2016 6-cylinder 6-speed automatic erratic shifting and drivability problems?

I thought it was supposed to get 18 city 23 Hwy..? Is it too early, will it get better once you have more miles on it ..?

 

Another reason I opted for the Manual, hopefully Toyota figures out a fix for this

 

I get 22-23 mpg consistently on a level highway driving 75. I have 6K miles. Mileage has not changed much since the vehicle had 3 miles until now.

 

23 MPG is respectable for a truck though. A good deal better than I was getting in my Ranger. (14-16 mixed)

 

Does it help any to drive it using the "S" shift mode? Do this around town in my 5 speed 4runner. Makes 4th my top gear and doesn't hunt around this way. No need for 5th gear around town for me. Anyone tried making 5th or even 4th their top gear for round town driving?

 

Its saving you gas! turn the ECT on and its a whole different story...I have mine off all the time unless i need to haul ass

 

Actually I set mine to 5 for freeway/highway driving. Seems to make a bigger difference. Less down and up shifting from 5 and 6th. In town I leave it in drive.

 

Sub'd.. Mine just started having a weird sudden, but slight power surge. Enough to move the truck even with brake pedal applied. Called and made an appointment for Friday since I'm working right now and dealership is an hour away.. Also a slight transmission hesitation before engaging when putting it in drive sometimes.. weird..

 

S5 is 99% of my driving.
AI is for long, flat, boring road.

In my 2007, I would drive around town a lot in 4th.

 

Yep............exactly what i do....i am in S mode 90% of the time .....miss the auto tranny in my 2008....

 

Just a curious thought...it may depend upon your mods from stock...bigger tires/wheels and lifts all affect aerodynamic drag and therefore horsepower and torque requirements...the engine and transmission combo was probably programmed for stock configuration...considering aerodynamic drag the horsepower required is a cube of the velocity...and add the rotational mass of larger tires...any thoughts on this? Mine will be built tomorrow at the factory, hoping for December drive away.

 

This is an attempt to improve mileage. Doesn't help that the new V6 has less torque than before. You might be happier with a Diesel.

 

'16 MPG is terrible in a Mid sized truck, might as well go Full size.

 

I often wonder why they didn't go with the 4.0 for the 16 but with the tuning that's in the 4Runner. My wife has a 14' limited 4Runner that is 278hp, where my 14 Tacoma was I believe 236 hp. The 4Runner will get 22-24mpg on the highway.

 

I have tried various speeds etc and 95% is highway miles. I can get 17.5 mpg going 60 mph, but I would die of old age with everyone passing me at 85 mph. I was hoping to get at least 20 mph as I have a 2002 Ford Explorer 4x4 with a V8 that gets 19 mpg at 75 mph - 80 mph.

Regardless I love my Taco and it is exactly what I wanted. I am optimistic that the mileage will get better.

 

@.28
I'm experiencing similar (both the occasional hesitation and surge), please post back with whatever information you get from the service dept.
Thanks!

 

I am hoping so ... of course I can slow down and spend another 15 minutes driving to work, but it is what it is. Computers are designed to learn and with more mileage I am hopeful the mileage will increase.

 

AGREED! They should have switched to the updated 1GR 4.0L years ago. And im sure a properly geared 6 speed auto mated to it would be a perfect fit for the 3rd gen taco.

 

I also thought a refined 4.0 would have been a wise idea. I am guessing Toyota wanted a smaller displacement to improve upon as CAFE regs tighten even further. I believe Toyota could have gotten better MPG out of the 3.5L, but automakers often only trickle their MPG advances in small increments so they have something new/better in the queue down the line.

 

I don't think it's a trans issue. All GM bashing aside and seriousness, I would bet the 6-speed diesel Colorado will hang in 6th pretty much all the time on the highway. The new 3.5L just doesn't have the torque. Toyota isn't Ford, they won't have customers come in to reflash ECU's, at least I don't think.

When I drove my friends 07 IS350 with "more" hp and torque than the Tacoma and in a lighter package it was going from 4-5-6-5-6-4-5-6-5-4-3-5-6-4-5-6 gear on the highway the whole time I was driving it. Really annoying. Forget about manual shift mode, the car does what it wants to. After that I said, "give me my 6-speed manual back".