3.5 Hit or miss?

I finally got to drive the new taco, and sorry to say the engine was a huge disappointment. Adequate at best. When I heard the specs on this motor I knew the answer before I even sat in it. I was hoping I was wrong. This truck should / needs 300 hp and 300 torque.

 

It was noisier than the 4.0 and you could feel the power difference, agreed needs more HP.

 

Noisier because you need to red line the engine to feel anything

 

You must hate your gutless second gen engine then.

 

I have to agree with other about the constant downshifting into 5th when on the highway. If you're in a slight headwind, or even a slight incline (I'm not talking major hill here), the trans will constantly shift, and fuel economy plummets. Disappointing to say the least. Maybe the off roads are worse then sports with all terrain tires and no air damn.

 

You sure its not just the torque converter unlocking?

 

Planning on test driving one in the next couple of weeks. I like the old 4.0's to be honest. Maybe I'm just biased... I figured you would need more horse power for a truck this size, and a 3.5L I just don't feel like would cut it. Time will tell though.

 

No, I'm not. To be honest, I'm not familiar with torque converter operation. It sure sounds like a downshift, and my fuel economy drops. How would I differentiate that?

 

gutless gen 2 with 202,000 feels better then the new 3.5

 

This would have been a huge deal breaker and one of my biggest fears with the 3.5L. The whole idea of going with a smaller motor is to improve gas economy, which for commuters is great. But if the motor is too small for the size of the truck and the wind resistance then whats then point? Your going to loose those miles when you incline or are under load... Overall I would rather have the larger motor, settle for 1-3 miles less per gallon and still be able to haul and do what a Truck ~should~ be able to do without constantly tearing up the transmission because of lack of power and engine pressure.

 

I think 278 horsepower and 265 lb/ft of torque are more than adequate in a small truck, and I don't think adding a few dozen units to either would change any impressions. The impression of low power I believe comes from making judgments when the engine is in Atkinson cycle, and the hp and torque numbers that Toyota reports for this engine don't reflect performance when in that cycle. The numbers reflect performance when in the Otto cycle. The problem, if there is one, is that you need to push the pedal to get into Otto cycle. Granted, having to push the pedal deep might not be acceptable for everyone. Most of us are used to having an engine that lives up to its hp and torque numbers from the first light pedal depression.

My point is that I don't think the impression of low power is because of low hp or torque--it's because this engine has two cycles, and one of them does not reflect the true power of the engine.

 

YES!!!!

 

Glad I canceled my order. The guy that started the thread about his 3.5 clattering like a diesel made me rethink. Probably order a 4 banger this winter so she arrives in the spring.

 

Kinda jumping on this bandwagon as well- I drove a '16 and it made me appreciate my current Taco with the 4L, it's a great motor for a truck this size.

 

This truck also gained a few hundred pounds of weight over the last generation Tacoma. So not only does that hurt MPGs, but it makes the lack of power more noticeable.

 

It's a fucking truck. Not a race car.



America sucks at times because, as a whole the population believes it needs a truck that runs 0-60 in sub 5 seconds, has power/leather everything and gets 30mpg to boot.

It wasn't that long ago that the Tacoma got by just fine with a 190 hp v6 and 160 hp 4 cylinder. Why you think you need a 300+ hp small truck is beyond me, get a full size if that's what you want.

 

Those power figures are fine when they keep the truck the same size. But when they increase the size of the trucks to what full sizes were just a few years ago, you better give it enough power to operate properly.