaining!

 

:: Points to sig::

 

This doesn't sound like my 16 Taco at all. 23.7 mpg average on 600 mile trip, doing 75 mph 90% of the time. Plenty of power to merge with traffic. If you like a Ford that was designed using a shoebox for inspiration, go for it, different strokes for different folks. My new Ford XLT 3.5 only got 17 mpg at 75 mph, got rid of it at 11K miles. It seems that people come to TW to try and trash the new Tacoma's. I'm happy with mine, so trash away.

 

I get about 15mpg with heavy ass 35s on stock gears - and I have a sporadic lead foot that kicks in like tourettes syndrome.

Either something is wrong with your truck, or you need to buy a sports car.

 

I think his Truck is fine. It's the way that he is driving it that is the problem.

 

Nanny government regulations == boring.

 

In highway driving If I keep it @ 55 mph I get 23, @60 22, @ 70 20 mpg. (I live near Seattle and there is very little flat land around here) In town, stop and go, about 18. Just a bit better than the EPA Numbers. Final gearing is different between the AT's and MT's. With my manual I am at 2200 rpm at 60 mph.

 

2 miles is barely enough time for the coolant temp to come up.. it's not like you can hop in a cold truck, throw it in gear, dip to the gas station to buy smokes and get 20 mpg down and back. It doesn't work that way.. mpg is an average over time not 5 mins here and there, that's what smart cars and electrics are for

 

In the first post you say MT and fatter down you say it's an auto????

 

People "bitching" is reality. Perspective is reality.

Lack of power or not it feels gutless. Low end torque is lacking, fact. Throttle responsiveness and delayed shifting exist, fact. People spit misnomers here routinely "oh your gas mileage will improve after break in" = Bullshit. Oh things will perform better after your "transmission learns" = Bullshit. Too bad it is hard to figure that out in a 20 or 30 minute test drive.

Please provide the phone number and address of the dealer who offers an overnight or weekend test drive opportunity in your area so we can take advantage. Thanks!

 

Test drives should catch all this, fact.

 

Please provide the phone number and address of the dealer who offers an overnight or weekend test drive opportunity in your area so we can take advantage. Thanks!

 

Why would you need an entire weekend to figure out if a truck has enough torque to get your rocks off? C'mon bruh.

 

Cuz Break In Bruhhhh