So why can't we have 30mpg?

My 2.7L stick gets 30+ mpg without much effort.

I have the advantage of high altitude, but at 60mpg i'll get 30-35 without any hypermiling "fancy driving". (Someone please argue that high altitude is a disadvantage )

I drove to and from Boulder to Denver airport twice on my last tank and averaged 35 both times without doing much besides setting cruise at 60.

An x-runner with the same 2.7L should do even better.

A little better OD gear would help some.

 

This and there's no need for a dual geared rear end in an every day pickup. The purpose of the dual speed rear is so you can have a very close gear range to get loads moving but not an ass load of gears in the transmission to get all the way up to highway speed. The Tacoma is fine with the gearing it has. It could be a little higher on the freeway but it does not even come close to requiring the dual speed rear of the old day big rigs. Have you seen the size of the pumpkin on one of those?!?! They weigh a ton and you'd only have 2" of ground clearance. Additionally, what do you do with the front end, put another one up front?

Plus, in case you haven't noticed, we have a high/low range transfer case already. We don't need redundancy in the front/rear end. Good intentioned but a horrible idea for a small truck.

 

I don't buy the weight argument... maybe coupled with aerodynamics but not alone because I had a V8 Trans Am (cam, cylinder head, exhaust, etc reworked to 450hp) and it weighed as much as my Tacoma yet still maintained 26-31mpg.

 

Read all of it... It's weight, crappy aerodynamics, a heavier drive train and different gearing. It's not one smoking gun, it's a combination of factors that contribute to the bad mileage.

 

You're right. I got the sense a few people were going the "It's just heavy" route. Gearing? Maybe, but I had 4.10's in my Trans Am and again, it did fine.

And aerodynamics? I'm curious because there's "SUVs" out there that are not only taller and higher off the ground but seem just as non-aerodynamic as a Tacoma.

 

The full SUV is actually more aerdynamic. A pickup with a shell that goes from the top of the cab to the top of the tailgate (just a sloped diagonal) will actually do a lot better in the MPG department. Even a conventional shell can offer some slight gains.

 

I drive a 2002 BMW X5, 3.0L that gets 19 to 22 MPGs around town.
I tow a 6X10 Pace trailer with it and it has gobs of power and pulls like a Belgian horse.

... My new V6, DC Taco, with 'towing option' doesn't event come close to the power the X5 has. That is probably the only thing I was surprised... and depressed about. It's a noticable workout for my V6 Taco to tow the same trailer (yes, it's got the same weight in it too ).

Gas milage is nearly the same.

I will say one thing, the V6 taco is NO pulling machine.

 

And the gas engine will not even be running and using fuel.

 

1973 HiLux

Engine: 18R
Carbureted
2 valves per cylinder
Single overhead cam
Mechanical distributor ignition
30w oil
Curb weight, about 2800 #
Estimated, about 20 MPG (From fuelly.com, 20.6 MPG over 28 fuel ups)



2012 Tacoma base model

Engine: 2TR-FE
Closed loop electronic fuel injection
Dual overhead cams
4 valves per cylinder
Variable valve timing
Electronic ignition

$54 0w-20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0w-20 oil for best economy
Weight, 3250#
Listed mileage: 21 city, 25 highway



I find it hard to believe that that's the best we can do with 40 years of technology.... (OK, fine 39 years for you nit-pickers!)

 

That's an overly simplistic way to look at things... We also have a LOT more safety features, ABS, SRS, VSC, etc, we're producing more power these days, things have a lot more electronics, are arguably more reliable. So we've kept MPG the same and completely updated everything else around it.

 

We added about 400 pounds to the vehicle (which includes safety features, etc)....we've improved everything by light years....but added only about 2 MPG? Don't get me wrong, I love the truck and I'd buy another in a heartbeat (if I had the $). My problem isn't the truck, it's the policy makers who keep polishing turds and telling me it's the best toffee there is. A 1/2 ton Chevy Silverado with a V8 weighs almost 800 pounds more than a Tacoma Access Cab with a V6....and gets almost the same mileage. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but why aren't ALL of the advances options in ALL of the vehicles? For example, Toyota has a really nice dual cam VVTi, but the Taco only gets a single cam on the VVt platform. Are we second rate because we don't buy the high end flagship? Granted, it costs more to make and to offer more options, but why not at least offer it, and give us the choice to vote with our wallets?

Just sayin'...

 

+1

And in addition to being almost 500lbs more, the engine is also 35% larger... all while getting better fuel economy AND producing enough power to get out of it's own way.

 

I've never owned a vehicle with a diesel but I've heard they take a while to warm up and since I live in Minnesota and work is five minutes away a diesel seems impractical.I wish Toyota made a version of the Eco-boost.One way I think they will increase gas mileage is to use more aluminum and plastic body panels.

 

Ya... I had an '06 Duramax. If it hadn't been for the heated leather seats, I would have just written off the heater.
It took at least 15 miles to get any heat out of it.

 

The warm up differences between a similar sized gasoline engine and a diesel engine is maybe a minute. Not really an issue.

 

Well your gas engine isn't warming up that fast either...

That is unless you let it idle for 5 minutes or so before leaving during the summer.

 

In the summer I just get in and go and shut it off as soon as I get to work.I know this is hard on the engine so I change the oil every 2500 miles.In the winter I let it idle for about five minutes while I clean off any ice or snow.This is also bad but the truck stays outside and my parking spot is usually buried.

 

Yeah it's hard on it but what are you going to do? That's why you buy a toyota, so you don't have to worry about hurting it too much

 

I've thought about taking the scenic route but it seems like I'm trading one type of abuse for another as the additional miles will hurt if I trade the truck in.Which I may do when the third generation comes out.I love Tacoma's but there has to be a way to get four cylinder fuel economy out of the V-6.

 

IMO, the V6 is just not a very economy-minded design. Whatever it is, all I know is my wife's 2005 4Runner has the 4.7L V8, is a little heavier than my 2012 Tacoma, is all time 4-wheel drive, sits just as high as my truck, has a 500 lb. higher towing capacity than my truck, will flat out spank my truck in acceleration, and still gets the same 17 mpg as I do. I would kill to have that engine in my truck.