4cyl v 6cyl - advice to newbie

Hi y'all, looking to purchase a new or recently used Taco. Never owned a truck before. Looking because new home ownership brings projects! And the more I read about Tacomas, the more I'm in to it. Also like to camp, though we're pretty minimal about it so hauling a lot of gear or off-roading isn't really a consideration.

My main question now is whether I'll be happy with the 4cyl, or if that's under-powered and I should go 6. My first projects will be renovating a laundry room and hardscaping a major drainage issue. Appreciate any thoughts y'all have.

 

If you ever plan to tow, go V6.

Even if you never plan to tow, if you can afford a V6, go V6.

More power, better resale, Tacoma reliability.



And this has been discussed approximately 1234 times on here. Try the search function for existing threads.

 

welcome

bed load/small utility trailer (sub 2000 lbs loaded) the 4 should be OK
if you want/need to pull over 2500 lbs the the V6 with tow package is what you need (up to 6000 lbs, over that then you need a full size truck)

 

Oh boy....


Welcome to TW. buckle up.

 

i would flip a coin

 

I think we’ve outgrown going all in on these threads.

But once the 4th gen rolls out, oh man…

SHOULD I BUY A HYBRID TACOMA?

 

V6 will cost you more to own in the long run no question.

If you're using it to tow up to 2500lbs not regularly and you don't live at altitude or in the hillcountry l, the 4 will be more than fine.

If you need like a legit work truck, skip the 4cyl.

 

There is no real difference in fuel economy between the 2. And there is a negligible difference in vehicle weight.

There is a definite difference in power output. To haul around a 4100lb dry weight truck and then throw any materials or gear into it... I would go V6. Then you have the power to move the truck versus wishing you did with the 4 cylinder.

 

--Speedfreak brings up good points. Speaking from experience, these trucks are heavy and I'm not so sure you'd be happy with the performance of the 4 cylinder when trying to merge into traffic on the freeway for example. Personally, I have not driven the 4 cylinder. The 4.0 in my 2012 has more than enough power for me. A friend of mine had a 2014 with a 4.0 and towed his daughters broken down Nissan Rogue on a trailer up the backside of Eisenhower tunnel which is a steep grade up past 10,000 ft. and had no problems at all. Being in Denver, a mile above sea level, you lose 10-15% of your power from the get go due to the altitude. It gets worse the higher you go in the mountains.

--The only downside is my mileage around town is only 14 mpg, BUT if I do a small amount of driving on the highway, it jumps up to between 18-22 mpg. My understanding is that the 3.5 engine in the 2016 and newer gets better mileage than my 4.0. For sure drive the 4 cylinder before putting your hard earned cash down.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4-vs-6-cylinder-tacoma.744393/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/4-cyl-vs-6-cyl.620601/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/anyway-to-make-the-4cyl-2-7l-faster.766800/

 

this ^ also if you buy the 4x4 it will cost even more to maintain etc etc

 

Midsize trucks are fat pigs, and the 4 cylinder only has 9 more hp than the one in my single cab first gen. If it had a manual transmission then maybe, but with an auto you’re gonna need to be very patient if you get the 4 cyl.

 

I'd only the run the 2.7 in the access cab config tho

 

4 banger is a gutless turd. I cut my test drive short in disgust. At one time I owned a Ford Pinto, so I know what I'm talking about when I say "gutless turd."

Get the V6.

 

I was very happy with my base 4x2 but it was on road only, if your going off road get 4x4 v6 for piece of mind

 

V6 4x4

 

I have not owned both but my reasoning at the time was that I'm buying a truck so I'd rather have the power and not need it since I very frequently found/find myself needing more power but rarely find myself needing less. Plus the guys that get the smaller engine often don't get better fuel economy at all because the smaller engine has to work much harder to keep up on the road. Sure you can argue maintenance cost more because it's a bigger engine, more cylinders, etc, etc but honestly unless you're planning to get at most an access cab 2wd it's not worth the reduced maintenance cost. You'll eat it in fuel consumption keeping up. If this were a car for going back and forth to work then sure i'd probably say get the smaller engine because it's a car, unless you frequently drive around with a full car or it's a Taxi. A truck on the other hand especially seeing you stated you plan to put it to work to some extent should at least have a 6 cylinder engine. I say that as a guy who's owned non Toyota quarter tons in the past with both 4cyl and 6cyl. I wouldn't recommend a 4cylinder truck outside of the youngsters first vehicle

 

Go with the V6.

 

4 cylinder for reliability v6 for any and everything else