Considering SR 4x4, but what about 4 cylinder??

I'm beginning to consider the possibility of getting the base SR as it comes pretty nicely equipped (much better than the previous generation) and I like the look of the all black grill and the black alloys -- I very much like that "murdered out" look, and I hate chrome.

The alternative for me is to get the TRD Off Road, but then I must add the premium & tech package so that I get the colored rear bumper. Yes the added features of the TRD Off Road are nice, but nothing there I really need except navigation, which can be added aftermarket.

The difference between the SR (with the convenience package & alloys) and the TRD Off Road (with the premium & tech package) is around $7k. For around $1200, I could just add some nice A/T tires to the SR and change out the head unit for one with Apple Carplay (I'm an iPhone user) and then I'd have pretty much everything I want....

The problem is I want the access cab 4x4, and in the SR it only comes in a 4 cylinder. I've been searching the web for a good review of the previous generation 4 cylinder (same engine), but other than people showing what the engine looks like, I can't find anyone commenting on how it drives.

Obviously it is not going to be fast, but are we talking slow like my dad's 2007 Prius (a that car has 110 hp) where you struggle to pass someone on the highway? Or are we just talking not particularly fast, but functional acceleration when needed?

As a former sports car driver (most of my past vehicles have been 2 seat sports cars), I've come to accept that a truck is not going to be much fun to drive on road, but I would at least like for it to be functional enough to not be frustrating. I don't mind having to floor it when I need to get going, but I hate driving a vehicle that even when floored struggles to accelerate. My first car when I was in high school was an '84 Toyota Corolla that had 72hp, and I have bad memories of struggling to get up a steep hill at times even with the gas pedal floored.

I'm also thinking acceleration should be slightly better than the previous generation because of the better ratios of the 6-speed auto.

Anyone out there have (or had) a second gen 4 cylinder?

 

just realized I spelled the title wrong haha (guess that was fixed!)

 

Test drive it first. I've put a little over 30k on this one and the best comparison is to a 3.0L Ranger as it feels very similar to that engine. Power-wise, it fits my driving style well but I don't pass people all that often.

It's not going to win any races, ever. It's something like 120whp pushing a 4250# vehicle with the current 4x4 model. If my old single cam 1.6L 1996 Civic sedan would have had the same power-to-weight ratio it would have only made 78 whp instead of the 105 or so it was good for. That said, it's pretty rare for me to have to downshift out of 5th gear for a hill because it has some decent low-end grunt.

With the 2nd gen, there's a valid argument for the 4 cylinder for mpg, especially if you want the manual tranny and drive a lot of highway. That advantage is supposed to be totally gone with the new V6 coming into play.

Once the engine that makes less power also gets worse mileage it's not worth considering, at least to me.

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There is another good reason for avoiding the 4 banger that you don't learn until you've owned one. It's like no one in Toyota's engineering teams ever drove the thing. At least not with the manual transmission. Fifth gear has a loud resonance-like whine in many of them in the 55-60 mph range, and it's quite annoying; not hard to find plenty of people including myself who've complained on here about it. The shifter shakes hard in 5th gear but only when under throttle -- again, normal for the design. More transmission quirks... any time the A/C is engaged and idle rises from the normal 650 rpm to 800 rpm, the speed is exactly perfect to rattle the gears so badly it sounds like a glass case full of marbles. Fun any time you go through a drive-through. And don't get me started on the throwout bearing squeak which by the way has COME BACK 10k miles after I pulled the transmission and put in a brand new Toyota one with fresh moly grease on the quill.

The gauge cluster... wow, they really screwed up. The speedometer on mine was 10% off; to go 70 mph, I had to set the cruise at 77 mph. It also makes the truck seem much faster than it really is when you're test driving it. The odometer wasn't quite as far off, but it did read about 4% fast (didn't Honda lose a class-action suit for that exact percentage?) so my truck tried to tell me it was getting awesome mileage until I discovered its fallacies and installed the N30 speedometer gear to make it right. Then there's the funky exhaust design. They put the resonator under the passenger side floorboard so any time you're on the gas it sounds like a cross between a huge exhaust leak and a Willys Jeep.

Not hard to see how Toyota's money and time goes towards their best-selling powertrain at the expense of the other. I will NOT make this mistake again.

 

If you keep the stock tire size on there and you don't live where you have highways going through mountains you might be able to live with it. It's fine for flat cruising around with no additional weight. Flat highway acceleration is adequate, you can pass people without a lot of drama.

The main drivability issue that I ran into with my 2nd gen that made me never want to get the 4 banger again was highway passing on a grade. If you're on a grade and you lose momentum, you're done. If you get stuck behind a truck going 55mph up a grade and you need to get back into the traffic flow it is annoying. It will maintain speed just fine, acceleration is asking too much. It can accelerate up a grade, it's just embarrassingly slow and you are pushing that engine to it's limits. I suppose that situation is pretty rare. It's happened enough times to me that it's worth it to be able to call up power on demand for those rare situations where it makes all the difference.

The 3rd gen 2TR engine has been improved. it now has dual vvt-i and supposedly some lower internal friction components. it also has the 6 speed auto now which is a big improvement. HP at the crank is identical so I don't think any of the improvements will help much in the scenario I described.

And as iroh mentioned, you don't have to sacrifice better fuel economy to get the extra power. You just pay for the upgrade once, and you don't have to keep paying for it at the pump for the life of the vehicle.

 

In a recent post referall for a Tacoma review, the 0 to 60 times were given as 7.0 to 8.5 . If that is true, then the four at 8.5 is plenty drivable, wife's Venza is listed as 8.4 and with two people and traveling gear, it is perfectly fine with a six speed auto. The important consideration is you intended use. As a light hauler, if these numbers are true, it is well worth a look see. It equals the Colorado four in that acceleration time which has been reviewed as acceptable. Best of luck !

 

I didn't see what your driving habits are going to look like. Are you looking to do any off-road adventures, or strictly parking lot cruising? That should help guide your decision.

 

I'd go for the v6 if you can spring it. The 4 banger is adequate but would likely leave a former sports car driver wanting, especially with a big set of tires on it. The v6 has almost double the power and gets better mpgs, you'd just have to get the double cab SB. If you did get the Base Off Road model, you can buy or trade for the color keyed rear bumper corners. The bumper comes in three pieces, so it shouldn't be too hard to swap out.

 

I've never done any off road in the past, but one of the reasons I'm getting a truck is I would like to explore doing that. However as I live in New Jersey, I won't be doing any big rock crawling, so any off road would probably be limited to trails and such.

As far as driving on road is concerned, I drive mostly local and some occasional highway.

I guess I will have to test drive the 4 cylinder. I keep wondering if the 6 speed auto will cause any significant improvement over the old model.

 

The four cylinder is not a disadvantage off roading in all but the most severe conditions. In the base model it will serve you well in 4 wd and low range. It's highway travel towing and carrying heavy loads at higher speeds that they might not give you the performance you want....off roading..fine.

The six speed should give you a significant improvement over the old 4 speed auto.

 

I can tell you for sure that I will never be towing anything, as I don't even plan to get the towing package. I don't plan to be carrying any really heavy loads either, at least not on a regular basis. Yes I could imagine doing that on rare occasion like when helping someone move or something, but it would just be once in a while and not something I would take into consideration when purchasing the vehicle.

 

I don't think anyone will be able to attest to how the 4cyl will drive with the new 6 speed auto, but if you're going to be driving on mostly level ground unloaded then it should be adequate. It won't accelerate quickly going up a steep hill and you won't be passing cars without a decent stretch of road. If you can live with those two things then get the 4 banger. At the very least they're bullet proof and will last forever. I would definitely give the 4cyl a thorough test drive and then you'll know if it's to your liking.

 

The 8.5sec 0-60 time should be about what you'd get with the 5MT, the 6-lug 4.10 rear gears, and the inaccurate speedometer. However the true redline for 2nd gear is 57 mph (not 63) so that extra shift on the lazy-rowing R155 to cross 60mph would bring it to 10 seconds or so.

 

One thing I feel confident about is that, the six speed auto will be faster accelerating then most can drive a five speed manual. My wife's six speed auto shifts very quickly both in drive and doing it your self with the sport shift mode. The idea that a manual will shift quicker is theoretical regardless as practically speaking, the auto will always give optimal shift points and quick response and never gets "tired or looses it's attentiveness ".

 

For the love of God, just get the V6 and save yourself some unhappiness.

 

As an owner of a 4 cyl 5 so manual 4x4 I can attest to everything said here.

If you are using it in the city then its fine but if you are doing a lot of merging, highway driving or driving in hilly terrain then you would be better suited with the 6 cyl.

 

Maybe I will have to consider going with the SR DCSB so I can get the V6. The price increase for that is only around $2600.

I rarely would have a need to put people in the back seat, so I figured the access cab is probably better for storage being as you can fold the seats up out of the way, and also having the longer bed. It looks like the double cab seats don't fold up and instead fold down -- I'm not sure of what use that would be as you already have the truck bed. Is the rear seat in the double cab Tacoma as useless as it appears? I wish it had a rear seat like the Ram 1500 where you can fold it up and create more floor space.

 

They are what they are. A place to get items out of the elements. Everything is a compromise in a smaller truck when you take " things" along for the ride.

 

To state the obvious, you are adding an extra foot of space to the backseat with the DC or to the bed with an AC. You may not haul a lot of cargo in the bed or back seat often, but when you do occasionally get something large and it happens to be raining.. the bigger back seat sure does come in handy.



DC

 

I love my AC. BTW - you finding the AC is not available with a V6 any longer? I find that very surprising.

 

He wants the SR base model because understandably cost is a factor. SR does not come in AC V6 unfortunately.