‘23 Tacoma 3.5L V6 is a dog….

Had the 2018 dog and now a 2020 that kicks ass, it moves when I want it to and makes no excuses. Maybe luck of the fuckin draw. No FN complaints here.

 

I bought a Tacoma for many reasons, speed and fuel efficiency were not on the list of reasons.

 

Regeared with 5.29s and a tune and mine barely drops to 5th on the hwy in cruise running 33’s.

 

I'll pile on a bit-

I won't bother with the power / trans comments. Enough has always been said about that. It has been mentioned here already, but for me I cannot stress enough how much moving into winter consistently affects mileage here in Fuktardia VT. It's like a switch is flipped. When it's cold enough to keep a fire lit in the woodstove, and in conjunction with "winter blend", I lose 10% mpg.... every year.... like clockwork... in every 1-2-3 Gen Taco I've had (one each).

First two months on my new / current, I got 22-24. This last month I am at 19. I expect it to go back up to low 20's again in spring. Not sure how much other brands gain / lose (don't care either), but a MT Taco I would expect the same. Deal with it. In perspective, with how much my insurances, taxes, food, etc costs have gone up recently I'm not as worried about 5$ more at the pump per week.



Obligatory Thread Derail Ingredientatas

Pffft. This seems like 3/10 rating compared to that Centralia Coal Fire thread (in which I helped ...... )

 

yep. My previous truck (19 ranger) would average 25-26 in warm weather on summer blend on my drive back and forth to work. Cold weather/winter blend, I would only get about 19-20mpg on the same drive/route. My taco gets around 22-24 in warm weather/summer blend on same drive, and then drops to 19ish cold weather/winter blend.

 

I always say this but I’m not sure what some people expect . Trucks are an aerodynamic nightmare. Mpg will never be good . Power will get better with the turbo . Will it hold up for 200 or 300 k miles ? I guess we are going to find out . Turbo’ s by nature create tons more torque at low rpm’s if tuned right. Add a few more gears and the 24 is going to feel good . As far as the current v6 , normal aspiration is totally different. Turbos in the past did not hold up so I think I will wait a while and see what pans out . If it all holds up Toyota will continue crushing it .

 

I had a young person ask me what my 0-60 time was.

my answer: EVENTUALLY.

I am really staring to gel with my new truck. I still have my old one as well, and they are both wonderful. I have started driving the new one more and more. it's a great truck I and I expect it to last a long time..

 

OP never did answer this question.

 

Funny you should mention Centralia. My wife and I were talking about heading up there when I get home. My grandfather lived just north of Centralia in Aristes. All those streets they say are haunted now I used to run around on as a kid.

 

let me know what you think. i have had the "ECT on at startup" mod form Messo, on my 2016 for about 7 years now.

 

The day I learned that I need to drive this thing like a Miata is the day I started having fun shifting the 3.5.

 

I was originally going to go with the over-used "dumpster fire" in my post, but Centralia popped into my head... was seeing if I got and hits lol

I grew up in the northern end of the Lehigh Valley. We used to motorcycle around the poconos a lot in the 90's. Was always fun finding "interesting" spots like this.

 

Two words that worked for me "Tune It".

 

By the sound of it at five minutes, you can’t be serious you really want one of these trucks

 

What does this comment even mean? Lol

 

It means "I cant afford what will probably be a $50,000 truck, so I'm going to come up with hollow justifications on why my truck is better despite the scratch on the door and the interior that smells like wet dog ass."





But you know what, I'll be brave and say what most wont:

I can't justify purchasing what will probably be a 50 grand midsized truck. No matter what Youtube tells me to do.

 

OP has disappeared.

 

That's exactly where I'm at. I think the 4th gens are neat and I would like to have one. But I can't justify trading in my low mileage 2021 to get one.

It wasn't that long ago I would trade in every 3 or 4 years for a new one, just because I wanted a new one lol. Nearing retirement has caused me to be more practical. It's a real buzzkill lol.

 

After driving my truck for a year, I just hit 9,000 miles and it's still a truck. I average 16-17 mpg around town and 18-19 on the highway. I don't use the vehicle computer, I average the miles when I fill it up.

The 6 speed transmission drove me nuts at first and I thought about getting it tuned, but I got used to it and it's been driving much smoother after I passed 5,000 miles. When I'm on the freeway cruising at 65-70, I can easily pass other vehicles.

 

I’m not gonna argue this, and am in the same boat…but even if they are $50k that’s not a crazy amount higher than current TRD trims which easily get $45k with “standard” options. I’d have to reference the what-did-you-pay-for your-new-Tacoma thread I guess, but most 2023 DCLB OR’s in my area are listed around $46k on dealership websites. Factor in that the 2024’s will be less available and/or likely have a dealer markup, $50k sounds reasonable in today’s economy, which is crazy.