2021 TRD PRO 8 hour drive on highway.

I was shocked when I took my first road trip in my 2021 TRD PRO. I cruised 80mph and used the cruise control the whole time. I went from Vegas to Temecula and back in one day. Going from Vegas to Temecula I got 18.6 mpg and coming back against head winds 17.6 mpg. RPM averaged 1900-2000 at 80mph. What surprised me most was how smooth the ride was, how smooth the radar cruise control worked when cars cut me off it did not slam on the brakes or loose momentum. The transmission did excellent on the big climbs and did not hunt like crazy or make loud engine noises. My copilot has a Model X and he was surprised how well the truck did. I did install seat jackers for him and I have OVtunes 2.0 non thx premium with factory tires. I was going to regear and add big tires but I think Im gonna stay stock for a long time if the truck rides this good.

 

My weekend car is an Audi S3 and the radar cruise on my Tacoma is so much better than the Audi system...I much prefer taking the Tacoma on long road trips.

 

I agree, I have had 38 cars in 30 years everything from Mercedes to Ford to Acura and none of them were as good on cruise control as the Tacoma! I need to take my 2020 Lexus RX hybrid on a trip and see if the radar cruise control on that is as good as the Taco but from what I remember it wasn't.

 

Nice Taco 99! ( @Sworks99) I drove 8hrs home on the Taco from the selling dealer... (After driving up the day before on a rental!)
This was Tahoe Area to Bend, OR.... Some flat & 'deserty', some twisties, and also some Mountain terrain. All on black asphalt two lane roads... and a bit of dirt track! (no freeways).

It was quite a good drive. I was impressed at the MPG. I do not recall the exact number but it was above 20MPG (but not at 80mph). (- with a manual gearbox... The manual is supposed to be a bit lower on MPG than the Auto too... (?) )


(-I am averaging 20+ on my current tankful...)

I was pleasantly surprised at how civilised the Taco was on the road, and that the drive home did not wear me down as I had thought...

The suspension works well... It is fairly cush on small paved road bumps, quite good on truns and in Braking. It really wakes-up on off-road bumps. - Especially those you can take at speed.

I have Fox suspension on my MTB too. (I wish the taco was more like THAT! it would be brilliant!)

- Is youre username a reference to your MTB?

I have not used the Cruise control at all yet so I cannot comment... (I've tyically never even turned cruise on in most of my cars...)

 

Yeah, I'm consistently getting over 20mpg's on my MT 2021 Pro as well. I thought MT's were bad on fuel mileage?

I think part of why the OEM truck behaves so well is it hasn't been screwed up with 65lbs E-Rated tires yet. This is why I'm really waiting on the new Maxxis RAZR AT tire to be available in the OEM size. They are only 38lbs. So you can have a good looking, chunky tire that isn't so freaking heavy.

 

GTFO with your positive feedback!



Seriously, glad you’re enjoying your (beautiful) truck!

Welcome aboard!

 

Is that a TRD Pro? Can't tell from the pics...

Glad you like your truck!

 

Digging this positive feedback!

Reminds me of my Stillwater OK to Flagstaff AZ drive two Septembers ago. Took ~15.5 hours in one sitting and the truck did great, even loaded with camping gear and my rtt.

Coming from old BMW's, these trucks are an absolute pleasure to drive on the freeway.

 

I also wanted to avoid excessive weight... I ended up with the Falken WP AT3W in 265 75 16 / SL Rated (one notch bigger (taller) than stock) which I really like! Nice chunkiness!

They have been great so far - particularly when it comes to grip in slippery ice & snow. AND they are super quiet. (coming from non truck vehicles) with super smooth tires...). - With the Taco, I enjoy a nice Drive and not worrying about every crack in the pavement!

The tires weigh in at 43.9lbs in SL rating per the spec sheet (vs 52.5lbs for the same size with an E rating).
- The OEM size in these WP AT3W is a couple pounds lighter...

I do like the Razr - but they are not around yet, correct? I would have considered them as well. - 38 Lbs (EVEN?) sounds good!
- A quick look shows that the 265 75 16 may only be available in a E rating... (?)

 

The RAZR's are around - but just not in the SL 265/70R16 - You can get all the LT/E's and the 17" SL - just not the 16" - I reached out to Simpletire and Maxxis on Twitter and was told they completely blew through their stock of SL 16" tires, so I'm waiting until they are available.

There's a thread on here with people running them. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/maxxis-razr-at-in-e-and-sl.687907/

Everyone loves new tire, but I have family in NZ, and they're telling me people back there are raving about them, which I find reassuring since folks in NZ seem to really put their "Utes" through the ringer.

 

Heck yeah sworking all day and all night.

 

I did 1.5 hours towing 4800~ lbs of car trailer on ice/snow roads, deep as a foot sometimes. All in 4x4, big hills, -20c, basically the ultimate torture test of any truck. Averaged 12-13 mpg. Could not have been more impressed with how the truck did. These trucks are amazingly capable for what they are.

 

Maverick now that is impressive! towing in the snow!

 

I haven't been able to break 16MPG yet with the same truck completely stock. I went from a 17 TRDOR that routinely got 18-19MPG. The Pro seems to be afraid of 6th gear altogether unless I'm on a downhill incline.

 

what bed rack is that?

 

I had a 16 auto and now a 17 MT. Even though the MT is rated for less, I’ve averaged 1-2+ MPG better than my auto did. I had 50k miles on the AT and currently at 110k on the MT.

Radar cruise is super nice for the long road trips. Kinda wish i had it on my 17.

 

I did a ton of travel for work over the last few years. I was consistently doing 1000+ miles a week. This truck is a great choice for long drives.