So why can't we have 30mpg?

X2

Unless she lives at the top of a hill and coasts with the engine off for the first few miles each morning, I say complete BS. V6 usually means prerunner or 4x4......don't buy it. 4 banger 5 lug maybe, with fancy driving.

 

I got 24 once driving from Albuquerque to Moab and that's because I was driving about 50 mph and drafting behind a trail limo (whitecloud).

 

Because with a larger sized truck like the 2nd gen, people always put on a lift, oversized tires, heavy duty bumpers, and drive 80+ down the freeway with their tall stock gearing. I have 30 mpg in my Taco all day every day.

Then I get in my 4x4 and have about 12 mpg on a good day. It doesn't help that those bastard gas crooks are bending us over with no vaseline and getting away with it.

 

Going to be tough to get these to the 28.5mpg mark. The aerodynamics would have to change drastically, gear ratio's and weight.

I have a car that's 531/486whp that I can average 30mpg on the highway, but, all three of the aforementioned are the primary contributors as to why.

 

I've hit 22 one time. Driving at 55MPH coming down out of the sierras. Average is around 19 on road trips. Can't fathom how 30MPG can happen in a V6 with any kind of regularity. My folks have a Chevy Equinox with a 4cyl engine and six speed automatic. It gets around 26-27 on long trips. A 4x4 Tacoma is a lot taller and less aerodynamic, and it must weigh more as well.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technology/167588-new-upcomming-engine-technologies.html

 

Ok, I'll jump up on my soapbox for a minute. Grab your beer and popcorn and bear with me for a short rant....

I think Toyota (and all of the truck manufacturers, for that matter) might be missing the mark...whether because of payoffs from oil companies, or whatever the conspiracy theorists are hyping today, or because of perceptions they have of American truck owners and prospective owners.

A diesel engine naturally has gobs of low end torque (slow combustion compared to gasoline requires a longer relative stroke, which in turn equates to higher torque). Diesel also has more power per volume than gasoline...not to mention it's cheaper to store/transport due to being less volatile than gasoline (and don't even get me started on renewable, natural sources of biodiesels!). Couple a diesel engine with a turbocharger, and it becomes much more responsive to throttle variations, and cleaner burning under load.

But, you don't see any American trucks running anything less than about 5 liter turbodiesels. I suppose that's great if you pull stumps out of the ground or otherwise need 15,000 pounds of towing capacity. But why not produce something like a 2.0 - 2.5 liter turbodiesel truck for the "everyday driver"?

For a point of reference, I recently parted with my 2000 VW TDI shortly after I got my Tacoma (aothough my wife still has her Beetle TDI). I fully understand that there's a significant difference in aerodynamics, drag, weight, etc. However, the final gearing isn't that different. The 2.7 Taco is doing (as I recall) around 2500 RPM to run right around 75 MPH. The VW was doing 2500 RM for 80 MPH. That engine was a 1.9 liter turbo diesel. In stock trim it made 90 HP and 289 Ft-lb....at 1850 RPM. And in the Jetta chassis it got close to 50 MPG. I tweaked it, taking HP up to a little over 150, and toque up to around 360 ft-lb. And it still got 43 MPG (and turned a 15 second quarter mile...while not Earth shattering, it wasn't bad at all for a 40+ MPG car). If Toyota were to stick something like that in the Taco, I don't see why it wouldn't exceed the current 2.7 in MPG (easily high low to mid 30s), and compete with, or even exceed, the 4.0 in torque (and by definition, towing capacity). The footprint of the powerplant would be approximatly the same as the 2.7, the weight would be only slightly more than the 2.7 (and noticably less that the 4.0), so there wouldn't be any major chassis tweaking required.

The other thing most Americans think of when you say "diesel", is WWII destroyer-type plumes of black smoke belching out of the exhaust. But the "German Big 3" (VW/Audi, BMW, and Mercedes) all make turbodiesels that exceed current U.S. tier 2 emissions....so the technology exists. In Europe, somewhere between 40 and 50% of cars, light trucks/SUVs, and vans use turbodiesels. Including Toyota. I honestly think that if they did it right (not like so many of the "compromise" diesel engines we've been forced to tolerate....Jeep Libery CRD, for example), Toyota wouldn't be able to keep Tacos on the lots if they offered a decent turbodiesel option. We don't need 7 liters of snot-slingin', smoke belchin' oil burnin' baddassery to haul our 800 pound truck nutz hanging from our back bumper....just a nice midsize, efficient turbodiesel to get from point A to B, with reasonable towing capacity.


We now return to your regularly scheduled program.

 

I'm happy with anything close to 17. Usually get around 15 overall.

*edit: I have a V6 and this is the 4cyl section.

 

Michelin gas saveing tires..at the fact. rec. size. Correct tire pressure. Temporarily lower the truck when gas hits $4.00. Remove all off road armor,rock slidders, off road bumbers, etc., and unnecessary cargo for wieght reduction. Toyota aluminum front skid plate for better air flow under the truck. Best yet, trade in for the prerunner. Vote in Romney and Ryan and we can get back to the American way of life. I.M.H.O.

 

Because it's a truck?

 

Even base models are considered trucks. They have an open bed and are designed to be used as a truck to move things from point a to point b. They still have a steel rail frame. That's why people are talking about towing and hauling. So, even as a commuter, a base model Tacoma is still more than is necessary just to move a person from A to B.

 

Then they shoulda bought a car.

My Corolla gets 30+ em pee gees all day.

I guess I was responding to the first question which asked why "we" lose. Well, "we" lose because we're driving bigass, lifted bricks with bigger tires and steel bolted on everywhere.

Anyone else ain't "we" to me, they're "you".

 

It's not designed specifically to get less MPG than a car, it just does as a result of the design. Take your basic Camry for example. Add a steel frame, a heavier body and a pickup bed, regear for torque and the result will be the base model Tacoma which only gets mid 20 MPG's.

 

The next generation of the Taco will probably be 10% lighter, about the same power level, and will get better mileage. There may even be a Hybrid version.

I would think about one if not too much more $, as it would give the 4 cyl a bit of a boost, and it would add to their CAFE average. And no more waste of fuel idleing at long red lights and trains, yet stay cool or warm thanks to the battery.

 

and this is why North America gets a Tacoma instead of a Hilux

 

Really? You mean my TDI should get 100 MPG instead of only 50?

 

does your TDI use gasoline?

 

I will admit I didnt read through the last 3 pages, but I DO have something to add.

I grew up on a farm driving "bob" trucks, 18 wheelers, and a couple dump trucks too. On the bob truckks and dump trucks, ours had a 2 speed rear end. Why is this not possible in a pickup truck? Couldnt you have a "high" speed for when your doing your daily driving and a "low" speed for pulling the boat to the lake? Seems like this could work in every make and model truck. Just dont know why the technology hasnt got to the masses yet.

 

In Europe 50mpg ain't shit

 

The masses are to stupid to handle it. Everything gets dubbed down these days.

Have you ever seen how many people in here engage 4x4 on dry pavement then wonder why their truck is making noises when they park?