MPG Baseline

Long-time Toyota fan looking to make yet another purchase.

I need a pickup, and would like a diesel, but since I'm sticking with Toyota that latter preference isn't going to be satisfied for the time being. My choices have come down to a Tacoma TRD Off-road with the 6 MT (I want A-TRAC and the lower gearing) or a SR5/Limited Tundra with extended cab and offroad package.

My conundrum is this: I like trucks that have torque, which the 5.7l Tundra has gobs of but the Tacoma seems to be sorely lacking. But I also want mpg's that will at least equal what I'm currently getting with my 5th gen 4runner (4.0l v6). Tundra likely won't match that. But will the 6 MT Tacoma? I've heard quite a bit of feedback which indicates that the 6 MT Tacoma with 4.10 gearing gets 16-17 mpg city and 20 mpg tops on the highway. If that's the case, I'm half-tempted to just go with the Tundra: it might get 2-3 mpg less on the highway, but can be found for similar prices on the used market, and seems much more comfortable in terms of seating position and NVH.

For any 6 MT Tacoma owners out there, what is your realistic mpg return city, highway and combined?

I'm tracking on all the strengths and weaknesses of the current Tacoma: great offroader, reliable, robust but the 3.5l is somewhat lacking and the seating position is not great. I might be willing to accept those trade-off's if there is a discernible mpg advantage over the 4runner and Tundra...based on what I've seen so far, the mpg difference (for 6 MT) seems marginal at best.

 

The 6 speed MT has 4.30 gearing not 4.10. My tank averages in the summer are 20-22 and winter gets 17-20 depending on 4wd useage.

 

I'd just buy the diesel. Like dick size people lie about MPG numbers

 

I get better MPG in my manual Tacoma in city / rural driving than I do freeway. If I go 68 mph I can get 20-21 mpg. The manual Tacoma just revs too high once you get over 70. It's worth the trade off though IMHO to have the manual. In my normal commute of mixed city, rural, and x way I can get as high as 24. With my 2018 5.7 Tundra, it didn't really matter where I drove so long as I drove conservatively. I could get 17, sometimes 18 mpg.

 

That is a good point, speeds over 70 out on the interstate is where my truck drops off.

 

as you've probably seen there is just a ton of variation with these Tacomas. they are sensitive at the drivetrain and little things have significant effects. it will be tough to get real clarity here, but the news you can use is that your mileage will be lower than you expect from a 3.5 and will almost certainly be under 20 as you've seen.

if you are considering a Tundra, don't compare these trucks on mileage. compare based on your usage: MT (why i have a Tacoma), OR capability, towing/hauling, parking ease, etc..

i like torque as well. that's the one thing not in the new vehicle package i sought out when i got the Taco. that's the only thing. so i had to figure how to wake up the motor which was a project, tweak the seat for comfort, mod the clutch line for driveability, and the most important thing was to learn how to drive this motor to get a satisfying experience. i like big projects like this. if i was looking for turnkey and could skip the MT then i'd be in a Tundra if i were you. personally i just can't hardly get along with AT vehicles, it's a damn torture test, but that's just me.

one more thing:
when i got the truck and ran it stock my mileage was ~15 town 17 hwy
after tuning it and getting the exhaust right: ~17 town 18-20 hwy
weather cooled down and i reduced tire pressure for the cold season by about 4psi: ~15 town 17-18 hwy

that's on a 4500lb truck with 30" tires, and i'm moderate to aggressive on the throttle. no added weight except 100lb sliders and a tonneau.

 

I have a stock 2018 6MT. I keep a simple spreadsheet to track my mpg everytime I gas up, just because - overall avg this past year is 18.5mpg. My daily commute is an even split between freeway and local streets.

 

When I had my 6mt tacoma 4wd I got about 19.5 on highway.
My new Tundra gets around 18 on highway.
Around town on either has way too many variables like turns, traffic, stoplights etc to get any accurate data.
The Tacoma advantage is easy to maneuver in town and park. That's pretty much the only advantage in my application.

 

Here is my mileage ( litres/100kms ) since new. Mix of city and highway. 6MT DCSB. I tend to drive with a heavier foot.

 

That's exactly it: I am looking for a turnkey truck. Don't want to have to fiddle with the engine and clutch. I'm very used to driving manuals, but having test-driven this truck the 6 MT just seems like a chore due to the lack of low-end torque. The auto with the Tundra's 5.7l v8 seems so much easier to deal with by comparison.

Only thing missing from the Tundra is the rear locker.

I mean given those results for the 6 MT Tacoma, I don't see the Tundra being that much worse off in terms of efficiency.

 

Once you adjust your driving style to fit the truck it is honestly not that bad, there is power there but you just have to rev the engine.

 

I would /not/ recommend the third gen tacoma. The low-torque motor is not a good pairing with the manual transmission — a real clutch roaster

Fine at sea level and unloaded, where i test drove mine. Sucks at payload and altitude. Reallllly sucks in Seattle or San Fran, or Engineer Pass

I was getting 19-20 both city and highway unmodified, as long as i stayed at 65 or below. Go fast and they chug fuel.
I’m now modified, getting like 14-16 going 75 - at payload

I find A-trac to be sufficient, and often preferable to the rear locker as it doesn’t bind

 

I'm just not a fan of that though...there should be enough low-end torque so that you don't have to rev the engine.

For both city commuting and long highway drives, a high-reving engine gets old and tiresome IMHO. For sports-car, yeah okay I can see how the high-reving would add to the experience. For a truck, it needs low end grunt so that you don't have to constantly worry about down shifting.

 

This might help you, they show the good and bad about both.

 

Just drive 300 miles to iowa and 300 miles back this weekend. Pretty windy. Cruise control set at 70 for half the drive and 65 the other half. 17.0-17.4 mpg on non ethanol 87. 16.0-16.4 mpg on ethanol 87.

 

I drive a 2019 TRD Sport Access cab V6 4x4 6sp. manuel shift, while it was still in the 80's out side ( A/C on) I had occasion to drive I-40 St. Louis west to OKC south on I-35 to Dallas. some 640 mi. at 80 MPH. got 17.5 MPG
on the next trip outside temp. 45-50 ( A/C off) cruise set to 70. A solid 22 MPG. City driving in the DFW area 17-18 MPG.