Gas Mileage

Hi,
New to Forum but not to Toyotas
I have owned 2 fj's and a double cab Tacoma in the past.
Just bought a 2014 double cab pre runner sr5. 6cyl auto.
The gas mileage on the the new Taco is running an avg of 15mpg..which sux
The previous 3 toyotas all avg 20... from the start
same driving area and habits.. approx 1400 miles on this one.

any ideas...

tnks
Ike

 

MPG is lower when the vehicle is new and improves after the first few thousand miles (or so I have read but don't know why)

 

This...

I had about 1200 miles on my truck this weekend and filled up. I *just* got 20mpg in my 6 speed. Unfortunately I had to disconnect the battery to work on some things and reset the computer. Now I get to start all over again. You may not have noticed with the auto, but the idle acts funny for at least a few hundred miles too. It is very obvious with the manual. Give it a while for the computer to adjust.

 

the fj cruisers were 08 and 11, the other tacoma was a 2013.
all did 20 mpg right out of the box...
today as i was cruising along, i get this great smell of rotten eggs or sulpher in the cab....wonder if the catalytic converter or something in the air filter is screwed up
tnks
ike

 

Let's keep this in one thread.

First, make sure it is actually your vehicle producing the smell. I have gotten paranoid driving an older vehicle thinking something was wrong. Then I realized it was the Cr*p-box in front of me that had the issue, and remembered I actually maintain my vehicles.

2. The vehicle is brand new. Schedule an appointment with your dealer and have them look at it. It has a warranty and they will make it right.

 

What type of fuel did you use? DO NOT USE CORN FED CRAP! E-85 will not do your engine good. It takes more fuel burn to produce the same amount of energy as gas without corn oil. The Tacoma only has VVT-i, where the 4Runner/FJ have Dual VVT-i.

There is a difference in performance/HP. The thing is, you have to put your foot down a little harder to accelerate in the Tacoma. Thus using more fuel. But the i stands for intelligence. The computer will learn your driving habits and make the adjustments. Same with the transmission. This learning curve is natural and what a few people talk about when they say it takes a few hundred miles to get better mpg. But unhooking the battery does not change it back to factory settings. If you are like me and use your transmission to down shift for better performance, your tranny will learn this and if you leave it in D, it will tend to downshift a little sooner when you are slowing down as compared to a trans that was always left in "Duh, I don't know how to drive."

Also, check your tire pressure. I know there is a TPMS, but that is not as accurate as an actual tire gauge. The TPMS has a variable limit.