New Taco Guy! RPMs seem high?!

Hello Tacoland,

I joined this community on the recommendation of some friends. I'm actually posting on behalf of my dad, who isn't as computer-savvy as he used to be!

He recently purchased his first Tacoma (2021 with 50,000kms) and has noticed that the MPG is higher than what other sources had led us to expect. He's mentioned that the RPMs seem unusually high, especially compared to his previous V8 truck. For instance, the RPMs are between 1000 to 1200 in park or neutral, and drop to around 500 when stopped in Drive or Reverse. This striked him as odd. Additionally, there was an instance when, while going uphill on cruise control with the speed set at 102 KM/H, the RPMs shot up to 4100 and remained there for about 10 seconds after the road had leveled off.

His previous V8 truck rarely exceeded 2000 RPMs.

Despite this, he loves the truck! We just thought these observations were unusual and are curious to know if any experts here can offer some insights. Thanks in advance!

Cheers!

NFLDTACOTACO

 

The Tacoma has a v6 (or a I4).

 

v6! Thanks gudujarlson

 

Just politely pointed out the obvious. Cheers. Happy thanksgiving!

 

normal, this engine makes it's power in the upper RPM range. No point in even comparing to a V8, or a vehicle that is 7-10 year older,, things have changed.
Tell him to fill it with gas, do regular maintenance, and enjoy it,,, don't overthink it. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn good,, just very different from back in the day.

 

Thanks for the helpful information Chew. I will let him know! Appreciated.

 

Lol. Ok! Good to know, sir.

 

you bet, I hope he enjoys!
BTW: before you convince yourself the little V6 is gutless, take it out and floor it,,, let the RPM's bounce off the top the red range, and you will most likely change your mind.

 

The first time I floored my 2016 AT to make a pass it scared me.

The only comparable car I’ve owned is a 90’s Mitsubishi mirage that was a cheap rocket. I think the 0-60 was around 7s and on par with the taco. The taco is so much heavier and the v6 roars unlike a 2L 4 banger

Ok I admit to never owning any fast cars.

 

Chew! Dad wanted to ask more

"Interesting, thanks. My last truck was a 2020 GMC AT4, which isn't exactly from 'back in the day'. What I'm curious about is why the engine revs higher at idle than when it's in gear. Higher revs typically mean increased fuel consumption. I do understand that a smaller engine often needs to rev higher to achieve the same amount of work. So it's not strange for the engine to rv twice as high at idle than in gear"

FYI - Neither of us are experts on trucks, so we're just trying to learn

 

Drive it where it likes to rev

don’t low rpm lug these engines.

 

ahh gotcha,, yeah that is not old at all. Sorry to be presumptuous,, we get a lot of folks here comparing 20-30 year old tech, and that simply isn't relative.
I don't know why it idles higher, mine does it. I can however assure you,,, Toyota engineers have eeeked any and all fuel savings and reduced emissions out of this thing, that they can. If it was as simple as turning down the idle to get better MPG's, they would have done that in the first hour of tuning, before anyone even saw or heard of this truck. Often times, I think it has to do with getting the catalytic converters warmed quickly, to reduce emissions.
Sorry dad, that's all I got,, but we all know you have to keep the big GOV and it's 3-4 letter agencies happy,,, or else.

 

It should be idling under 1k RPM once things are warmed up. Cold idle will be higher than normal but once coolant temps are up RPM should settle down.

 

Chew,

His closing words "that catalytic converter thing could be a plausible explanation. I won't be using the remote start anymore"

 

Some engines get their torque at 2000-2500 rpm, especially modern diesels and many old school V8 gas engines. Most modern gas engines need around 3500 rpm but will often have all the power they need unless loaded/pulling heavy closer to 2000 rpm. That includes older Tacoma's. The engine in 3rd gen Tacoma's needs around 4500 rpm to get its power. It simply has to be running faster and in lower gears to get power.

It's more complicated than that. The engine has a range of rpm's where it is most efficient. If the engine isn't spinning fast enough it is actually working harder and using more fuel.

 

Thanks Marshall. I passed it on. Gave him the login details if he wants to come in and chat.

 

oh yeah,,, good point! Using remote start on any vehicle will drastically drop MPG's.
I still use it, but conscious of it's impact.

 

This and if defrost, or a/c is on, it will idle at a higher rpm.