The V6 2GR-FKS -at least it's not a pig!

Zero complaints with the VQ40DE in my Frontier. Pulls hard right to 6250rpm, responsive, refined, nice exhaust & induction noises, reliable. The 1GRFE in my Tacoma was also reliable but left a lot to be desired in the way of refinement and power delivery. Both are easy to service and burn the same amount of fuel under my usage.

 

That's right it was just a money grab thru fines, of course VW was in violation, pay the fines and move on. VW was just trying to meet the standards set forth by the epa, it's not like VW wanted to trick their customers they have a good following around the world. Most owners gave the impression that they still liked their diesel cars. I always like to see a VW or Audi on the road with a soot covered rear bumper. Why should the HD pick up turbo diesel people have all the fun?

 

The 4.0 is probably a better engine than the 3.8.

 

100%

 

Engine and trans is fine. Mechanically, I actually really like them. Programming is atrocious. Why am I in 5th gear overdrive going 55km/h? Why does the engine bog when accelerating out of every turn? Why does it feel like I get rear ended from the up shift everytime I come to a stop? I’ll tell you why. Programming to minimize emissions. Modern vehicles are manufactured to please the government, not the customer.

Please don’t blame the hardware. It’s not that bad. Blame the programming, and the bullshit regulations that neuter our vehicles.

 

Many folks bitching, no one selling. Why ?

 

The other options for a midsize truck might have better engines but compromise on a lot else. The Tacoma is far from perfect but it’s probably the best overall package if you want to stay with a midsize truck.

 

Whoa Nellie! Easy does it. I am the OP, so let me address and clarify some points made by others and by me.

1. This motor is not a "pig". The V6 in my old (2003?) Mazda tribute WAS a pig - giving it more throttle would make it whine and scream, burn more fuel but not go any faster. Total POS! I recently rented a Dodge Durango with the legendary "Hemi". It was just a bigger pig.
The 2003 Mazda Tribute (Ford 3.0 V6) was not a good comparison. How about a new 2022 VW 3.6 V6 - like in the VW Atlas? Rather have that? FYI- I rented a 2019 Durango Extended Length 3-Row model; it had a hemi V-8 (hp ?) but was nothing special even lightly loaded.

2. Toyota engineers came up with a motor that strikes a good balance of fuel economy, power, durability, and the ability to run on 87 Octane.
Toyota developed a versatile V-6, not designed exclusively for the Tacoma, granted. It has proven its durability on high mileage Tacomas and Lexi. I average 21 mpg with the 6-MT which is excellent for a heavy solid vehicle and have no complaints with engine throttle response. Its' power is easily modulated by overriding the automatic transmission's programming, either by driving the 6-MT (a great reason to buy a Taco) , by Tuning, or by changing the driving mode/ECT.

3. The motor runs flawlessly. It never misses, pings, stalls, wheezes, or acts up. I've got 26K miles and it runs so smoothly that it's hard to imagine the motor not going 260K miles.
Not my words:
Despite them being fairly new there are already a number of engines beyond 250,000 miles with few or no issues. Ultimately, the 2GR-FKS engine delivers a great balance of performance, efficiency, and reliability. Stay on top of maintenance and chances are you'll have a long, reliable experience with the 3.5L V6.Dec 7, 2021

4. The other V6's out there aren't much better; even the turbos when you look at the big picture. It won't be long until new Tundra owners look to trade for Tacos IMHO. I'm not a big fan of V6's, but this one has stood the test of time and is actually pretty good, all things considered.
Some of the other V6's, like Nissan Frontier, Toyota 4R, may be somewhat better, but I still say that our V6 is "pretty good"

 

Exactly. CAFE is fu*king with our rides. Bottom line. Otherwise the engine and transmission is rock solid.

 

Yup, perfect summary.

I hate feeling like the truck shudders / hesitated / bogs down when I’m hitting the accelerator.

I also agree, mechanically speaking, they are fine. However, all the RMS / Timing chain cover leaks I see are something Toyota Engineers could absolutely fix, but have not. They don’t / won’t change the sauce until people stop eating it.

However, RMS / Timing chain leaks were present in the 1GR, so it’s not like it’s unheard of.

Mind you, when we see these issues on here.. the sample size seems alarming, but it’s not a wholistic idea of all the current Gen 3’s on the road.

 

Owning a GM product has that effect on people.




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Could be, the 3.8L isn't radically different though. The direct injection is my only real strike against it. Time will tell if it's prone to intake valve carbon build up but it's been around 3 years already.

 

I can confirm that my dads baby duramax in his 1500 gets about 35mpg hwy. It’s a crew cab long box and I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me, I didn’t till I saw it myself.

 

That's crazy man. Lol

 

you sold back a 6 year old pre ban TDI for some money when its known that those with proper maintenance can rack up +400k miles and do it extremely efficiently. Sounds like you're the one who got fined if you factor in long term cost savings for a vehicle that could last that long

 

Heres a thought to consider, just drive it. Drive it gentle or drive it hard as fuck. In 6/8 years you'll get your cash back.

 

I bought it for 22.5k plus tax and sold it back for 18 with with 75k miles and 6 years old. The trade in value at the time was 11-12k. I’d say I did pretty darn good. Also the 2010+ tdis do not run 400k miles. High pressure fuel pumps grenade way before that causing 10k+ in damages … the dpf and egr system clog up by 150-175k miles …dual clutch transmissions usually last 250-300k tops as well.
Suggest you do some research on these.

 

Fair enough.

I honestly don’t mind that it has a “car like” ride. It’s got great top end for highway driving and enough torque at low rpms for what I do. It’s a light duty truck that’s pretty good at what it was designed to do. A Toyota v8 would’ve been fantastic though!

 

Actually the tacoma is not "slow" if you're willing to rape it past 4000rpm all the way to redline. I bet it's no slower than a F450 or F350 if the full power band is used and they aren't tuned.