Considering Tacoma 4X4

. . . ^ ^ ^ . . . Ditto . . . Same in Atlanta traffic . . .
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Love my AC 2.7 4x4 5 speed. I'm happy with the power out of the gate, but wouldn't mind it picking up some extra grunt as it breaks in. Was thinking real hard at picking up some LCE headers too which should help.

I think a huge thing with the truck is it forces you to be a more defensive driver. People probably will cut you off unless you push it above 3-3.5k and keep it there. I don't have a problem with it though. I'm moving a relatively big truck with a little 4 banger, getting pretty good mileage, and a bunch of flexibility with storage.

Access cab was a NO BRAINER for me. As was said, extra dry storage I wanted for motorcycle gear, hauled my nephew around today in the back even, retain the 6.1 foot bed unlike crew cab, and still have it be a smaller package. Def the best of both worlds. Plus, I just think it looks better.

 

I think the auto did feel sluggish compared to the manual when new but I'm sure it will break in some and fit your uses. My last tacoma was an auto v6 and I missed the control/fun of the 5 speed big time but the biggest reason for going manual over auto in the reg cab,for me, was just how outdated a design a 4spd auto really is. If anything the 4cyl should come with the 5 spd auto from the V6 which in turn should have a more efficent trans as well. BUT the transmissions in place now have been around a long time and are considered to be very reliable.

For convienience I think the auto will treat you nice if you dont care about the peppy fun of the MT.

 

I love my 5 speed, but I'd probably climb a mountain with oxygen....

Also, I find the 4-cylinder a lot of fun to drive. I test drove a bunch of V6's and bought the first 4 i tried.

 

Yea I've had both and the only thing I miss is the 6500lb towing capability. Not that I ever used, but it was nice to have.

I love the historical reliability of the 2.7L

 

C'mon.

 

Agreed. I've loaded the truck with plenty of firewood and hauled it home without any issues. And that was before realizing that I was still running the original plugs that came with the truck (74K). Since changing the plugs, I notice better performance and FE. I have the autotranny as well, and in general, it does just fine around town and on the highway. As others have noted, you might have to adjust your driving approach a bit when getting onto a parkway where the on-ramps are jug handle types and have little runway to get to highway speeds. But that said, putting the pedal to the floor will get you to speed with room to spare. I've never had any real concerns and the overall, everyday driving performance is fine.

 

I stand by what I said. It is not a good truck to have continiusly loaded. I don't know what the max payload for it is, but I know after a year and a half my rear suspension is so bagged out that I am around an inch from my bump stops. And it is also not that powerful. In fact I would call it gutless. I use my truck for work.

Now if I was hauling a load of firewood home every now and then I would probably think everything was fine too. I just don't have the right "truck" for the job. And I also don't see the world through Toyota colored glasses.

 

Get the TSB leafs.
And yours is gutless because it's an auto.
I'm running 33" tires on my 5Speed 4x4 & in adition to the 100 to 200lbs of shell I carry around 100lbs of stuff in the bed.

 

I asked the dealer and from the research I did, I do not qualify for the rear leaf spring tsb. Going to get an 2" ironman lift anyways with the most HD leaf springs they sell. I bought my truck strictly for work, and it is serving it purpose of being reliable and low maintenance cost. Fuel costs are not what I expected either. I have tracked every tank of fuel since new and my overall average is 17.81 mpg. Been tracking it on the road trip app on my phone.


I am the one driving it everyday and fueling it up and am not completely thrilled with the rear suspension or the power. Waddya gunna do?

 

I think that we can roughly carry 1000lbs in the bed of the truck. It's all based on the gross vehicle weight. This includes a full tank of gas, folks in the cab, so having an extra passanger or two really reduces what you can haul in back. I had a Ranger that could only take on another 750lbs. With only me in the cab, my payloads had to be 600lbs or less. The trouble is that many folks overload their vehicles (I sure have). That's when vehicle performance begins to really suffer (acceleration, braking, and handling). I used my truck for a year and a half to do contracting, and it's real easy to get to the max payload with a trip to Home Depot. I also regularly use my truck (at least monthly) for around the home projects, runs to the demolish depot, and for hauling firewood. If I stay close to the max payload, the truck operates fine for all three. I'd say the more noticable item is shifting within the lane when going over bumps in the road, but it actually feels like a smoother ride with some weight in back.

How much weight do you think you're hauling about?

 

It's on my list of things to do is go over a set of scales and figure out my axle weights before getting my new rear leaf packs with my ironman lift.

 

You might be surprised. When contracting, I pushed my springs to the limit in that Ranger. Only much later did I do the math to see what was legal to haul as a payload. The truck certainly can take more than the GVW, but braking and handling become very compromised. Good luck on the spring replacement!

 

Swamp donkey: Don't misunderstand my "c-mon" statement....it was not intended to provoke or annoy. I should have put a 'smiley" face afterwords to indicate jest.i was expecting a response of:...."I load mine with 1700lbs,AND pull my Bobcat....I just don't get-it?".....bla,bla,bla,. After reading your reply,I was about to post a comment of the TSB springs.....you answered that however?.Hope all goes well in the future!.

 

This is my 2nd 2.7 rc 4x4 auto. My first was an 03', 2nd 13'. Both have been amazingly reliable and provide enough grunt for my use. When I open the hood, everything is accessable, not crammed in there. I love the basics such as crank windows and manuel door locks. For the price, comfort and reliability, there is nothing out there that compares to this truck.

 

Mine's a 2012 4cyl, 4x4, 5 speed. It's slow, not gonna lie. It's a wee bit under powered. I love the car but I'd like it to go from 0-60 in something less than 10 minutes.

 

The 4 banger 4x4 tough as hell. Gets the job done. BUT...I def do regret gettin
a v6 sometimes. Merging onto the highway can be difficult.

 

... ... quit complainin, man up and get the URD s/c for it!!! by the time u get a v6 u'll have lost more than the cost of the s/c and you will put more powa to the ground with the s/c 4... lol
on a side note I bought my 08 access cab 4x4 M/T in March of last year on a whim after completely destroying my 02 jeep wrangler (side, side note my wrangler was destroyed because i took a 9-10 year old jeep threw a locker in the stock dana 35 axle a 3" zone offroad lift with rock sliders bumpers and 31's and decided it was the most badass rock crawler on the planet! it wasn't. but it did hold up for over a year with weekly trips from hinesville ga to Jacksonville fl to my wifes house.) I bought my tacoma on a whim. the reason why I bought a tacoma is because it was the only 4 cyl extended cab (access cab) mid size truck with 4x4 that I could find in my price range. (I have previously owned 3 Nissan trucks a hardbody a first gen fronty (v6) and a second gen fronty (also v6) however my second gen was only a week before i left it in neutral and walked away for a second and it rolled into a pond on april fools day. I have wanted a 4x4 4 cyl since i could drive and after getting married I needed room for my stepson as well (not a lot of room he can be uncomfortable i was at his age) I will say this the 2.7 is a hoss of a motor only 4 cyl. bigger is the colorado but who would own that garbage (owned one for 6 months worst decision ever) but it is awesome. the power is a little on the low side but that is the sacrifice you make choosing a 2.7 over the 4.0 if you think its underpowered then you should have thought about what you wanted your truck to do a little harder. I have owned my truck almost a year now i bought it with 55k on it and i'm currently at 93k my gas savings over my jeep has allowed me to drive more and I have a/c. If need be i can throw crap in the bed (although due to some shitbag stealing my tailgate i have to strap it down) and i can tow smaller lighter trailers with it. Do I want more power at times? hell yeah, but honestly I wanted better fuel mileage more. This truck does everything I could reasonly ask of it it's not a ram 2500 and it's not a honda civic it's a 4 cyl taco! my only complaint is the rear seating position is pretty horrible, i've been trying to devise a better seat for my son back there in my head (like removing the current setup on the passenger side and putting a different seat there facing sideways) but he can live with it for now toyota needs to offer a 4x4 dc 2.7... but i'm sure that would be just a dog! thanks for hearing me out guys sorry for my little rant. just when you buy a vehicle you need to remember what the vehicle was designed to do and make sure what you want/need from it is what it was designed to do, by the way 4wheelin4banger ur taco is pure awesomeness!!

 

Highly recommend the 5 speed if you're worried about the power. I merge into Fast and Heavy Interstate traffic everyday on my commute and it does just fine.

Also - You won't regret the Access Cab - Great for trips to the grocery or where ever.

Be sure to check out the rear leaf springs. 2+Overload is not going to like the 1000 lb bed payload rating. Make sure it has 3+Overload.

I love my 2.7L. Gas mileage is pretty good too.