Drove a 3rd Gen Today...

where's the power? From 1500 to 3500 it's dead. then the power comes on once you wind it up. I was comparing a 2018 v6 manual to a 2014 v6 manual (with flowmaster/KN CAI).

anyone else notice the new truck is slower or am i imagining things? i thought the horsepower ratings were pretty equal....

 

It’s like driving a 2 stroke, power is in the upper rpms.

 

ahhhhh. so i'm not crazy.

i was gonna get a new one, but not with the 3.5L engine. i'm kinda disappointed toyota did us like that!

 

Once you get used to it, it’s all good. The truck itself is a lot nicer than the 2nd generation though. Drive in 5th gear and it will feel more like the 2nd generation

 

I wonder if they have developed a supercharger for it yet.

 

The TFL truck guys in Colorado drove both the 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen V6 DCSB Tacos, both Auto transmission, up the pass in Colorado to the Eisenhower Tunnel, towing a 5600# trailer.
The third gen beat the second gen by about 40 seconds on the roughly 10 min run, IIRC. They did mention the smaller v6 was revving higher on the way up.

2nd Gen (2015) video: 8 min 49 seconds to the tunnel


3rd Gen (2016) video: 8 mins 5 seconds to the tunnel

 

They also did a drag race with all three generations if you’re interested.

https://youtu.be/jbmOYTMirrw

 

They should make a commercial where a lil ol lady hits the gas then yells "wheres the beef?"

 

Sadly I didn't get used to it.....I had a 2017 TRD OR auto and after 6 months and 12,000 I couldn't stand the constant shifting and the feeling of the lack of power. I drive mostly in the city and stop and go and it just felt like driving a minivan with zero low end power. It drove great on the highway....except....when I had an incline and then it shifted up and down.....a lot. Using the ECT all the time helped with the power but not the MPG's. The 3rd gen is a nice truck but just not for me! I went back to a 2nd gen with more low end power.....I'm much happier now.

As a side note.....I have a 2014 Lexus GS350 F Sport which has a dial just below the shifter then you can turn to change the engine performance from eco to normal to sport to sport plus......using the feature keeps every buyer happy because you can choose which setting you like best and what suits your needs......I wish Toyota would put this feature in the 3 gen Tacomas!!.....are you listening Toyota???!!!.......until they somehow change the "mapping" of the 3.5L engine/tranny combo in the 3 gen I will NOT be buying another one.

 

You can get a 4Runner with the dual vvti 4.0L v6 engine. A much better powerplant/transmission combination.

 

OVTune is basically needed to make the 3rd gen run better. I haven't followed their 3rd Gen thread to read all of the reviews though.

Recent conversations led into the discovery that foreign markets, are still using the 1GR in the Hilux, instead of the car engine. Imagine that.

 

Agree, the current engine is more like a car engine...a honda vtec type engine. Not the best for a truck imo.

 

Not the best for a Hilux either, in their opinions......they concur with you.

 

Yeah I just expect a truck engine to make power everywhere especially for $35,000!

 

I don't know anything at all about the 4Runner... is this a current-generation thing that they've moved to a different V6 than the Tacoma?
I would imagine it's a heavier GVW than the Taco.. is that why?

 

This was discussed before in another thread, but they got some complaints about that and did verify on their blog/site that they were using "Sport Mode" with ECT. It didn't change the outcome though. Its not some magic button and wont make the truck any faster.

 

They have retained the 4.0 liter v6 in the 4runner for now. I'm sure the 3.5 liter is coming though.

 

Not even close. 2nd gen single VVTI 4.0L has so much more low end grunt that it will walk away from a 3rd gen from 0-~55mph, at 60mph speeds will be even, and the 3rd gen will catch up n pass the 2nd gen around 80mph in the 2nd gen.

How do i know this.... my buddy has a 3rd gen TRD OR 4x4 v6 auto and i have a 2nd gen.... he had it in sport mode with etc.

4runner since 2010 has had the Dual VVTI 1gr 4.0L v6, similar base motor to our tacomas but with the addition of both cams having vvti. I really wish they put this in the 2012+ tacomas, but alas nope.

 

See my above post. 3rd gens are just gutless down low. They have far less "area below the curve" on their torque curve vs the 2nd gen.

Oh and they have better mechanical advantage in 1st gear-4th gear vs the 2nd gens due to their axle ratios.... so technically they should be quicker off the line but the motor is lacking...

 

You dispute numbers.... sorry man. Im not saying the 3rd gen is a bad truck but its just not a motor that is built for torque down low sorry.