2.7 A-cab 4x4 info please

looking for overall driving likes/dislikes and any driving impressions form some of you that have driven one for an extended period.

i don't speed around so the lack of overall power i'm hoping is not a problem... i have a 08 prerunner reg cab 5 spd and feel the power is fine but the a-cab 4x4 is about 600 more lbs.

also, with the 12's dropping soon i should be able to get a good deal on an 11 and the local dealer has two that have been there a while... i'm thinking below invoice??

thanks

 

i have had my 2010 since march of 2010> I have a few dislikes

1. the seats are uncomfortable as heck on long drives, I feel they make my legs loose circulation and fall asleep at times
2. after 70 mph. the wiper blades cause some type of vibrationa and you can hear it (annoying)
3. did not have the truck more than a day or two in stock form but i remember it drove drove really nice. Been lifted and well it rides like truck> with all my mods it drives great although i am thinking about upgrading to some type of big brake kit as the lift and wheels/tires/bumper/winch i have now have added alot of weight and brakes feel weak now.
4. i have the manual transmission and it feels just about right for gearing and driving in traffic and out.

now the likes

I like that its my 1st toyota and the styling is right on, i plan on keeping this a long time and with regular maintenance it should last a real long time. I don't keep track of mileage as i don't pay for my gas, but i did calculate it one time about a yr ago and i think i averaged about 17 - 19 mpg. even with all my mods minus my bumper and winch. If you plan on modding it the after market is huge. I get compliments all the time. This is my 1st 4 banger but i planned to make this into a wheeling monster and I feel this little motor can take me most places that a 6 cylinder could and i am in no hurry to get places anymore. over all this truck rocks!!!!!!

 

Purchased my 11 AC 4x4 around memorial day and it's exactly what I was looking for. Has plenty of power (used to have a 92 Toyota with the 22RE way back in the day) and drives more like a car than the older Tacomas. Drove my dad's 02 TRD Tacoma last week and it feels very "truck like" compared to the 11. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, guess it's up to the potential buyer.

As for a good deal, now might be the time to try. I didn't mind paying sticker price a few months ago as the truck is exactly what I was looking for and plan on keeping it for a LONG time. The 4 cyl. + AC + 4x4 + 5 speed was a hard combo to find around here at the time.

And FWIW I've been averaging about 22MPG mixed driving. Will hopefully go up as the truck breaks in.

 

i love my AC, it is a 5 speed, i highly recommend u get the manual, it gets better power delivery than the auto does plus the gas milege is better. The truck is very smooth and quiet on the road, i have no trouble with wind noises, but u are talking to a guy that had driven Jeeps and older 4x4s all his life so wind noise does not really bother me. only thing i dont like is commonly having to downshift on hills but it is a 4 cylinder so expect that, they seem to get better with it as they break in though.

 

Hey OP, I had a very different tacoma experience with that AC 4x4. I bought it new at the time and traded it pretty shortly after owning it. I have a thing for special mustangs and saw a 2008 mustang bullitt for sale. I thought the taco was a little low on power (but I was coming from a mustang GT). At the time I was at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO and it would feel pretty slow accelerating up the hills. I did have a couple "breakdown issues" while I had it. the voltage regulator went out twice, replaced by the dealer both times. The cold starts during the winter time were very rough on it (not sure why), it would start but it seemed like it had a hard time starting. The rear seat is definitely very uncomfortable but it did have enough for my gear during field exercises. I had the OME lift with 32" geolanders. I had it stock for a month, then I added this lift. Rode amazingly!! It rode alot better than stock. Much smoother ride even on pavement. If you are considering a lift, I highly recomend this setup, but do not add the top plate spacers. Never really got to "wheel" but drove around on alot of dirt roads that truck handled that like a champ. I think its the small things that irritated me to the point where I got frustrated and sold it. (Probably should have kept it). The radio is very weak, driving with the windows down, you almost have to have it on full blast to hear it. I had an alpine single din head unit, a 500 watt amp (cheapy), and a slim 10 inch sub in a custom box, no real depth to the sound even with that. The fabric seats felt kinda cheap. and there was this piece of plastic under my steering column (just one of those random trim pieces) that randomly broke off one day. The back up camera was pretty cool,I found it pretty handy at night when i would drive out to the bigger cities and had to parallel park. gas mileage was decent, after the lift and bigger tires, I was getting around 20 or so mpg (after being corrected for the oversized tires).

 

Joedart, I have a 2006 version of the truck you're looking into. Currently 65,000 miles. Stock tires 245/70/16 I averaged 23 - 24 mpg. Changed tires to 265/70/16 and average 21-22mpg.

I'm a little underpowered when towing my 16' fishing boat. It gets the job done though. I do plan on upgrading the rear leaf springs.

Truck drives great - always owned full-size V-8 trucks before this, I'm perfectly happy with the Tacoma.

The rear seats suck for any extended trips, but I like having the extra cab room.

Mike

 

thanks for all the great info! overall seems like most of you are pleased with the truck.

some of you hit on points i didn't address but wanted to know... specifically lifting and towing a small fishing boat.

it will most likely stay in stock form so it's good to hear decent mileage numbers. also, my daily commute is literally at sea level (drive PCH through malibu to work) so hills are not a problem.

troutbum, i do a lot of trout fishing in the eastern sierras and possibly will be getting a small alum boat soon. i'm sure it's gonna feel like a dog in the elevation but that's ok.

cant wait to get another 4x4 toyota... had an 86 turbo and had some fun times with it!

thanks again

 

JD - I also tow a Hyde driftboat, no problems there. My other boat is just a heavier boat, wood floors, livewell, dual batteries... If you can get the rear leaf spring TSB done from the dealer right from the start, you'll probably be a lot happier. I bought my truck used and was out of warranty when I found out about it. It's nothing I regret though, it's been a great budget friendly truck.

Mike

 

Just wanted to say, as a newbie, how much I appreciate this site and these posts...I just bought my first Taco...09 AC 2.7 4x4 manual...and had some "remorse" about not holding out for a V6. We live in the Rockies, but won't be towing anything more than a pop-up, so I think we'll be fine. I am curious though...the 3.7L V6 has a rep for going 300K+miles...what's the experience with the i4?

 

Have 45K on mine.
All expectations met.
Snug Top cap + 16' Willie DB and Baker trlr sometimes





Wonder why people don't write about when their automatic downshifts on a hill ?

 

I have a 2007 AC 4Cyl. 4X4 w/ 5 speed. I love the truck overall,and fully loaded with an ARE contractor cap, a couple ladders, and a few hundred pounds of equipment it still averages 20 MPG around town.The few things I dis-like are mainly the seats,really uncomfortable and hard,the clutch is hard to get used to for some reason,even after 40,000 miles, and the rear springs without the TSB. My truck would bottom out on any little bump before adding the ToyTec AAL., and putting 5100's all around. It rides great now, but these seats are going as soon as I can figure out what to replace them with.

 

I have a 2011 2.7 5spd have about 21k miles on it. Alot of mods. It is a great truck I love everything about it. I traded an 08 tundra 5.7 in for this and never looked back. Great off road and on road. I take about 4 trips to south carolina ever year and I never have any complaints of comfort.

 

***Penalty*** no pics of said 08 prerunner in OP gallery. Went the opposite direction from access cab 2.7 5 spd and lovin it. Power and mpg are much better....especially if you don't stay with the small tires and lift any. Mine had 32s with 2.5" lift and in headwinds or on frwy with kayaks on top or either situation with air conditioner running it sucked. No passing capabilities. Sometimes couldn't even do speed limit with headwinds and load up top. It may be OK if never changing tire sizes or lifting but anything other than reg cab is underpowered for much of anything with the 4 cyl other than just making in around and saving barely more on gas than just having the 6. Anything more than just getting by with it in anything other than stock form is brainwashing yourself IMO. Kinda depends on what you want to deal with but to me, it seemed like driving a moped in a motocross race or a golf cart in a car race......and the reg cab 4 cyl doesn't. And I'm not even addressing hauling around the extra weight of the 4wd gear.

 

After owning V8 trucks, autos and sticks all my life...I have 8K on my 2011 in 3 months. Mostly highway commutes w/some scattered in local driving, no regrets on the 4cyl/5speed as of yet.

This is the first time in my adult life that I have only one vehicle to drive so it's really getting hammered in mileage, but that will change in the spring. The Toyota proved to be a good choice so far for me.

 

Only dislike is not having a DC. Rear jump seats are for kids only...extra space is nice for storage...but still wouldn't trade it for anything else.