First long drive!

Well Toyota was forced to go for more MPH because of the EPA! Yes the old 5 speed would have been great with this motor i have to believe.In some ways this is Toyotas 1st Hybrid Tacoma!

 

My truck WAS doing this EXACT same thing...... The dealer refused to check it.... I checked it and it was 3/4 liter low. Tranny does not do that anymore...

 

Yeah i have been hearing that you have to check it yourself dealers are all saying it is fine,had my oil changed day before going to New Mexico asked dealer to check Tranny fluid and when i picked it up he said it was fine!

 

Toyota wasn't forced to put this transmission and motor in the truck. There were other options out there they just decided on the wrong one

 

Sounds like people are OK with sacrificing mpg's for decent power and a decent engine. Ahhhh my 2005 4-cyl Nissan Altima has no trouble maintaining 90 mph in hilly terrain between Denver and Colorado Springs. You're damn right I expect this 6-cyl truck to maintain speeds above 75 mph. Are you kidding me? You think that's a lot to ask eh?

I also expect to be able to use cruise control without burning out my tranny but it doesn't sound like that's an option either.

So bummed. Been waiting on a truck for almost 2 months. Supposed to pick it up June 1, but I think I want out now. I've been hanging in there but the amount of serious tranny complaints is starting to build. And I don't think Toyota can fix this (unless they shut off the Atkinson cycle BS). It's clear that it's not just the tranny. The engine just doesn't have the power.

 

Just tell them you want a manual instead..

 

Yes Get the Manual,I dont here any complaints on them!The only reason i didnt i live in So Cal and the bumper to bumper traffic is murder in a stick!

 

Sounds like people are OK with sacrificing mpg's for decent power and a decent engine. Ahhhh my 2005 4-cyl Nissan Altima has no trouble maintaining 90 mph in hilly terrain between Denver and Colorado Springs. You're damn right I expect this 6-cyl truck to maintain speeds above 75 mph. Are you kidding me? You think that's a lot to ask eh?

I also expect to be able to use cruise control without burning out my tranny but it doesn't sound like that's an option either.

So bummed. Been waiting on a truck for almost 2 months. Supposed to pick it up June 1, but I think I want out now. I've been hanging in there but the amount of serious tranny complaints is starting to build. And I don't think Toyota can fix this (unless they shut off the Atkinson cycle BS). It's clear that it's not just the tranny. The engine just doesn't have the power.[/QUOTE]
Every complaint I read about an underpowered engine is crazy. Did people not test drive the truck? I test drove mine and it performed how I needed it to. I use cruise control and it doesn't shift every couple seconds like stated. Maybe I got lucky and didn't get a lemon like so many people state. Maybe you should go with the tundra for the power you want?

 

808veedub you miss the point! Yes maybe you don't have these issue's but way to many of us do! You also may have never owned Toyota trucks before and miss that point that they have always performed way better!I am very happy for you that your truck is perfect you should expect that in a new vehicle !

 

^i don't need a huge tundra. I need a smaller truck that can maintain 80 mph and I don't think that's a lot to ask.

Oh and I'm certainly not getting a manual. It's 2016. If I lived out in BFE Iowa maybe I'd be open to a manual but I live in the city. I like to drink coffee on the way to work, etc.

 

Disclaimer :Fiance took the picture:
On all of our road trips so far we've seen around 20-25 mpg and I don't drive like a grandpa. Highway I'm typically running between 75-85mph all of our trips have been between 7-8 hours long. Not trying to sound ride but 23mpg is pretty good for running 85 down a highway with my air dam removed

 

I'm convinced it's the Atkinson cycle that's causing lack of power which in turn makes the tranny go nuts. I doubt new shift point would solve the issue entirely.

EDIT: it's not that the engine is underpowered. It sounds like the power is there. The problem, I think, is that the Atkinson cycle gets in the way. It prevents you from accessing that power. And it seems it doesn't transition quick enough back to Otto. It seems beyond stupid to ruin this engine with the Atkinson cycle timing all to save 1-2mpg. And to make matters worse, it seems like Atkinson is making efficiency worse for some. Since there's no torque in Atkinson it's having to downshift which is making efficiency even worse. So it's a double whammy... Bad efficiency and no power.
Disclaimer: I don't own one yet so this is just speculation based on what I'm hearing from others.

 

Hey Moose4x4 did you encounter the transmission shifting a lot or did it maintain 6th gear as your picture shows it also shows you that at that speed its getting only 18mpg's not the average average of 23mpg's?

 

My wife's and mine. I'm just stating that there's nothing magical after signing papers and driving the truck off the lot that it starts to "under perform" I don't know what y'all expect. Smaller motor+more gears doesn't equal performance.

 

It maintained 6th fine, and I was kind a getting on the pedal a little at that time so yeah the 18 is what it shows but at the end of the trip my average was still in the 20s. I will say that driving in the mountains in Tennessee the truck liked to downshift way too soon and it was infuriating lol but having the sport shift option made it less annoying. Mine seems to like to downshift from 4th to 3rd too soon on hills

 

Anyway, I hope the truck starts to perform more to your liking and good luck!

 

So for you A/T owners, does this tranny hunting happen only when using cruise? Is the performance improved when you take it out of cruise?
We go fast on I-25. Would this thing be able to travel at 90mph in hilly terrain (while not in cruise)?

Can you get above the speed range where the tranny goes nuts? Sounds like 70-80 is where it really starts freaking out. If you kick it up to 85-90mph do you see better tranny performance? (Note I know some people will be worked up that I drive 85+, but it cant be avoided when running the gauntlet from Denver to CO Springs).

Does ECT turn off Atkinson? Seems like they just didn't test this Atkinson engine very well. How could Toyota engineers not notice this issue!! We, the customers, are doing the testing for them now at our expense!

 

I guess my opinion shouldn't count. I live in Hawaii and our highest posted speed limit is 60. Never had to push it like you mainland folks. I guess this is the perfect island truck. Lol

 

A little off topic but do you love the island life? Or do you sometimes feel stuck?(even though I'm sure there's lots of exploring to do?)

 

Oh man this truck is going to suck ass driving I-70 West in the mountains. I bought this truck to play in the Colorado mountains. I plan on driving steep grades at 75+ mph damn near every weekend. Man I can't help but feel I'm making a mistake!