Looking to buy my first Tacoma. 4cyl vs 6 cyl?

I have a 4cyl 2.7 and I do exactly the same as you want to do with yours. I haul some firewood and some tools around in my truck. I go in the wilderness every year with it (1000 kms trips). It never failed me and it fits my needs perfectly.

Right now it is just retired for maintenance and tune-ups, but I hope to but it back to use very soon

If you plan on towing or hauling big and heavy things, go with the v6, but for things like wood and tools, the I4 is enough

 

I vote 3.4. I've had both. I love certain things about my current 2.7, but if you're planning on keeping your motor basically stock you should go V6.

 

Just curious but how's the 4cyl with the turbo compare to the 3.4l?

 

Right now I'm at about 7psi on a 5o trim turbo and I honestly feel like it's not only faster than a stock 3.4 but it's faster than my S/C 3.4 I had before this truck.

To add to that though, I am at 5000ft altitude so the power loss all motor is noticeable and the S/C loses about 2psi being pulley driven at this altitude vs a turbo being wastgate driven relative to altitude.

When my 2.7 was stock with 3.90 gears and 31's, it was a dog up hills on the freeway and got about 2-3mpg less than my s/c 3.4 did

 

I'll be an odd man out and say go for the 2.7, but only if it's manual. I tow a 4 seater side by side up winding mtn roads with mine and it handles that just fine and that's with 33"s. rescued a couple full size diesels with it as well. I have about 5 friends with 3.4l as well and power wise(as far as drag racing goes) my 4 banger is right in the midst of the group, have beat some and been beaten by some. Fuel mileage wise, the 3.4ls I know range anywhere from low teens to upper teens whereas my 2.7l averages 20-22 mpg daily driving. If your willing to spend some money and do a turbo, the 2.7 is a no brainer. Just youtube search turbo 2rz/3rz, these engines love boost and can be built to hit some impressive numbers.

 

everyone asks 2.7/3.4 ive had both i threw away my 2.7 to get a 3.4

ive drove my last 3.4L to 304K and blew a rod still drove it for a few weeks got to work,


buy a 4x4 v6 and you will be very happy id say go with the 5 speed but the auto is good as well i just like telling my truck how to run

 

If you live in the mountains, you don't want a 4 cylinder...

 

Just bought a 98 4runner with 217k and the 3.4 and drove 1300 miles without doing anything other than a solid 10pm basic visual inspection of just the overall condition of the truck and handing the guy my money. Drove from Brownsville, Texas back home to Denver in just under 24 hours of driving. That route covers BFE pretty well, I remember a stretch of over an hour of no cell service. Never once did I doubt my new to me 3.4... FYI that's where Brownsville is

 

I vote ford, chevy's suck



Oh wait, that's a different argument...Now for 9mm vs .45

Serious note though, I drove several 3rz's before buying my 3.4, and while they are both bomb proof motors, in daily driving I feel like I would get tired of how slow the 4 bangers are

 

Hey Everybody,

Here we go again beating this issue with kinves and hammers.

This is my analysis of the two engines. They are both great engines, by the way, that are extremely reliable and dependable. To all the serious mechanically talented members, I know there are a lot more differences than what I am going to outline in this post. I am just trying to give this member who is trying to decide between these two engines a general idea of the differences between these two motors.

The Toyota 2.7 inline 4 cylinder is a much simpler motor than its 3.4 V6 sibling. It is a single head, which makes everything inside the engine compartment extremely accessible with the exception of the fuel filter. These Toyota four bangers use a timing chain rather than a timing belt. As a result, timing chains are replaced much less frequently than timing belts. Because of their simplicity, size and configuration, this motor is both easier and cheaper to maintain and repair than its larger Toyota 3.4 V6 sibling. It will get also get better gas mileage. Although, this is not a significant difference.

The Toyota 5VZ-FE 3.4 liter V6 engine is a very sophisticated motor with two heads and double overhead cams per head. It uses a timing belt instead of a chain, which has to be replaced every 90,000 to 100,000 miles. As a result of its size and configuration, it occupies a lot of space in the engine compartment, which makes getting at things a bit difficult. It is going to be both the more expensive and complicated motor to both maintain and repair. Please don't assume that the 3.4 is an impossible motor to work on. This certainly is not the case. It is just way more complicated of a motor to work on than its 2.7 liter sibling. The 3.4 is going to have significantly more horsepower and torque than its smaller sibling, which makes it much more useful when doing ugly stuff like hauling and towing.

Good Luck ,
Paul

 

Welcome to TW. Definitely get the 3.4l, I wish I had. I just couldn't pass up the deal I got on my truck ($2100). So I will just have to live with it, the 2.7l is decent but I would like more power.
Good luck with your search.

 

Very good posts in here. I have the v6 and I feel that mine being a 4000lb. truck, that little 204 cubic inch v6 moves that 4000lbs. with more authority than many v8s did in previous generations of trucks. I vote v6. There was a vender that I knew at work that had a 2001 DC with the 2.7-he was pretty unhappy with that motor but loved his truck. He was jealous of my v6 but I told him that the attributes that make his 2.7 so cool are its absolute bulletproof quality, its fierce reliability, and the fact that its lineage goes clear back through so many fail-proof, legendary 4-banger trucks in the Toyota family. The fact is, that its power falls a little short for what it has to move. Oh it'll rise to the job, but the owner has to come to a resolve in his mind to accept it.

 

Neither 10mm ftw!

 

This is perhaps the best post i have ever read.

 

I would have to agree. My 03 DC 3.4 handles weight and 32s pretty well. I used to have an 84 standard cab pickup on 33s and stock gears...let's just say that 22r (yes, carbureted) didn't like turning those tires, but never let me down. I even drove that thing from Denver where I bought it back to Pittsburgh!

Edit: My vote is for the V6. Very simple to work on compared to other V6 engines. And utterly bulletproof with regular maintenance.

Obligatory driveway pic of aforementioned 84:

 

And this is best compliment I've ever received. Thanks!

 

Thanks for all the input here! After reading all of the advise, I will definitely be getting a v6.