Thoughts on the Atkinson engine?

I like driving my Honda civic more than this truck. Sighhhhhh.

 

The AT is a five speed if you drive it in s5

 

Would be cool to have an Inline 6 engine in the Taco.

 

There are headers you can get, cai, OVtune is the only game running as far as chips and it's pretty good. Check out URD's website for downpipes exhaust and shit. Save money on the CAI and take the charcoal filter out, and get a straight pipe to the intake.

OVTune is working on a twin turbo kit too. This engine is twin turboed in a new Lexus. I'm saving my pennies...

Engines only two years old. By the end of this year there will be many available engine mods I'm sure.

 

I think the engine is a great combination of power, efficiency and reliability, forgoing a turbo seems like a good idea for long term reliability. There is a lot of tip in on the throttle which gives the driver more precise control. It is a 2gr fks a direct family member of the 1gr fe. The direct injection really helps with the power out put when it is demanded.
One day it would be cool to see a 1gr fks, lets say in them2020 4Runner, but it may never happen.(a stroker Atkinson)
The gr series of engines have been prolific and successful. Having dual direct and port injection and the ability to run a modified atkinson cycle(situationally lowering effective displacement).
My 2018 runs better than the 2017 I test drove last year.

 

Oh boy.
There's 1 lb*ft less torque in the 3.5.

That's roughly the cranking power of a burrito in your outstretched hand. Minus the gas ya get from the beans...

Edit: mind you, I get that the torque curves are slightly different.

 

I did not like my wife's first '17 (built very early January of '17). It was a complete dog, even after having the auto trans replaced under warranty (diagnosed bad TCU). Her current '17 (built in December) is a completely different truck. Still got the auto trans since she commutes about 110 miles round trip, three times per week. This truck is sitting on 285/75R16s with 4.88s and is a joy to drive. We had the opportunity to drive it pretty aggressively through the TX Hill Country this past weekend, and it was a lot of fun. Thing is, you have to DRIVE this truck, not just sit back and let the truck do all the work. Honestly, the new truck continues to impress me every time I drive it, and makes me slightly envious of her DD (considering that my DD is a '17 F250 Powerstroke).

Edit - even with the bigger tires, the 4.88s keep the truck from constantly hunting for the correct gear. We cruised back to Houston yesterday at 78-80 mph on average (right around 2,300 RPM) and she generally held 6th gear with no problem.

 

You can get decently equipped 2.7 F150 XLT's for less than 34k w/ a much better head unit, better gas mileage, and a whole lot more power. I love my Tacoma dearly but typically it being better equipped than the competition is not true.

 

You completely missed the point of his post. Did you read it?

 

Sold my 2009 civic si for one of these. I’d say you’re probably right. Except the flywheel was much lighter on the civic (obviously).

 

I got the point.

Yours, not so much

 

Ha tell that to the 3rd gen pro I see on the way to work. He makes it a point to try and get me every morning like he is trying to prove something. He gets maybe a car length at most when I decide to go along with his antics. He likes to drive it like a motorcycle.

 

No you didn't

 

Depends on what your expectations are... I've had a Tundra, 2nd gen Tacoma, and now a 3rd gen Tacoma. They have all been good in different ways. Would I love to have the engine from a Tundra with the 3rd gen MPG in a truck the size of a Tacoma sure! Personally I like the 3rd gen engine. It does like to rev a little more then the 2nd gen but mine anyways runs smooth and gets better MPGs overall. My only complaint would probably be I don't particularly enjoy the sound of the engine sounds a little to much like a little shit box car vs what Im used to with trucks.

Side note...

I've never really understood why people get so hung up on how quick is it off line. Its a Tacoma...None of them are even remotely fast. If 0-60 times matter that much and are what you are basing your like/dislike for the engine on. I would look at something else.

 

I stand corrected then, there is one dealer near me selling the 2.7 xlts for just above 33k. Most in my area are 35.5k+ however. I was just going by what my buddy got his for and how his is equipped which apparently was not a good comparison.

Edit: but if you want a full 4 door you are looking at 37k+, at least at my local dealers.

 

I've had my 17 Sport M/T for about a year and a half now. It's fully broken in, been through a couple of the regular service intervals, and I've had ample time to form an informed opinion.

All in all, I think it's a great truck. I've not had any issues in about 20k miles and I look forward to driving it every day. The engine is fine, but it does leave a little to be desired at times. Especially if you're a person who drives fast and somewhat aggressively like I do. If you try to accelerate quickly, you can feel the hesitation and dead spots, but once she's up and moving, she feels great with plenty of power. In a perfect world, would I like a bigger, or more performance tuned engine? Sure, but the 3.5 is more than adequate and it is a fine engine in it's own right.

At the end of the day, I love driving a manual and it's great that Toyota still offers this option in the higher trim level trucks. That's getting harder and harder to find these days. As long as they offer an M/T, and maintain their epic reliability, I'll continue to purchase Tacoma's.

No vehicle is perfect including the Taco, but it is still flat out the best truck, mid or full-size, on the market today IMO.

 

Great engine. Hopefully will be as reliable as the old 4.0, 3.4, 2.7. Not qualms about it. My A/T is great.

 

Same here. No way you're getting a new F150 XLT Supercrew for low $30's.

 

You're both right, I quoted the supercab because it offers approximately the same space for the rear passengers as the Tacoma. 32.6 inches of leg room for the Tacoma, 33.5 for the Supercab. Quoting a supercrew would be moving the goalposts and no longer comparing apples/apples.

 

You can get a double cab xl (stx?) for 34k.
You have to expect 10 k depriciation really fast though. I looked hard at them as a work truck, but since I don’t write down depriciation for taxes since I get reimbursed for mileage the Tacoma with it’s lower depreciation was a better financial choice.