To those who complain about MPG... learn to drive (just got 27mpg!)

Did a little MPG test this weekend, I've posted on here before how I'm perfectly happy with my 17.x MPG average on the third gen. My first gen averaged 15.x MPG, both of my 2nd gens averaged 16.x MPG so I'm getting a little over a 1mpg overall improvement on the third gen, I'll take it. When I'm using my truck only around my neighborhood to shuttle surf boards and dogs I only get 14-15mpg (which I've got on ALL of my tacomas) and on the freeway I'll average 19mpg.

HOWEVER, I drive pretty "aggressively", from a stop I'm heavy on the throttle (all of my trucks have had an exhaust and I like to hear it roar), my shifts are usually between 3,500-3,800 RPM and I cruise on the freeway between 80-85MPH. So of course I could get better mpg but I didn't buy this truck for that.

EXPERIMENT TIME, I drove up to long beach on Saturday morning to pickup some new wheels (thanks @HBMurphy !), was headed to meet up with some friends to surf near Oceanside on the way back but I realized I was going to be over an hour early, so I had time to burn....

I decided to see what MPG I could get if I drove like I actually cared about that. So I kept the shifts <2,000rpm and drove 60-65MPH the whole way down and avoided using my brakes (plan ahead for stops/traffic and coast to slow down the truck naturally engine brakes). I had over 600lbs of payload and given it was almost all freeway. I was expecting to get maybe 22-23mpg... I ended up getting over 27!!! Couldn't believe it.

I've done the same "experiment" in all of my previous tacomas and I could NEVER get my 1st gen to break 20mpg for any real amount of distance. My 2nd gens best I ever got was coming back from big bear and barely broke 21mpg. This just goes to show the third gen has the POTENTIAL to get MUCH better mpg than the previous gen, but it DEPENDS ON HOW YOU DRIVE IT.

If you drive them both like I usually do you'll barely notice an improvement. But if you baby both of them the 3rd gen jumps WAY ahead. This is what Toyota was doing giving us a smaller engine and 6spd auto that everyone complains about on here... remember that next time you bitch about MPG because up next they'll cut down our approach angle and ground clearance.... You got what you asked for, if you baby the third gen you can get significantly better mpg, now stop complaining before they neuter our trucks even more!! If you care about mpg over offroading just get another truck

 

27 mpg is impressive! Curious what the terrain and wind direction was. 30 psi in the tires? Stock tires? Fuel?

I've been able to get 25 mpg over long distances and without trying super hard, but never 27. My clutch is generally fully engaged before my right foot touches the gas, including and especially from a stop - unless I'm uphill.
Nice

 

Some people will never learn good for you OP. They bought a truck but really wanted a Dodge Challenger

 

Noticed you have an auto too. Mine is mt.

I'm going to take this as a renewed challenge to myself to see how far I can go on a gallon...

 

Tho those that complain about mileage, get to work:

 

I have an auto so that certainly helps these days (manuals now get slightly worse mpg across the board). Truck is stock performance wise except for the magnaflow exhaust (doubt that helps much). Tires 30psi and it was early morning so there was very little wind, it being socal it was a nice and perfect 70 degrees outside

I bet I could've got 30mpg if I would've hyper miled it (40psi in the tires and using pulse and glide technique between 40-55mph, but I didn't have THAT much patience lol)

Edit: actually remembered I'm not totally stock, I am running AMSOIL fluids all around so that might help as well. 0w-20 in the engine and

$29 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90 in the transmission/diff.

 

It's called hypermiling. There's a big group out to people trying to wring out as much MPGs as they can. I bought a 90 corolla 5speed as an experiment and went from an average combined of 36mpg to 46mpg combined through hypermiling. If I did a few mods like get skinnier tires, fix some of the aeros I could have easily broke into the 50's.

 

I actually consider this just babying it. I've done hyper miling challenges before and consider it hyper miling only when you use specific techniques and mods. In this case I would've inflated my tires to 40psi and done pulse and glide from 55-40mph, which if I did I bet I would've broken 30mpg+, but I wanted to see what it would do without special tricks, all I did was drive much slower than I usually do with a lot less throttle.

 

See sig for opinion on this matter.

THERE'S NO CRYING IN TRUCK LIFE

 

A buddy of mine had a Subaru he tried to wring every last drop of mpg out of. It was ugly as all hell bc he had corrugated plastic drywall screwed to it all over the place for wind deflection. This guy is super cheap. He lived in an old gutted Aristocrat trailer and pulled it all over the country in this thing with these shitty diy deflectors screwed on with all sorts of deck screws, drywall screws, gobs of silicone etc. They were on the mirrors, on the hood in front of the wipers, in front of the roof rack and bumper caps. He always shifted at (MT) like 1200 - 1400 rpm, even getting on the freeway, with a trailer, and then he'd drive like 50 mph. After a couple years he couldn't figure out why it just ran like absolute shit. Valves, injectors, plugs must have all been in really bad shape. Not to mention his bearings. I told him what an Italian tune up was and what he was doing to the thing driving it that way, but he's just one of those people. But a super nice guy and a really good artist. Probably a closet millionaire. Just no clue about moving parts, ICEs etc.

I think he visited once and had two hens in the trailer for eggs.

 

my best ever was 24.75mpg (had to convert from metric 9.5L/100km)
So your numbers are truly impressive

 

Lol one little trip is not an accurate representation of your mileage. I can make that gauge show 50mpg under the right conditions.

If you want to brag about your mileage, do it over an entire tank of gas. Full to empty.

 

Impressive OP. I think this truck is plenty capable of high MPG numbers even in city driving if you just keep the rpms down and dont drive it like its a stock car.

 

I pretty sure (and correct me if I'm wrong) but a manual tacoma has a 4.30 gear, and the auto has a 4.10. That is more than likely why the auto is getting better MPG across the board.

 

In for the hypermilling/ racing Tacoma's, aka bricks on wheels.

 

I have a long drive for work, about 90 miles.

best I have ever got was 26.2mpg
yesterday I got 24.7

im usually very gentle with the gas, but I live in coal country.
climbing the mountains drains my mpg rating

 

I think Autos might be 3.90s

 

i think you meant Dodge Dart..


The best mileage i ever get in either of the two vehicles ive owned is when i get stuck in congested, but moving traffic for a long ride. I dont have a MPG gauge so i measure it from fill up to fill up and have an excel sheet. (yea im a little nerdy i can tell you what my MPG was from 17 miles on the taco to 96k) Anyways i dont have any self control when im trying to get somewhere but if traffic holds me back at around 50-55 for a whole drive i have seen 21mpg on the taco and 32mpg on the old corolla i had. im sure i could get more if i tried, but like i said, i got places to be.

 

Yep.

 

Yes, or over several tanks. I remember getting some crazy high MPG driving east from Colorado to the Midwest. But coming home was a different story.