03 2.7l vs 09 2.7l

I used to own an 03 Tacoma base model 2wd automatic but had to sell it years ago due to finances. That thing was dependable but slow as molasses flowing upstream. I'd like to get a new Prerunner Access Cab or 4wd Access Cab in the 4cyclinder 5-speed but have to test it out to see if it has a tad more pep than my 03 (the vvt technology plus 5-speed tranmission should help I'm guessing). I'm not expecting a rocket, I know that.

I don't know if I can stretch it to the V6 and if I do I'll get the 6-speed (although I've read about some problems with that).

I don't have anything to tow but would use the bed for home projects and moving things. I also have a wife and a 2 and 4 year old but this wouldn't be our main car.

Thanks

I posted this in the New Member forum but hopefully will get some responses here as it's a 4 cyl section.

 

the new 2.7s, push about 159Hp, and have 180 torque, this is all stock. 0-60 for mine was about 11 seconds, after a few upgrades and features, it reduced slightly to 9.5 to 10 seconds on average.

 

I have an 05 2.7 5 speed, and my dad has an 07 v6 auto, and after driving both (mine on a daily basis, his on a weekly basis) Ive noticed only a few things. The 2.7 in my opinion picks up speed off the start a bit quicker, but is nothing compared to the V6 once you get to about 30mph. But it just depends on how hard you drive it, and once you break in the engine. So the 2.7 has a little more pep than people give it credit for.

 

Thanks! I'm looking forward to test driving a few pretty soon.

 

For your daily needs the 4 cly should be adequate. The 5spd is almost a must, the auto is still a 4 spd unit which given the current availability of 5 even 6spd autos is a little behind the curve. I have a 2wd truck the gearing is slightly different compared to the pre-runner or 4x4, but driving in town I can not even get into 5th gear unless I'm doing 40mph or better, the gearing is so tall for 5th the engine sits below 1500rpm which it doesn't like. The last tank of gas averaged 21.8 mpg, with 90% city driving, I'm thrilled, the wife's old F150 averaged 12 mpg in the same conditions. We also tow a small pop up camper.

Acceleration is at least comparable to the old F150 with a 4.6 V8, definitely better than my 4cly Ranger. The gearing is tall through the tranny 2nd gear will take you through 60mph in the Taco.

 

I've had my Reg Cab PreRunner for a little over two months now and I couldn't be happier. The 5 speed really is fun to drive and the truck doesn't have any problems getting out into traffic or keeping up on the highway. My old Chevy got 13 mpg city and I have yet to put a tank through the Tacoma that has yielded less than 23. I haven't been able to take in on any dedicated highway trips yet, but I'm sure it would yield somewhere close to EPA since that's what I'm getting around town. Just got done with the 15k maintenance and went ahead and swapped to full synthetic in the engine, transmission, and differential so I might squeak out a half mile more per gallon but we'll just have to see. I have a couple of buddies with the V-6 and I prefer the gas mileage and maintenance scheudule of the 2.7, if you're only looking to get an Access Cab I say go for the 4 cylinder and don't look back.

 

Agtex42, so your original offer for 18,000 on the Access Cab was rejected by the dealer, or was the price on your used regular cab just too good? Did both trucks ride the same for you? Also, do you have the 5-speed?

 

Haha, yeah the guys at the local dealership were all idiots. I knew more about the truck than the salesman (the guy had to ask where they were parked on the lot) and then the sales manager tried to tell me that their sticker price was $500 over their invoice so the most they could knock off was $250. Then I whipped out my invoice pricing data from Edmunds and and Cars.com and suggested they should find out wether they're dealing with an informed buyer before they lie directly to my face. That whole fiasco combined with the fact that the used reg cab was an incredible deal made up my mind for me. I think it'd be nice to have the Access Cab for more dry storage, but with the money I saved on the used truck I was able to buy a Leer Shell which more than makes up for the extra cargo volume of the Access Cab. I've put almost 3,000 miles on it over the past couple of months and I have no complaints. The 5-speed shifts great and the 4 cylinder move the truck along just fine.

 

hell yes it does! i love my 2.7 o5 prerunner!

 

If you get the pre-runner and not the base "paw paw" model, you'll get a shorter rear gear ratio. That really helps with the acceleration, especially in city driving. It will feel a lot stronger down low.

 

03 Pre-Runner standard cab auto
I upgraded to 32 in tires and the truck was dog a$$ slow. Had power to go where ever but slow. I added cams, header, cat back and nada still slow just not as slow. S/C made it better than the newer models but MPG is around 20 all the time. Not so good.