4 cylinder Tacoma happy or sad

Hi, I'm looking for a new truck and considering a Tacoma. My current dilema is that no local dealers seem to have a 2.7L extended cab with manual in stock to test drive. I am tempted by the high mpg, but don't want to be frustrated with no power when on the highway.

Any owners out there with a 2WD Tacoma 4-cylinder extended cab, manual.
How satisfied are you with the power/mileage tradeoff of this truck.

Cliff

 

I dont have an extended cab but I do have a camper shell and bigger tires. It definatly wont win a race but it gets around just fine. I have a small job boat that I pull with it and it has no probs. I came from a Titan so I had a LOT of power now about half the power. The v6 does not get that much less milege so you might want to look at a 1 year old v6. There is nothing worse than buying a vehicle and not getting what you want and being unhappy with it.

 

It all depends on your previous driving experience. I have a '99 ranger standard cab and short box with 4cly 5spd. The wife's '09 tacoma I just bought will run circles around the ranger. The wife's old ride was a '97 F150 4.6 auto 4x4 extended cab. Again no speed demon and I think the new tacoma would at least keep up. The gearing on the 2wd 4cly 5spd tacoma's is really tall. For example, I was 2nd gear at 55mph, the owner's manual states the maximum at 60mph for 2nd gear, and still hadn't reached redline. In my ranger I'd be in 4th reaching for 5th, and that's with a catback exhaust and intake. Being able to shift your own gears with any 4 banger makes a huge difference on how the truck behaves.

Depending on your "mission" of the truck the tacoma is great. If you're routinely towing heavy loads near the limit the V6 is probably your better option. However, if your like my wife and tow only a small pop up camper maybe a dozen times a year during the summer it's perfect, 95% of the time the bed it empty. The gas mileage has been good, the engine isn't broken in yet, I average 21.5 and 21.8 on the first tanks of gas driving from Billings, MT to Grand Forks, ND at 75mph with a 35mph crosswind. If it weren't for the extreme weather conditions I'd be in the mid 20's for mileage. The 21 gallon gas tank is awesome, to go 400 miles minimum between fill ups is great, the Ranger's tank is nominally 16 gallons, somehow I managed to put in 17 gallons once. The mileage will suffer some while towing but the ride will be more stable compared to the Ranger.

Keep in mind also that the 2.7L 4 banger in the Tacoma is by no means small. Old Ford V6's were only 3L and didn't develop as much power or torque.

I'm extremely pleased with the wife's new tacoma and glad I didn't go with a bigger powerplant or the cheaper Ranger alternative. And I get to ditch the gas guzzling F150 as her daily driver.

If you're willing to give up a little speed and tow a less than 3000lbs regularly the 4 banger tacoma is a hard combination to beat.

 

I'm more than happy with the performance of the my 2.7L 2WD 5 speed access cab tacoma.

 

I have 08 with 16000 miles if your not towwing much it is great I love mine im getting 23 - 24 on normal driving 26. On hwy pulling 8' trailer with 700 lb. 4 wheeler 18. My other truck is f350 diesel I use it to pull any thing else. running empty it has plenty of power.

 

I have an 09 Access cab PreRunner. It's a 2.7 w/ a stick (stick was a must for me). I love it. I am a die hard Ford guys and came very close to buying a v6 ranger until I drove this truck. The gas mileage is great. As mentioned before you can go well over 400 miles per tank. Definitely won't be wining any races, but the pull in first gear with the the 4.10 rear end fells good. I usually shift it about 1500 when I am around town and have no issues with power. I have sat in the back seat and while it isn't anywhere near as roomy as the double cab, it has all other extended cab small/medium size trucks I test drove beat. I don't regret going with the 4cyl at all.

 

I have a 4x4 Access cab 5 speed for a just over a month now, and I love it!!! The 4x4's are geared lower so they might feel a but quicker of the line than the 2wd. But its a solid eager to work engine that is low maintanance and good on fuel economy. But If you are really concerned test drive both! The V6 has a lot more go. But the 4 cyl aint that bad!

 

I've got the 4WD 4 cyl, and it is fine 98% of the time. Unless you gotta tow, why pay for the extra gas that a 6 cyl would use?

 

hey . I have 2.7 auto and there is lots of jam when you need it even with the auto trans , but if your going to tow lots o gack , go big!

 

The 4-banger will be a bit underpowered if you do any towing/hauling, but for use as a daily driver its just fine.
It wont win very many drag races, but it will get you around while getting decent gas milage, being rock-solid reliable and fairly easy to work on.
Id rathar change sparkplugs on a 4-banger than a V6 any day.

 

I"ve rolling around in my 01 4x4 access cab with a 2.7 5 speed for 100k just fine.
Yeah it's not going to win any races, it's never broken down once since I've owned it. My Tacoma puts my previous Ranger to shame.

 

I really like my 08 reg cab 4 cyl its my third toyota truck I run the truck pretty hard and do alot of stop and go city type driving with a lead foot lol I will say its not a race car but definitely a typical toyota 4 cyl workhorse so far I have 17,000 miles on it and love it but as it has been said before if your gonna be hauling weight often the v6 is the better option. I pull boats on occasion it does great pulling them out of the boat ramp but you definitely know the boats back there when accelerating on the roads .As far as the gas mileage well its usually 18.5 to 21 mpg (city) which isnt very good but thats my right foots fault !

 

I've got the 2009 Access Cab 2wd with the 2.7 and the automatic and it actually surprised me with how well it gets up and goes. It doesn't compare to the '69 Charger I had but it gets 22-23 mpg. My Carolina Skiff pulls very easily and with the electronic LSD I can launch it on a sand ramp or the side of a canal.

 

I am happy with my 2WD 2.7L 5 speed manual in the power and driveability areas. I am a bit disappointed in the mileage at times. It does no better on long highway runs than my 60/40 Hwy/city urban/suburban driving. On long highway runs I usually drive a indicated 70 which is really 65 MPH. It will run at any speed on open interstates but uses a lot more fuel if you go faster than a indicated 70 MPH. My mileage is 24-25 on summer blend and 22-23 MPG on winter blend gas. Have never had a tank under 22. Hope this helps. Go with the auto if you can't wait, as the clutch on this model is so-so. The shifter is a bit clunky also.

 

My 2.7 5speed 4x4 regular cab is my third. Had an '89 and also (briefly) a '93. None, including the '08, are great on long uphill stretches, are going to lug down and not have a lot of zip going over passes, that uphill stretch through Death Valley, that sort of thing. You'll have people blasting past you and won't like it. Having said that, the amount of time I spend on such stretches of road is about .002%, the rest of the time is just 'normal' driving. As others have said, no dragster but they cruise down the road just fine.

 

i love my reg cab 2.7 4x4 5spd truck, i couldnt ask for a better truck!

 

I'm happy with my Tacoma. It maybe a 4x2. It takes me where I need to go, rain, snow, wind, whatever. I enjoy driving my Taco.

 

I have had 600bls of wood pellet bags in the bed of my 2.7 plus me and my dad and it did just find used 4th gear on hills so it did not have to work hard but never had a problem and it was not all that slow for a 4 cly carry that much in the bed but I only have to do this like 3 or 4 times a year if I had to do it more then that I would upgrade to a v6.

 

Its funny how the horsepower of cars and trucks evolves so quickly and are mindset changes. Remember the early 90's Toyota pick ups and 4runners with the 3.0L V6 only made 150hp and 180ftlbs of torque! And that was the old dyno system so it was probably less than that. Today the 2.7L makes 159hp and 180 ftlbs!!! At a bit higher rpms mind you, but just think of it. Back in 1993 the V6 was the big engine! People were towing and hauling everything with them! Everyone wants more if its there.

 

I used to own an 89 regular cab 4x4 4cyl. It was not bad in the mountains (the Rockies), but sometimes I'd have to run it in 3rd just to maintain a decent speed. It would guzzle gas doing that.

I know the Taco 4 banger has come a long way since then but what are some experiences with mountain driving?

My 1st post here by the way. Thinking about dumping my Xterra and getting back to basics with a little 4 banger 5 speed.