wher have we come?

i ad datsun trucks in the 70s and 80s and they all got 25 to 26 mpg on road.how can 25 years later there is not any better mileage on a small truck?i wanted to get access toyota with automatic but as i am looking i see the f150 with 6 cylinder is rated 17-23 and reports from owners they are getting 25 on the road in 4x2.just amazed that if ford can get that out of bigger truck why hasn't toyota tacoma gotten more than 25.reasoning is leading me to truck that will also pull 6100 lbs.

 

Don't be fooled by what the Ford owners are claiming to get. That Ecoboost engine will only get those kind of numbers cruising down a flat highway and with a small load on the engine (out of boost). Around town, it will get upper teens. The Tacoma with the tow package is rated to tow up to 6,500 lbs, obviously the full size will be more comfortable with that kind of weight but just sayin... Look at your Datsun from 25 years ago, trucks these days are making a lot more power and are governed by the EPA and other agencies. It is possible to make an engine that will make more power and get better fuel economy, but it will not burn the fuel as cleanly so it will not make production in this country.

FWIW, I've got a double cab V6 4x4 with a shell and a couple hundred pounds in tools and get about 19 MPGs commuting in and out of Boston.

 

25 years ago I could get a pocket knife pretty Sharp. Now we have all these fancy knife sharpeners but its just as sharp as it was 25 years ago. What gives?

 

Bigger engine and heavier truck .... I know, I know ..... technology should be able to keep up but these trucks are far superior compared to the old ones.

 

So, how is it that my '82 hilux with 500k+ miles still got 25mpg with all the pollution control and egr removed, with working r12 AC, lifted with 27s, jumped stuff, beat the hell out of it, and had no petty issues with seals, or whistling or weak leafs etc etc etc? Doesn't seem that the new ones are any more superior other than price, room, less mpg, more fragile, more manufacturing defects, more recalls & more time at dealership using your warranty. Toyotas to Toyotas comparison. Sad that the best then and the best now are so different in rugged dependability. Technology advances to end up with same or less overall cost and usefulness = wheel spinning getting us nowhere.

 

Because they are making engines now that will do big jobs like v8s did back in the day, but with 2-4 fewer cylinders, and still hand you back liveable MPGs. Them Datsuns you had couldn't handle what even the 4-banger Tacoma reg cabs can now-comeon..140-150hp and what was the Datsun-like 80-90hp? and they weigh tha same see what I mean?

 

I would disagree... I would say they're much more engineered than older trucks, but not necessarily superior. The older ones were overdesigned and overbuilt (which is why they last so damn long), the new ones go through extensive engineering so parts are only as strong and heavy as they need to be, no more. New trucks also have lots of fancy electronics and driving aids but notice anyone who seriously off roads ditches them for lockers or the old fashioned solid axle. Technologically superior maybe, overall superior is debatable.

 

Still, this..........Technology advances to end up with same or less overall cost and usefulness = wheel spinning getting us nowhere.

 

i like the stats you have on your acess cab.thats the info i need to make a decision.the ford i was talking about was not eco boost,just plain 6 they now have.i like the numbers you are getting.i imagine same truck as a pre runner would get less.what do you think?

 

awesome shit!

 

Never saw an L series Datsun engine that did not need a head gasket at least once in it's life replaced plenty of 2.4's that blow up because the oil screen plugged up from the plastic the timing chain ground off the guides the old things rode like shit were noisy, uncomfortable and had no power. No thanks I'll take a new one any day.

 

This ^

And this^

My old 84 4x4 Toyota 4 cylinder pickup got 20mpg, just like my 06 Tacoma does, but my 06 Tacoma has 235 horsepower, whereas my 84 only had like 90? and couldn't get out of it's own way.

 

Let me give you some information. Very seldom exceed 2000 rpms ... espically from a stop. Now jackrabbit starts or quick stops.

2WD automatic is rating higher in mpg than the standard transmission .. which is opposite than it used to be .... best that I can tell it is the rearend.

Side by side on the Toyota site shows them pretty equal ... that's the 4 cylinder.

 

I traded a 2011 F150 5.0 engine for my 2011 Prerunner 4.0. The Tacoma is more comfortable,my wife will drive it and it gets around 5 more mpgs.The reason I got rid of the ford was it is just too big,my wife would not drive it,would not fit in my garage,and in the driving position there really was not that much more room.The Tacoma is a better fit for me.I growed to hate the beast size Ford after 2 months.I will admit that the Ford sure did run good.Almost as good as the tundras 5.7 but like the tundra,a bloated pig.

 

It is the gas company conspiracy. The technology is there...just none of the car makers want to use it.