Sheldon: What Makes The Four-Cylinder Tacoma Engine So Reliable

Plenty to comment on in this promo piece.

https://www.topspeed.com/toyota-engineer-tacoma-iforce-reliability/

 

This promo too
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hKv510t91Uc

 

He says emissions about every other sentence, which is what this turbo is really all about.

It looks like MY2024 reduces CO2 per mile from 448 to 420, which is actually kind of terrifying because it only buys them an extra year under the new EPA laws. They are going to have to go to all hybrid soon - which will make the current prices seem cheap in retrospect.

 

"Toyota's testing process went beyond standard on-road conditions. They tilted the engine up, ran it to the side, and even ran it downhill. These various drive cycles simulate the different conditions the engine might encounter, and it's been done this way to ensure that off-roaders can't starve the engine of oil or create flow issues. This complements what was previously explained about the cooling system. The testing involves long-term bench tests as well as installing advanced engines into vehicles currently on the road, accumulating miles to gather real-world data."

Drove it downhill? Wow.
We even drove it up short snow covered 5% inclines with some bare rocks to test the 4x4 capabilities....

 

Valid test considering the 3rd gen 3.5 is known to grenade itself on steep hills.

 

Am I reading the bottom chart wrong? Won't the 420 cover a pickup until 2029? I'm curious wha the hybrid will get

 

You mean rev higher when climbing hills? That is what it is supposed to do. Power is in the higher revs on the 3.5.

 

If you get the impression that I fall into the "my generation is better", I really want a 4G with the hybrid (and upgraded rear suspension). I have gotten over the fact that I will not have an access cab with doors, and will have to purchase a DCSB. Where is @SwollenGoat ?! (His forehead vein is pulsing and eye twitching). The DCSB will fit in my garage, and there are solutions to the "sleeping in the back" issue I have with the short bed. That said, I grew tired of the Sheldon justifications for how Toyota designed and engineered the new Tacoma, along with the continuous clickbaiting by YouTubers for their videos and trucks. I also get irritated by TFL, but at least they got Sheldon's attention with their own ADD gear failure. It will be 2025 for me. Let all the issues, especially on the new drivetrain, settle out..... *unless it will be 2026?

 

No, I mean literally grenade and send a crank rod out the side of the block when on steep hills.

 

I doubt the hybrid will be much better. Toyotas truck hybrids are power enhancers, not efficiency enhancers.

 

I wanted a 4G with an actual hybrid system not the iForce system. I fail to see why a series hybrid cannot be a thing in a Tacoma. A 3 cylinder powering a generator to drive the electric motors would be incredibly effecient and you wouldnt lose any of the 4x4 stuff or potentially towing. Not that the tacoma is known to be a good tow rig.

 

Looks like the Tundra hybrid drops about 5%. If the Tacoima hybrid is similar it would get it another 2 years. But I am sure there will be a new hybrid system by then to replace it.

 

Brutal. I think they are going to have to go all electric.

 

There are 57+ pages of TFL blew up their new truck. Lots of fluff and filler.
I hope, without hope, that Sheldon might provide some sanitized version of the failure analysis report on which part (of 3 gears, or 2 retaining rings) inside the ADD gearing system failed and why. Then I could rave on about what my next truck will be.

 

I am with you.
Ram REV! It will not be cheap! But it will have multi-tuned exhaust notes?

 

Lots of hate directed towards Toyota for going turbo/hybrid. I am sure Toyota would rather perfect the 4.0 liter but that's not the world we live in. In fact, I saw one interview with Mike Sweers where he mentioned his displeasure of having to move away from the V8 in the Tundra but Toyota corporate told him he had to due to tightening emissions regulations coming down the pipe. I do think one of the reasons the hybrid doesn't have ground breaking fuel economy is that they think it'll be just good enough to meet emissions down the line without too much additional cost (and perhaps it will be the only powertrain available option late in the decade).

Legacy automakers are (somewhat) successfully lobbying lawmakers in many jurisdictions to roll back EV/ICE cessation mandates that were a bit overzealous. Perhaps they will do the same with emissions and you won't be forced to drive an electrified/turbo-charged weed-whacker motor in your 2.5 ton truck.

 

You can't go by the lobbies, companies lobby for whatever will make them the most money (or cost the least), not what's best for everyone. Remember tobacco companies lobbied against anything saying cigarettes are bad for you.

Toyota actually lobbied heavily against improving fuel economy and electric vehicle incentives, they just lost. That's why they seem to be playing catch-up in this area, they were betting against it.

 

I think the iFarce is just a brief stop-gap for the iFarce-Max. Assuming the pricing is reasonably close, why bother with the non-hybrid? Rav4 and Rav4-hybrid are worlds apart; expect the same with the Tacoma. I think iFarce owners may have some regrets in a few years. Personally I would wait until the iFarce-Max becomes widely available.

 

I suspect it's a battery and materials cost thing. I also think the hybrid will eventually be the only engine option but while the regulations allow it, Toyota can probably pocket more money and crank out more units by making the non-hybrid primarily.

It'll be real interesting to see what will happen later in the decade with vehicles. Full electrification obviously isn't ready to take on pickup truck applications for the mainstream. All of this complexity is going to (further) drive up costs and allow less consumers access to new vehicles. Who knows though, maybe that's the grand plan?

 

Consumers set the prices. Don't want to pay it? Don't buy it.*

Manufacturers are making more expensive cars because consumers have demonstrated they are willing to pay a lot for new vehicles. (A little extra walking around money during the pandemic may have had something to do with this.)

I don't absolve the manufacturers of responsibility, but they are just following the market.

I blame banks the most; normalizing lending and being in debt for everything you "own" helps people swallow higher prices for everything. Loans have their place, but shouldn't be needed for everything.

*Edited to clarify: individuals can't do much by refusing to buy something, if the larger market is still okay with it. So yes, some people are being forced into this situation against their will.