Love/Hate my truck ........more love than dislike

Hey everyone , (first timer)
have a 12 trd sport 4x4 I purchased this june. Really like my truck but not to impressed with gas millage , engine makes some sort of tickin/knocking sound and could have more power.
My wife has an 11 limited 4 runner all wheel drive with four hi four lo option. Suv is heavier , has more power and still manages more mpg. She avg twenty mpg and gets 400 plus per tank. (4 runner holds half gallon more) but still... Also , why didn't toyota match the 274hp from the 4 runner into the taco ? By the way I avg 17 mpg or less and 18 once.

I'm very attention to detail with every car I've owned and the ticking sound from the engine is driving me nuts. the ticking sound really stood out last week while driving around lake somerville in texas. Is this normal guys? or is it just me?
This is my biggest concern so some feed back would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome to the TW

The engine tick is normal...if you do some reading here you will see.
The engine differences b/w the 4runner & taco are explained here -

4runner vs taco v6 engine

 

Welcome to TW.

Did you not test drive the truck before you bought it? ALL Tacomas tick. I hate it too but I found a great fix.

Turn the stereo up.

Also getting 17mpg's seems low. Do you have any mods done to it? Bigger tires/lift? I know your profile says stock but figured I'd ask. I have a 2011(Stock) I avg 20-21mpg. I also drive like a grandma which makes a huge difference.

 

Welcome!

my ’07 DCSB TRD off road 4x4 V6 dose NOT tick at all! got it last year with 24,9**k on it now has 42K and still no ticking. also i get about 18 to 20 MPG.

edit: dads ’00 tundra ticks bad. but my taco dose not.

 

I got worse mileage when the truck was new vs now. They break in some and you kind of learn to change your driving habits from your old vehicle to the new vehicle so it should get better. An Ultragauge helps you see what driving habits kill MPG's.

 

18 mpg isn't terrible, but yeah stop and gos will kill you, keep it under 2k rpms and you should notice an increase, and idk what ticking y'all are talking about, my 06 doesn't?

 

Anyone without the ticking is a rare exception as the engines are well known for it.

Game mileage could be better in these. Although with m lift and tires I still get around 15 highway and 19-20 still on highway. Usually around 17 mixed.

 

Ethanol makes the engine tick. Find a gas station that doesn't have it, and it will diminish quite quickly.

I get 17-18 mpg with oversized tires... so I'm gona blame your driving style.

 

Yeah I have a 2012 also that I purchased in June. I am also not impressed with my MPG either. I have gotten as low as 14 and as good as 18.5 MPG. Most vehicles do improve once the engine breaks in.

I sent a message to someone else on here about his 2012 and he said he saw mileage increase after 3k. Here is my Fuelly Link. I have a 12 doublecab v6 prerunner 2x4.

https://www.fuelly.com/driver/1stacoma/tacoma

Edit: My truck ticks also.. no big deal to me.

 

Thanks Jude , very helpful info and also relieved.
This site is great ...

 

Sell it? Your no help. Wanted a mid size and this truck is #1. Test drove it and had to have it.
Completely stock and I cruise at about 70. Stock wheels are 265\65-17.
Maybe it needs to break in or like most of you say , it's normal. Stereo does sound great and that is exactly what I'll do , crank it up.
Did I mention this site is f...ing great ! Thanks everyone

 

I don't think my 2012 could get 14 if I floored it from every stop...

Like I posted above, find a gas pump that doesn't use ethanol, or buy a higher grade gas that doesn't have ethanol, you'll get better gas mileage and the engine won't tick much at all

 

it’s great till it empties your wallet and bank account.

 

I got my 2011 brand new and my MPG's went up around 3k, but only by maybe 1-2. I have the Torque app so I monitor my MPG's pretty close and can look at all the logs from every time I drive to see how my MPG's are being effected.

As for the ticking, maybe its the gas. My mom's 05, my Dad's 08, my buddies 09, and my 2011 all tick. We pretty much use the same gas stations.

 

Use a higher octane of gas to stop the ticking.

 

NO THANK YOU! dads drives me fucking crazy!! also i always use BP and get 87 most the time. some times i get mid grade.

 

Only 17-18?!?!
My dads 2012 5.7 Hemi gets that. Maybe even 19 sometimes. Toyota needs to do something about the mpgs.

 

Yeah no problem. I also live next to a Tollway in Texas and the speed limit is 80 MPH and I normally do 80-90 so that might affect my mileage a little.

 

No ethanol , think shell stations have 10% and I've been pumping premium. I'll begin to look elsewhere. I live in houston tx and think most stations contain ethanol.

 

Welcome, SE Houston here too, where abouts are you at? And what tollway has 80mph limit?