Honest REAL world mpg question.

Hey there forum, I’ve been seriously considering a 2018 Tacoma SR5 2wd with the 3.5 v6. I have 3 questions:

1. The advertised mpg is 23 freeway 19 city, those can’t be real numbers. I’m looking for REAL WORLD mpg numbers WITH a leveling kit and 33” tires (255/85r16 or similar).

2. I’m moving from a Gen 1 Raptor that gets roughly 13.8 freeway and 11ish city. I drive 80+ miles a day for my work commute. Trying to find out drawbacks of the Gen 3 Tacoma for 95% freeway driving.

3. How well does the adaptive cruise control work? Will it slow down to a complete stop, then drive again once traffic starts moving again? (Stop and go traffic)

Thank you! I know I’m comparing apples to oranges here, but I’d really like to hear some real numbers mpg wise and maybe things to look / lookout for while making a purchase.

 

I took the air dam off the front and instantly lost 2-3mpg on the interstate. Keep it on if mpg’s are important.

CC will not work like that unfortunately

 

1. I have 2 inch lift, a roof rack with boxes on top, and slightly bigger tires than stock 265/75/17. I drive like a grandma and get 17.5-20 mpg depending on how many mountains I encounter.

2. I would not drive a taco if it was going to be 95% on the freeway. There are simply too many other vehicles that are cheaper and can do the job better.

3. The cruise control works well, but if I remember correctly it turns off at speeds below 35mph.

Best of luck in making your decisions.

 

You lost me at MPG and 33” tires. You’ll do probably 15-17mpg (depending on your habits) and it’s going to feel like you’re fighting a strong headwind 100% of the time.

 

I went to 265/70r16 at tires, removed the air dam, and only get an average 17 mpg on surface streets. I barely drive freeway and when I do, I get 19 mpg.

 

My SR5 2wd long bed with the 6 cylinder and 24575/16’ I get 23-24 mpg consistently. I have no interest or wish to put on big wheel/ tire and mess that up. I think if you’re going to do that just stick with the Raptor or you’ll be one of the many that start trashing the Tacoma. Because it’s get such crummy mileage.

 

Thank you for the fast replies.

it’s hard for me to understand how with 245/75r16 (31” tire) it’ll get 24 mpg, but a 33” tire will drop it to 15 mpg. Could any of this be resolved with a regear?

I enjoy my truck now, and I NEED a truck to tow my trailer (3500 pounds dry) so getting a car really isn’t in the cards.

Is there any way to get close to 20 mpg with 33s? I do drive like a grandma, 70-73 on the freeway MAX.

 

I have 285/70R17’s and about 3” of lift and OV tune for the 33” tires. My daily commute is 70 miles with some hills and I average 16.5 to 17.5 MPG. I typically drive around 70 MPH and 95% of my commute is highway.

I just got home from a road trip through the mountains of Northern California and drove the 101 back home to Portland and my average was 18.3 MPG.

The radar cruise control works well but I found that it will usually down shift to 5th on the highway when you’d usually be in 6th without cruise control. You can deactivate the radar cruise and use normal cruise control as well. Radar cruise will also slow down and speed up based on the vehicle in front of you and it will completely turn off around 30 MPH.

 

1. Getting 22 mpg freeway with 265/70/17 tires. Cruise control set at 63-64 and drive about 70 miles a day mostly freeway. Leveling and roof rack would probably put me under 20 mpg so I haven't done it.

2. It's better than a Raptor for freeway driving but most everything is.

3. It's not meant for stop and go traffic. It's great to set it and then sit back, drink some coffee and drive on into work.

 

You would probably see around 19 MPG with 4.88 gears, OV Tune, and 33” tires.

 

The current display of the average fuel economy is 15.6 mpg on my stock '20 SR 4WD V6 Double Cab with an automatic transmission.

 

I speed a lot and my truck idles for at least an hour per day and 14mpg is a good tank for me haha.

 

2-3 mpg? I think it's not more than 1, at least according to fuelly.com when you compare models with to models without.

 

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around my 6.2 on 35” tires getting almost 14 mpg but the Tacoma only getting 1-2 mpg better.

I really appreciate all the replies, I was really hoping to hear better results from leveled trucks. Does the 255/85r16 (skinny but tall) tire make any difference for mpg? Is anyone running that tire size?

 

Any size other than stock affects mpg.

 

but by 40%? That just seems like a tall ask.

 

reality is a bitch!

 

It depends on the tire and wheel you go with. It's about the weight you're adding, and it's worse because it's rotational mass. More aggressive tread is less efficient too.

Why do you need to level with 33s if it's just a daily for the highway?

 

1. I get 15-16 mpg city + stop & go highway, and 20 mpg cruising on the highway, 32" tires, 3" lift, full armor including an unaerodynamic plate bumper. That's 45% better than your Raptor.

3. Adaptive cruise turns off below ~35 mph as previously noted. It's pretty good for highway cruising.

 

Why not get a full size diesel if you tow and are looking for mpg.

I've seen 2wd's rated at 30 mpg. I think the silverado 1500 3.0 diesel is rated over 30 mpg.

Seems like the tacoma is the wrong truck for you.