2019 Tacoma limited disappointment

Yeah I had to just click off the cruise as I approached other drivers if I couldn't get in the passing lane. Relying on the adaptive cruise to slow you down and speed you back up after passing results in the two gear drop + high rpm.

 

I test drove a Tundra before buying a Tacoma. I liked the truck, especially that rear slider. But I couldn’t stomach those 1970s MPG numbers: 13 and 17!!!

Tacoma’s 18/22 numbers are as low as I consider acceptable in this day an age, when a full-size Ford, Chevy or Dodge will get 23 or 24 without doing any favors.

 

This is one pro to not having the radar shenanigans. I had a 2019 rental while getting my rear axle replaced and the adaptive cruise drove me nuts, it's a hair too conservative for me personally. Nice for safety though.

 

Seems 4.88 gears from what it seems on stock set up really is the best solution and seems would fix it

 

I’ve installed the CAI and the TRD exhaust. Unfortunately it didn’t help with the highway issue, but as you mentioned other aspects seem smoother. I drive a lot of highway miles and use cruise as much as I can. It’s a big annoyance to be going up a small incline and the truck revving dropping down to 4th then shifting to 5th and 2 seconds later back to 4th. I’ll keep driving it for now, but it’s making me miss my previous V8 vehicle.

 

Comparing to full-sized domestic truck MPG's... for all the complaints about the 3.5 in the third gens, and such a minimal gain in mpg, I can't figure out what Toyota tried to do with this new engine.

An engine that many people don't like at all... and a minimal mpg gain compared to larger domestic trucks. I'm stumped.

 

Avoid 6th gear like the plague. Only good for downhill and downwind. Run in 5th and downshift wont seem so harsh and will pick up a bit quicker. If you drive a reasonable speed your mileage should not differ much.

 

It doesn’t get better. Sold mine and lost money.

/thread

 

Tell me more about this OVtune

 

Start here.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-toyota-tacoma-ovtune-1-05-tune-development-thread.495735/

https://www.ovtuned.com/collections/toyota/products/toyota-tacoma-2grfks-calibration

 

https://www.ovtuned.com/products/toyota-tacoma-2grfks-calibration

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-toyota-tacoma-ovtune-1-05-tune-development-thread.495735/

A slight bump in performance is just icing on the cake IMO. The real benefit, is the drastically improved shifting. Another plus, is that development is still ongoing and updated tunes are free of charge once you have purchased the tune. Its an investment, but well worth it. I personally would have sold the truck long ago if it wasn't for the tune. I know quite a few others can say the same. Unfortunate, but it's reality for some of us.

 

Hey there, can you tell me more about this in terms of keeping better control of what gear it goes into as much as possible in an auto tranny? If I get a Gen-3 it will be a double cab / long bed for my camper so an MT trans is out, the Sport is too as I need 16" wheels, non-view blocking hood on the Off Road version.

Last week I drove the auto tranny with ECT and in "S" mode and did not quite get a handle on the shift points, etc. It seemed better but I think when I stick 1,000 lbs of camper in the bed it could change a bit.

For example I have a high end Audi with an 8 speed DSG and when I use it in M mode, it will not auto up-shift if I were to bounce the rev limiter but will in S mode and of course D. So I can really get predictable use out of power band and in a setup like mine, truck+ camper it almost becomes a requirement.

I don't expect the auto trans with an OVtune to be as good as the road rocket but I need to set real expectations. If there is a link already that really touches on this trans in S mode I would love to read up on it.

 

So S-Mode will work much differently than the DSG in M-Mode. Of course, mechanics aside, as the two transmissions are fundamentally different, the Toyota S-Mode acts as a gear limiter. If you place the transmission into S4 (Toyota recommends all towing be done in S4; 1:1 ratio as 5th and 6th are both overdrive gears) the transmission will upshift and downshift as it normally would, although will be limited to a maximum of 4th gear. ECT is similar to a “tow/haul” mode and will modify shift points some, and the torque converter lockup sequence. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks, I posted expanded questions in a more appropriate thread. Still working through whether I am going to get one of these or not....

 

After driving a 3rd gen for two months, I can not even imagine trying to tow a camper with it. I got about 13mpg at interstate speeds with a headwind. It felt like a 4cyl on the hiway. And trying to go in reverse uphill with a trailer? It was awful.

 

Mine is a pop-up that goes in the bed, I'll never own a tow behind. Even with the camper and a full load in it, my current truck absolutely flies with this setup...like even a bit faster and much more responsive than the unloaded stock Gen-3 I test drove, MT or AT.

 

I’ve pulled my 19 ft bass boat all over the east coast and never once needed more power or truck. My 3rd gen tows it better then my 2nd gen did.

 

That's b/c you have the 2nd Gen with the 4.0 motor and 5 speed. I wish they had left that motor and tranny in the 3rd Gens. But having said that, my 2016 pulls my 20 foot bay boat with no problem at all. I just keep the trans in SPORT mode in 5th while I'm towing. This works much better than ETC as it doesn't suck near as much gas. No problem maintaining 70 mph on the highway.

 

Really? Lol