Fuel Tank capacity, MPG, Total Distance

I feel like this is going to become the transmission thing for the 4th gen. As in, everyone will know about the small tank, but new owners will continue to post on here about "wtf Toyota? Where's my 18 gal / 24 mpg / 400+ mile range?"

OP: it could be worse. I'm currently struggling to get 300 miles to a tank with the 23 gallons in my 4Runner (city driving and short trips lately).

 

You can't really prevent ignorant people from reporting bad/incorrect information.

BTW, mileage (aka mile per gallon) is unrelated to the fuel tank size or reserve capacity.

If you're talking about range - that's a function of fuel capacity and mileage.

My 3rd gen has a reserve of 3.2 gallons and 21.1 gallon tank. My calculate MPG (Fuelly) is 18.7 over the last ten fill ups and 17.7 average across 400 fill ups. That's an effective range of 317 to 335 miles.

I don't typically pay attention to the distance to empty - when I have looked at it I know it would vary based on recent driving and so never put much stock in what it might say. I just drive and fill up when the tank is low and it's convenient to do so.

 

Its for refererence, not a novel to lose yourself in with your favorite herbal tea. Unless that's your jam.

But people don't even understand what a reference manual is anymore.

 

Especially after they lift it, add big tires, roof rack, bed rack, and roof top tent...

 

The last manual I looked at was printed on thinest paper I've ever seen if you tried reading it like a book the thing would fall apart in your hands.

 

The last manual I looked at was a searchable PDF with page number internal reference links making it really easy to find whatever I was curious about.

Ain't technology grand?

 

That’s why we get the same stupid questions every week.

 

Got it.

 

I might suggest the MTE is precise, but perhaps not quite as accurate….having to account for the reserve in some way or fashion to arrive back at Zero MTE.

For those that prefer that sort of thing.

 

Guys, Guys, Guys!

1. I, like everyone else, would like a bigger tank for some decent range. My 1986, Bronco II had a 23 gallon tank. It had excellent range with the 140 hp, 2.9 V-6. I remember everyone telling me I better get gas on a long trip, but they were always wrong.

2. For midsize trucks, 18 gallons is about all you get across all makes and models. I have no idea why you could fit a 23 gallon tank in a 1986 Bronco II which was narrow and short but nobody can fit a decent tank in a 2025 midsize.

3. I am 59. I have never had a vehicle that showed empty on the gauge when you were empty in the tank. Every vehicle had at least 2, more likely 3, and as high as 5 gallons in reserve when the gauge showed 0. This is a good thing. I am a little shocked the concept of a reserve is not common knowledge.

4. Measuring fuel capacity in gallons in a weird shaped tank requires a lot of calibration to correlate fuel level to fuel capacity. Furthermore, a small difference in fuel level is going to be a large difference of volume particularly in a tank that is long and narrow versus nearly square. Add to this that the level changes with inclination in two planes.

4. Fuel mileage is probably not calculated from tank volume. It’s probably calculated from sensors metering total fuel injection vs mileage. I would think this is more accurate than relying on gas pump shut-off level. Some discrepancy is going to be apparent between the different measurements. Not sure how you would know calculating by hand is more accurate since gas station pump shut off may vary more than internal sensors.

5. I am old enough to remember that on certain vehicles we had more gas on the gauge going up hill. Even the chicks in the 80’s were smart enough to know that we didn’t really have more gas going up hill and made jokes about being able to drive further as long as we kept going up hill.

Bottom line, range on all midsize trucks currently sucks. That’s worth bitching about. Not sure about all the other stuff. Kind of think it’s more related to poor reasoning and math skills.

 

It is but I don't want to download anything and you don't get a shiny cover with a more expensive truck than you bought on it.

 

Mic drop post

 

Precision and Accuracy are distinctly different things but that’s for another discussion.

Just for grins I checked my 3rd gen DTE tonight, just after filling up and then when I reached my destination.

59 miles traveled, DTE dropped 29 miles.

Probably why I’ve never paid attention to it until the low fuel light comes on. The initial estimate is overly generous - I typically get 320ish on a tank give or take.

I suspect folks would be better off to simply ignore DTE estimates.

 

24mpg

318 miles est range on full tank. Is it supposed to be 120 miles off?

 

Nope. The computer is screwy.
I wouldn’t trust how much mpg these trucks are doing by the gauge. You have to calculate it manually.

 

You're making some incorrect assumptions:
1 - you don't have access to the entire fuel tank capacity, tank geometry doesn't really allow for it. So you get low fuel warning with about 2.7 gal remaining.
2 - DTE is a guess at best, and not something to realistically put any reliance on. Fill up when the gauge says you're low.
3 - truck calculated mpg may or may not be accurate. Use an app like Fuelly to get average mpg from odometer & gallons of fuel pumped.

BTW - this isn't new to the 4th gen - same thing with my 3rd gen.

 

According to my calculations on my truck, Toyota has the DTE calculations simply ignore the 2.7 gallons of "reserve" and calculate as if it has a 15.5 gallon tank. The figures indicate that. I am getting 26 mpg combined. When I fill up my DTE shows 400 miles (26 mpg X 15.5 gallons is 403 miles). That leaves the 2.7 ignored gallons which would give me an additional 70 miles till a dry tank. So it looks like they're trying to force people to not run below that 2.7 gallons by deleting them from the gauges to protect the pump.

 

The range isn't based on your current average unless you never reset it. It's probably an average of your last 10 tanks (maybe lifetime). If you keep averaging 24mpg your range after fill up will gradually increase, but as mentioned by others, it's not going to include your reserve.

 

Or a howling rear differential, leaking high mounted brake light, frozen drum brakes or plastic buzzing at the right A-pillar and dashboard top.

 

The tank size won’t deter me from a purchase of a Gen4. It’s just the principle of the matter.

Kind of one of those things you should avoid. Step backwards kind of thing. Kind of a face-palm moment.

I think that’s why the discussion has long legs.

I don’t remember any brochures featuring a smaller gas tank.

They should get in bed with Rotopax and install a 2 gallon at the port with a TRD logo for $750.