How happy are you with the 2.7L 4x4

Interesting how so much (deserved) love for the 4 cyl in this thread and still OP responds that he is thinking about saving to get a 6cyl.

Sometimes it sucks having to make a decision.

I had a 91 S10 reg cab (small truck) with 4cyl and 5 speed- really liked the power, but it didn't have air conditioning or power steering.

When I got the Dakota access cab (midsize truck), I only knew I wanted 6cyl and 5 speed MT.

The 3rd gen Tacoma is a big heavy truck, and the 4cyl is probably adequate, but I would not consider it , especially since I crossed over to the dark side- automatic transmission.

Good luck with the decision OP.

 

Absolutely when I went from my 1st gen to a 2nd gen i test drove a 4 cylinder 5 speed manual and the truck felt under powered, all of my Taco's since have been v6's.

 

I had a 2006 4 cylinder SR5 2WD Access Cab then in late 2015 picked up a 2016 SR5 4X4 Access Cab AT 4 cylinder. I though the new truck had more power even though it was a bigger 4X4. The new 2.7 however is different with dual VVT-i and it may produce more power, but for EPA reasons Toyota may have kept the old HP rating on paper, that is just pure speculation. I just traded the 2016 in for a 2017 TRD Sport 4X4 Double cab with the AT and the 3.5L V6. So i have some basis for comparison on both trucks.

1. The 4 cylinder AT was much better at not hunting for gears and although it tried to up shift it wasn't as drastic as my V6 Truck.
2. 6th gear was usually too tall for the 4 cylinder and it almost would never stay there if there was any wind or slight incline. So I always drove the truck in S5 mode which basically made it a 5 speed AT.
3. At 70 MPH + the 4 cylinder would do it, but you could feel that it was working very hard to do it. The V6 seems to act is if it is loafing and could accelerate with no problem.
4. The big complaint about the V6 is the overall lack of torque unless you floor it. I would agree with this because the truck stays most of the time in Atkinson mode to save gas, and Mikey Sweers confirmed this that they (loose torque in this mode and make up for it in gearing.) This explains also the over shifting transmission. The 3.5L has plenty of power and torque when it is not operating in Atkinson mode, but that only happens when you aggressively push the pedal and rev the engine out which most don't like to do.

Here is some of the complaints and actual issues with he V6

1. Vibrations between 2200 to 2500 rpm. Many have complained about vibrations in the pedal and steering wheel in this range and some of it hand numbing. I also notice this vibration although no as bad but the AT never keeps the truck in this range so I almost never encounter it, however manual transmission guys and "S" mode guys would more likely to encounter this. This vibration to me feels and sounds like exhaust resonance which others have found to be true.
2. 2016 -2017 models experiencing crankshaft position sensor failure leaving them stranded and unable to accelerate potentially causing a dangerous situation. There is a recall for affected VIN's but some later model trucks not in the recall have also encountered this.
3. Loud cricket noises from the high pressure fuel pump.
4. Slight hesitation in throttle response meaning you push the pedal and nothing happens for a split second.
5.Hard shifting, harsh shifting, shifting flare and shifting all over the place with the AT. Toyota has released to TSB to correct this with mixed results. Mine shifts frequently at times but is very smooth, with the radio on I don't notice it.
6. The factory continuously shipping trucks with low AT fluid especially with he tow package models.

The 4 cylinder has been around and is bullet proof and has none of these BS issues. But Toyota seems to be on the up side with the V6 after early growing pains.

For highway driving at 70 MPH+ I would go with he V6, it just has the power to keep up. As like otherts said, offroad it doesn't matter because you will have wheel slippage before you ever use the HP

 

And the 4cyls are more powerful. Next.

 

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/a2/a2db464eb5f492e5835b8d1bb1479bb7ca5d5709b0e6ba9c7f11bad560e3f9e2.jpg

 

I did. I couldn’t imagine plowing snow with a MT. The truck is slow but I have a Forester XT if I want to go fast.

 

Not true.
In 1995 a 4 cyl had 142 hp. Thats 22 years ago !
Today 159 hp. You consider 17 hp "more" powerful with the weight increase they have now ?
Thats been the argument of people all day long these days.
A little research first next time please. Next.

 

Yes. 159 is more than 142 is more than 90/96 in the 80s. I mean. You you said not true and then you corrected yourself.

 

Another question would be, do you need a truck? Or would be getting a little 4X8 trailer for your Corolla be better?

We have a a truck and a SUV, both get crappy mileage....really only use my truck "as a truck" for hauling my dirt bike and camping, the rest of the time it is empty, used mainly for commuting. I am thinking for my next new truck might be a Corolla iM, and park my old beater Tacoma and only use it for camping.

 

Do the math.
Hp increase was only 10 %.
Curb weight in 1995 was 2560 lbs.. Today 4220 ! Thats 60% heavier !!!!!
Next you will be correcting speling.
Next.

 

Jesus. Really?
Wrong. Curb weight for comparable trucks- 4 cyl 4x4-

1995- 3877
2017- 4195

Your info sucks.

Hp for 2.7’s (not 2.4’s)
1995-150
2017-159

It’s even more so the farther back you go. Smaller. Less hp.

I feel like you’re really trying to impress on me that the 2.7 sucks... but that’ll never happen. But I do encourage you to enjoy your Atkinson enabled clusterfuck.

 

That 2560 number is probably the 2WD 5 Lugger.

Do wonder what the mpg numbers would be if Toyota kept their trucks small but with the newer more efficient engines.

Would be nice to have a small 2WD truck that got 35 mpg for hauling my dirt bike.

 

https://www.vehiclehistory.com/vehicle-curb-weight-specifications/toyota/tacoma/1995

I' ll see you in the rear view mirror.

 

I believe my numbers are correct. 2017 4cyl 4x4 utility compared to the comparable 1995. You’re incorrect.


Also that was really corny. Cmon man.

 

From what I can find, the curb weight of a 1995 Tacoma is 3,340lbs (Ext Cab, 4WD, 5sp, 2.7). It looks like it stayed about that for the entire 1st gen era. So that's a good 850lbs difference. lb/HP went from 22 to 26.

https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/tacoma/1995/features-specs/

 

You can set the specific trim to whatever you want with the dropdown menu. But it's a little wonky. At the top of the spec sheet, it says V6, but down below, it does specify 4WD and 2.7L. Either way, though, they all come out at around 3,400lbs--even the V6's.

 

Yeah I caught that, it wasn’t refreshing for some reason even when I did. Either way, those specs I posted and based on my past vehicle, I believe my numbers are the numbers you are looking for.

 

That 3,877lb figure doesn't seem right, though. I looked up 4Runners in that same era and even the Limited trim is 3,820lb. I would think there would be a little more weight gap between the two. Unless the 4Runner figure is off, too.

https://www.kbb.com/toyota/4runner/...=9785&category=suv&spec_group=tech#spec-table

 

I wouldn’t know, 4 runner weights and other tacomas weights in different trims weren’t something I concerned myself with often. Until today really when I had to look up specs while porning because some kook is butthurt I love my engine.