4 cyl not that slow

2.7 has been fast enough for whatever uses I expected of it

 

This factor is routinely underestimated on tacos - great point …

 

I think the powerbands are about the same up to 2500-3000 or so, with the 2.7 possibly having slightly more torque off idle.

I have one (2.7/4WD) and it is totally fine around town but isn't the best on highways where everyone is doing 80+. Like, it's fine here in the south where it is flat and you can just stay around 75, but if there are long/steep hills or a strong headwind it doesn't really like going over about 70 MPH (I usually hang back and do 65 in Colorado, where some hills do require 3rd gear and WOT to maintain speed). With a light foot I can get 23-25 MPG on road trips (21-22 around town) even with E-load AT tires so I am happy with the 4-cylinder. I've had cars that were a LOT slower in the past so this feels fine to me, and the $2500 or $3000 savings vs. getting the SR V6 paid for my camper shell. My first car was a 1986 Isuzu Trooper that did 0-60 in 20 seconds so I might be calibrated a little differently.

On the highway I normally put it in 5th gear so it isn't going 5-6-5-6-5-6 all day and in places where there are undulating hills over and over I put it in 4th (1:1/direct drive) and that cuts out 90% of the shifting. I watch the LOD # on the ScanGauge and keep it at 90-95 or when climbing hills to keep it from doing a high RPM kickdown to 3rd.

It is a little light on power at 12000 feet in 4-hi but has plenty of grunt in 4-lo if needed

Ophir Pass


We've taken it all over the place, Colorado



Great Sand Dunes/Medano Pass camping

From Monte Vista, Colorado to Lubbock, TX on one tank

 

I’ve owed five 2.7L 4WD Tacomas, they do just fine…until you put 33’s on them and drive uphill into a head wind, they don’t like that.

I would own another !

 

I fully understand this, I had a 1990 Rodeo with the V6 that was probably the same as your Trooper, I wanna say it was 120 HP and geared very tight. Before that was a couple of Jeeps, a CJ and a Wrangler, both with the 258 I6, I think they were in the 112 HP to 120 HP range, from that to a Frontier and then an Xterra both with the 3.3 at 170 HP, then a Tacoma with the 3.4. I think the 2.7 is about as quick as any I had and a damn site quicker than either the rodeo or jeeps but the 3.4 Tacoma was a little quicker but so much louder revving it was no fun to rev uo

 

Takes forever but once in 5th gear it can beat the shit out of most everything on the road but as a courtesy, I play dead.

 

Mine had the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder (SOHC, 8-valve, carb'd). Just looked up the specs and it had 96 horsepower and 123 lb-ft to move 3700 lbs, lol. Even with a 4.56 rear end, just driving around/keeping up with traffic meant flooring it in every gear when getting up to speed, and on the highway it would turn 3800-4000 RPM in 5th and couldn't maintain speed up long, gradual grades. I got lined up with a school bus at a toll booth once and the school bus walked me, haha. All that said, I loved it, so fun to drive, tons of room and had the vinyl floor you could sweep out -- just wish it had a smidge more power. The little engine was too stressed for U.S. speeds of 70-75 MPH so it blew a few head gaskets and was basically totally worn out by 150,000 miles and had lots of other issues.

The Tacoma will go as fast as I want in every situation, it just amounts to whether I want to get 15, 20 or 25 MPG and the amount of noise I want to hear. Like, will it do 80 MPH into a 30 MPH headwind? I mean, yeah, but it will be in 4th gear at full throttle. It likes 75 a lot better, though with recent gas prices I have been staying at 70 or even 65 on the highway and it seems much happier, so I might just stick to state highways as much as possible (they're more fun anyway).

I will say that our other car, a 2012 Yaris 3-door hatchback with a stick-shift, feels like a little go-kart in in comparison to the truck. It does 0-60 in the mid 8 second range and makes me giggle the first time I drive it after not getting in it in a few months.

 

I watch a few YouTube channels from Japan about these guys that convert those little 660cc Kei trucks into campers and wonder what it’s like to drive one of those loaded down through the mountains

 

Both engines are exactly the same. They just put different engine covers on them to fool people into thinking they have a choice. When I pulled the decorative cover off my 3.5L and my buddy’s 2.7L, they were identical.

 

Its not a sportscar!

That being said, I love my 4 cylinder. Its better than what I expected. Of course, I'm probably older compared to most on here so I'm not interested in burning tires, popping wheelies, or drag-racing the next guy. I just go about my way at my own pace. The 4 cylinder fits me fine.

 

Agreed. I don’t understand people who buy a midsize V6 pickup and complain about the power, especially these days. They need to drive a 1st gen 3.4 and feel the difference of an engine that makes 90 HP less and uses more fuel to do it, haha… Or better yet, the 3.slow. Toyota has made a serious amount of progress in my book.

 

Orrrr go drive a 1990 mazda b2200 with like 85 hp. That was my first vehicle hah.

Tacoma has plenty of power, really.

 

I ran the numbers and the 2.7 Tacoma gas about the same power to weight ratio as an '88 4Runner V6. No one ever complained about those being slow.

 

Haha! My 1st vehicle was an ‘86 Toyota 4x4 Xtra Cab pickup with a 22R putting out a whopping 97 HP in a truck. And now people in 2022 complain about almost 300 HP being “weak”. eye rollz.

 

I like my 2.7...for sure it's a solid engine. Rack em' up da miles!

 

the 2.7L wakes up even more with 91 octane

 

In both cases it comes down to transmissions. The manuals had plenty of power, the autos, not so much.

 

Haha! Back in the 70s, the VW Bug was the fastest car around from 0 to 20 mph. I imagine it's a similar off-the-line feel with the 2.7 L. Around town I'm sure it's as strong as the 3.5 L.

 

It’s funny how hungry for horsepower people have become. I remember thinking my 1994 Isuzu pup was a hot rod with 120hp back in the day, but it was probably 1000 lbs lighter than a new Tacoma

 

This. Learned to drive on a Mercedes 2.4l diesel sedan. 64hp. Went from that to a 4cyl ranger. Man that ranger was fast by comparison.

Small/midsize trucks today are amazingly capable.