3rd Gen Disappointment

Picked up my 2016 TRD sport with auto trans about 2 weeks ago and am ready to trade it in already. I have put 1800 miles on and the best mileage I have seen is 17 mpg out of a tank. It has no upper end power and downshifts constantly. Running at 70 mph with the cruise on it stays in 4th gear at over 3000 rpm. Had 3 guys plus me in the truck headed down the interstate with the cruise set at 80 and it ran in 3rd gear, over 5000 rpm, for more than half of the 40 mile trip. At that point she's sucking fuel like a champ! Tried running in shift mode to override the downshift with no success. Have had a 2010 taco and a 2012 and never had this issue. Just a heads up of what to expect

 

Welcome to tw ..

 

First post. Credibility, not much.

 

Crossed my mind as well, how about some pics of your truck

 

That doesnt sound encouraging, although there are other reports of better mpg.

 

Included a photo of the truck. 2 things that might be hurting me on mpg is that I live in Wyoming at an elevation over 6000 feet. 2nd I put 265/70/17 tires on the truck which are maybe and inch or so taller than the stock tires, and they're 10 ply so pretty heavy. However, I had the same tires on my 10 and 12 with a 3 inch lift, ARB bumper and headache rack and averaged @17-18mpg. The BEST mpg I've seen out of this new taco is 17 and that's puttering around on the ranch. Getting it out on the highway where I run 70-80 mph I'm getting as poor as 14 mpg out of a tank. Feels like I'm running a tundra without the benefits of size! I have never posted anything before or ever been a member of this site, but am so disappointed in this truck I wanted to give a heads up. Have owned 6 tacomas and this will be my last one

 

You're running mud tires, you will lose 1-4 mpg alone with that

 

Perhaps 300 lbs of mud may affect mileage some also

 

Thanks for the information. One thing is for sure, MPG estimates from members is all across the map. But it does not seem like everyone is getting 24 mpg highway on a consistent basis.

 

I don't think you're ever going to get decent mpg with the way you drive.

 

This is why Toyota should of thought about more torque instead of Horse Power. My truck runs at 2,500 RPM's at 80 without downshifting when I took a trip to Tulsa. The Supercharger helps out a lot especially all those hills on the Interstate.

 

Hahaha! I was thinking the same thing. Well... I am holding onto my '13 in case I do not like the '16 and in which case I will sell it then and go back. I dont see that happening though...

 

Thanks for you honest assessment.

 

Credibility? HAHAHAHAHAH!!!! He owns the truck, how much more "street cred" does he have to have?

That is too bad that you are disappointed with your new ride. I suspect that if most people are having the same issue, Toyota will eventually offer a fix of some kind for it.

 

glad to see somebody already getting one muddy though

 

this. you put bigger tires on without factoring in the difference.

 

do we know what kind of tires he's running?

 

Yes.
First you need to find out how much further you are actually going since your tire circumference is greater than stock.
Second, if you are going to put such aggressive (and bigger) tires on your truck you've got no place to complain about mpg.
Third, higher elevation helps mpg, not hurts it.
Fourth, with the greater drag and larger diameter tires, more downshifting should be expected.

In short, you made the truck intolerable for you. If you need those modifications and can't except the shortcomings it produced, get rid of the truck.

 

Don't know why you are quoting me. I get better than epa mpg on every vehicle I own.

 

Good point did not think about the speedo. Am just going on having the same set up on my 2nd gen trucks with the same driving conditions and getting better economy. Except for having a couple hundred more pounds of steel strapped on them. But even mileage aside, running down the interstate with the truck dang near redline is obnoxious! My hunters joked if I put loud exhaust on, everyone in the truck would have to wear hearing protection