3.5 V6 vs the 4.0

I'd argue compressed air & adjusted AFR's can handily replace displacement. A 3.5L Ford F150 would smoke a 4.0L Taco in just about every truck situation you could compare the two.

Except reliability of course

I 'll be honest and say I don't care for the fact the 3.5L is a Lexus car motor, but it's a Lexus motor and, honestly, it does the job well, especially after having TSB 0092 done.

 

A lot of angry 2nd genners coming your way sir. A lot of them think they drive a "superior" truck, quite funny.

I mean 2nd gens are great trucks but 3rd gens are better IMO of course.

 

It's tough-love time again.

 

ok, here's my take as an owner of numerous Tacomas......I start with 2015 and after........I had a 2015 TRD OR 2wd which I bought new.......and then I traded it for a new 2017 TRD OR 2wd..... which I sold to a toyota dealer and bought an old school 2004 Tacoma V6 TRD OR 2wd which I sold to a friend.....then I bought a 2015 TRD PRO DC in the Inferno Orange color......then I traded that for a new 2019 TRD OR 4wd in the cement color........then I traded that after 6 months in on a new 2019 Raptor supercab.......then I sold that to a dealer and recently bought a 2012 TRD sport 2wd......

I LOVED the new 2015 TRD OR dcsb v6 auto and it seemed to perform the best with decent mpg....14-16 mixed...I live in So CA with lots of city stop and go and some highway.....the 2017 seemed to shift like crazy and had no low end power which caused me to get rid of it.....but zero problems and still 14-16 mixed mpg......the old school 2004 Taco was fun and made me smile as I grew up with true "small" taco's....but lacked in power and technology.....hard to find cassettes and had to use a Garmin......but still 14-16 mixed mpg.......the 2015 TRD PRO was pretty bad ass....at first....but still the same 4.0 motor just had the pro suspension, and the scoop, the cat back exhaust and other visual elements......was cool until the "in your face" inferno color started bugging me and not worth the extra cost which can be done with aftermarket parts tons cheaper and probably better quality.....and still 14-16 mpg........ the 2019 TRD OR 4wd was cool and I loved the cement color......but nothing really changed to make it shift better then the previous 2017 and still no low end power......and yes, 14-16 mpg..........the 2019 raptor.......the very basic supercab (2 full doors and 2 rear suicide half doors) model with a MSRP of $54,xxx was b@lls to the walls fast especially after a mild tune......and ate speed bumps at the mall like crazy!......gas milage was NEVER over 11 mpg and parking sucked because it took up the full width of every parking spot.....thank goodness for the factory side steps to protect it from door dings......turbo lag was noticeable but nothing too bad.......but I read too much on Raptor forums about premature engine failure and got spooked and sold it to a dealer for top dollar.......and I had enough equity in the Raptor to buy my current 2012 TRD Sport DCSB 2wd for $17,000 cash.....has about 128,000 miles and drives and looks great and suits me best as I'm a contractor and don't haul too much but drive a far amount all over So CA. it came with Snugtop shell which is a plus. so far getting 14-16 mpg....


here's me thoughts......ALL 3 gens of Taco's have their good points and not so good points.....and ALL of them seem to have bullet proof quality and the resale on ALL of them is crazy high!!......but NO the 3rd gen isn't more "efficient" then the 2nd Gen.......and probably only a little better then the 1st Gen......and I could care less what all the "data" says as I'm speaking from real world experience......I prefer the feeling of "instant power from a stop" from the 2nd Gen.......but miss the nice interior of the 3rd Gen......the 3rd Gen still seems to shift too much for my liking but I'm sure it's "designed" like that for "supposed" better MPG.......and I miss the "zippy" feeling of the first Gen that seemed to take the most abuse (Except when dealing with rust)....

sooooooo, all 3 Gens seem great for their intended use and design.......just buy/lease/and drive whatever ones suits YOU best!.....

 

I test drove and put down a deposit on a 2021 DCSB 6mt with the 3.5.
- My number one complaint is that there was a lot of computer between me and the truck. Same problem with my daily 2019 WRX. The computer drives the car, you just ask it what you would like to do. Also it had to get spinning before to woke up and took off. Ended up getting my deposit back because I did not want to trade in my car and swing a $35,000 truck payment.

I ended up buying a 2013 DCSB 6mt with the 4.0. It's not as fast. But it's a lot more fun to me. That 4.0 torque down low is much more what I prefer to drive. And there is a lot less computer between you and the truck.


Overall the differences are not huge at the end of the day. I like torque down low though.


Keep in mind that BOTH trucks are manuals so the transmission shift issues with the autos did not effect me.

 

Nice trucks!

How did you manage 14-16 mixed in auto 3rd gen? Do you have a lead foot?

 

Isnt the 2nd gen drive by wire as well?

In a 3rd gen, all those traction control and vehicle sway control can be turned off with a long press of the TC button. I cant think of any other nannies. Well TSS i guess, but it doesnt interfere with my driving.

 

Yes, but there is a much more disconnected feeling on the newer truck.

 

Interesting.

My clutch felt kind of spongy but then i found out there is a pos accumulator, i bypassed it and its much better. 2nd gens have it as well?

 

I had a 4.0... Blew thwart sucker at 97k. Oil change every 5000 miles always synthetic.

 

Damn! Head gasket?

 

Crank bearing. I did notice when me and my buddy swapped engines that the head gaskets started leaking. Maybe that was the root of it.

 

how cool! what tune might that be? why would anyone want the intake valve held open at the beginning of the compression stroke!!

 

I had a 2006 for 10 years, I would have this 3.5 over the 4.0 any day.

 

The 1GRFE in my Tacoma was good but I much prefer the VQ40DE in my Frontier. Quieter, more power and torque, far more responsive and a nice exhaust note.

It's not too bad on fuel with the 6MT, especially considering the stock tires are 265/75R16 ATs.

 

Its called SFOB (super full otto B version) Im running the premium gas version of it. Its only for manuals though. There is a performance tune for the ATs but im not exactly sure what it does.

IMHO this atkinson cycle is garbage. It just robs the power at the low end with no benefits mpg wise. I noticed a big difference throughout the rpm band, especially down low. The engine just sounds happier, also im getting same mpgs right now (winter blend and cooler temps) as i was in the summer on stock tune. Im sure in the summer ill get better than ever mpgs, fuelly will tell.

Not sure how toyota tuned this engine, seems like Mr. OV tune did a way better job.

 

My buddy had nismo AC 6mt. it was nice, good power, just a pig on gas. 15 mpg on a good day. What you getting?

Im getting 17-18 in the city in my taco with 265/70/17 C load AT tire, which i think is fantastic.

 

Makes me feel better about getting 14-16mpg in my 4.7L 4runner with 265/70/17 Falkens hahaha

 

Wow thats not bad at all. Im sure my numbers will go up a bit in the summer. Highway i can do 21.5-22.5 easily if going 65-70.

How heavy is your 4runner? Those 4runners with v8s are a gem.

 

Not too much more than my taco was, I think around 4500lbs. I'm really liking it for the most part, with the back seats folded down its like a regular cab taco with a permanent cap.

With the stock size highway tires it came with I could almost hit 20mpg on the highway, but those tires were downright dangerous in the snow and I couldn't help going a size up