MPG's for 1st Gen Tacomas

I don't know about exact numbers, but it seems like my 3.4 liter v6 gets great mileage. For a truck anyway.

 

As most know, the type of driving you do makes a HUGE difference in your mileage.

As I said above, I get in the low 20's on the freeway. This week I was on vacation and did almost all 'city' driving and got 13.7 MPG.

 

Probably about 14 because I drive it like I stole it, and 22 when I reset the ecu and drive nicely on the highway

 

Avg 20 over 3 fill ups doing alot of hwy driving

2.7 ext cab auto 4x4 on 31's

 

Just did my first fuel test with new tires.33x12.5x15s. 97 RC MT 2.7 4x4. Combined driving 80 percent interstate 70 plus mph. And the survey says 20.22mpg. Flat FL driving almost never exceeding 2500rpm. AC Always on. I was very conservative on milage adjustments for oversize tires.

 

Had my 2000/3.4/xcab/auto/4X2 for about 1 month. Just went from Sacremento, CA to Bridgeport, CA over 2 8000' passes and got 19 mpg.

 

coming from West Coast, always a tail wind, average around 24MPG and cruising at speed limit +5, going to West Coast, headwind, about 19 MPG or worse.

Presently getting an average of 20.6MPG in the hills of Virginia, live about 9 miles from town, just got an UltraGauge three weeks back, it is amazing how little gas pedal pressure affects the instant MPG's, I hit town at least once a day for gym workouts...

Heading to Duluth, MN, 1200 miles one way this coming week, gonna crank up the air pressure for the freeway and see if I can pull some better numbers...sitting at 226,000 miles, still runs like new for the most part..

 

If MPG is your main concern, don't buy a Tacoma, Toyota has kinda missed the boat on the mileage issue. As for the rest of the truck, other than the frame rust and axle wrap a fine little truck.

 

Yeah, if you want mileage get an early 80's vw caddy diesel. 40-50 mpg

 

I just did a 1300 mile round trip and got about 16.2 with a VERY heavy foot.

 

I recently got 24 on a round trip to the beach. Cruise on averaging about 70-72 mph. This was what the ultra gauge read. 2.7 4x4, with manual hubs turned to free of course.

 

When I had my '99 I averaged 18-19 in mixed driving with mid-aggressive 31's.
The best ever was 23, drafting behind a semi during the summer with Wrangler RT/S's. The worst ever was 10mpg, during a 4 hour trip up a mountain and down the other side. Low range/low gear the whole time. Lots of fun, though.

That was a '99 3.4L 5spd 4x4 TRD.

 

1999 3.4L v6 4x4
In the City I Get - 17mpg
On the Highway I Get - 21/22 mpg


That is bound to go down a couple each when upgrading to my 33" tires... gotta give a little to get a little

 

2002 DC 3.4L V6 5 spd approx 16 mpg mostly city driving.

 

Update to #48 postage, just completed first half of trip, about 1200 miles from Virginia to Duluth, Minnesota, averaged 22.2 MPG, against a pretty strong wind the last 100 miles, going back Next Tuesday should get more with tailwind, hoping for 24+...

 

2003 Double Cab TRD 33" tires, 3" lift, ~14-15 MPG City and highway, 17 hwy (rarely)with a tailwind and lots of downhill on highway doing 55-60, 10 or less towing a trailer, and about the same in low gear 4wd or with chains all around in deep snow.

 

^ that is about the same as me with an 03 dc 4x4 SC. about 13.5-15.5 mpg, I did get 19.8 mpg on the highway going 70mph from Vegas back to near Yosemite. At 65mph I probably would have broke 20mpg.

Did the lift and tires hurt you at all?

 

Filled up last night after a week of mixed driving @ 21.79mpg.

 

Further update to post 48 and 56, just got back from Duluth, MN, about 2500 total miles RT...

22.2 MPG on way there fighting a bit of a head wind, sucked on many Trucks along the way (more on this later)..

23.8 MPG on way back with friendly tailwind most of the time...and sucked on Big Rigs again...

23 Ave MPG for the 2500 miles...

Most of the miles were at speed limit...when it comes to sucking on Big rigs, the UltraGauge comes in real handy, there are several spots where one can pick up a suckulation advantage and not be 6" away from back of truck, I found that I could draft at a comfortable distance of up to 100/150ft or so, adding a margin of safety, suckulation does not work real good if there a substantial crosswinds, but works real good with tail and headwinds...

If I had held the speeds down a bit more, I am sure I could have done close to 25 MPG......I had an old 1960 VW with a 36HP motor, the only way to break 55MPH was to hook up close to a Big Rig for long trips, I was younger and more foolish back then and got real tight to back of trailer, maybe a foot or two from back end....not anymore..

End of report..

 

I'm not going to read through 3 pages especially since this is an older thread but yeh I would NOT buy a Tacoma for MPG savings. Way wrong vehicle for that. As a matter of fact, most if not all of the current full size V8 model trucks get better gas mileage than a Tacoma.