4 cylinder or V6?

2018, never actually weighed it but was told that.

 

My humble opinion ... as I have owned both. I had a 4 cyl 4wd and and did tow with it. Also hauled all sorts of stuff with it. Have a car trailer and pulled cars hundreds of miles with that 4 banger. Thing never broke a sweat. BUT it was a manual transmission. That made a big difference. My sister in law had a similar model but automatic tranny. When I drive that, I felt the manual tranny was the Torque/power difference.

 

The fact you can't even get the 4cyl/5 speed combo boggles my mind, but it makes the choice easy for me.

 

I've gotten my 2016 SR 4banger officially weighed at a calibrated scale and it's over 4000 pounds depending on fuel and load, but during optimal conditions its weight will start with a "3". I have under 100 pounds of armor (sliders are weld on and skids are aluminum).



It's not fast at all, but I live in a big desert valley and I am patient for the most part.

This. An AZTW member rolled his 2.7 onto its roof and the thing didn't even smoke when it was righted. I've seen reports of 3.5 V6'es smoking if you hit too high of a grade.


Two super important things that I haven't seen pointed out:
-Wheel and tire weight is HUGE in how your truck feels. Big 80 pound boat anchors are gonna feel way different than an assembly that comes in at about 55 or 60 pounds.
-I see the exact same complaints from V6 6AT owners as I do 4pot 6AT owners- the gearing, specifically the overdrives, in the 3rd gen suck ass. When you have a huge power differential and the complaint is still the same, that's telling you something.
When I go to Flagstaff (large climb into mountains and high altitude) the transmission gives me 2 options, accelerate and scream along at 5000 RPM, or chug and lose speed. No maintaining speed, just accelerate or chug unless you drop speed to like 55 and hit the blinkers.
As I said, people with the V6 report the same exact symptom.

 

I’ve had the four cylinder and V6 in the 3rd Generation Tacoma. The four cylinder met my usage—commuting and carrying sporting equipment, canopy tent and occasional trash or large household items. I’ve never towed with any of my Tacomas, so the four cylinder’s lack of towing package and limited towing capacity didn’t come into question. Fuel economy seemed more consistent with the four cylinder than the V6. Power delivery felt smoother on the four cylinder compared to the jerky tendency of the V6. The only downside I experienced with the four cylinder was slow take off and acceleration in making passing maneuvers at highway speeds compared to the V6.

My advice is to seriously consider your usage. If you aren’t doing a considerable amount of hauling/towing and plan to drive/use it as you would sedan, then the four cylinder should be fine. If you are open to the possibility of hauling/towing, trading in/selling in the near future, desire to have a more powerful engine for acceleration, value more standard/available options and you are the type who would regret not choosing the V6, then go with a V6. You may be able to find a used SR5 (V6) that’s not much more than than a SR (four cylinder). Also, take them both for a test drive.

 

Nothing wrong with the 4 banger, but the V6 is much nicer on the ears

 

V6 you won’t be sorry if you get the 4 banger you will always wonder if you should have went with the v6.

 

We have both a 1st gen 2.7 5sp and a 3rd gen v6 6sp. The 2.7 has 268000 miles and is still running well, but needs a new vavle cover gasket as is has developed an oil leak. It also needs new shocks as it has hauled and towed a LOT in its life. Definitely need to wind it out going up hills, but it off roads like a dream.

The new v6 does have more power, no doubt about it, and with the larger size of the 3rd gen ithink it needs it. I didn't test drive a 4 cylinder when we bought the 3rd gen, but would also recommend driving both before making your decision, it will keep you fromm second guessing your decision later.

 

Simply by asking the question, you have sorta' answered it. Definitely get the V6.

 

The taco has no power with the v6. I couldn’t imagine the 4 cylinder. I have the 6 in my truck. You have to run to redline for any sort of power. It’s nutless until almost 4K.

 

V6.. I have had 4 bangers all my life, and they did me well were dependable, and got me where I wanted to go. however with the tacoma and the weight I wanted to add to it. the V-6 would be necessary to make the vehicle driveable as a DD, and handle the weight I was adding.. RTT, sliders, armor, bumpers/winches, and suspension, and tires. I do plan to regear to 5.29's when i upgrade from my current 265/70/17's. its a 2016 OR DCSB... I plan to eventually go across country "overlanding" I plan to camp and explore the countryside, see a few sights along the way...

 

It’s nothing like motorcycles.



The fuck. Lol.

 

Turn off your computer and go for some test drives. Nothing anyone can say will make you like a 4 cylinder if you think it's slow or make you want a 6 cylinder if you think it's un necessary, too expensive, or too front heavy. A 6 cylinder is noticeably more expensive so if money is an issue like you said it might not matter anyway. A 4 cylinder is more than I need and is much faster than the Traffic flow. It cruises at 90 mph without issue. My 350z makes it seem slow but you can't drive a truck nearly as fast as a Sports car.

 

V6 and 4x4 !

 

OP, if you go used, test drive a 2017 or older 4cyl 5spd manual. It’s a whole different animal. It may be just what you are looking for.

 

If you know, you know.

This guy knows.

 

you gotta test drive both to make your own decision they will both be fine for what you want

 

^^^^This^^^^

Take both out on the highway and see if you think it has the power you need to merge or pass.

 

V6, these trucks are heavy. Especially if you lift, put bigger tires, haul anything etc, think about all that strain you will be putting on the 4 banger. The 2gr (v6) is a proven motor on all the other vehicles toyota put it in (google it)

 

First test drives.
After that: What's the purchase price difference of nearly identically equipped 4 vs V6? The MPGs hardly look different for identically equipped.

I keep mentioning identically equipped because inevitably some wiseguy will come to compare the MPGs of a access cab 2wd contractor model 4 cylinder versus a fully loaded 4wd double cab, with mud terrain tires, 900# of steel shit, and boomboombox that was designed to compensate for a lack of parental attention.