4 cyl vs 6 cyl for off-road

I am in the market for a new Tacoma. I'm looking at both the 4 and 6 cylinder models with 4WD. The truck will be used on the highway and on roads that are designated for high clearance 4WD vehicles but that are generally passable. There will be a cap/canopy on the truck and the biggest load I'll haul is my camping gear and some lumber from time to time. My mechanic says that the 4cylinder truck is more than powerful enough and that with the low range transfer case my the truck will be able to climb mountains. He contends that it's gearing rather than HP that really makes the difference when picking along a 4W track and that sometimes a 6 cylinder engine just means you get stuck in a more stupid place.

Most of the posts I have read suggest that the 4 banger is great until you start trying haul trailers, campers etc. So I'm confident I'm fine on the highway. I'd appreciate any insight you all can offer with regard to off-road performance.

Thanks

 

I owned a 1990 Isuzu 4cylinder and a 1990 Mazda B2200 4cylinder, they both got me to where I wanted to go. The eninge in a 4 cylinder works harder as these are heavy trucks. If you got for the 4, make sure it is a manual. The 4cylinder 4x4 is not an option in Canada, and has not been for years. From driving the 4 bangers, hills do pose problems and shifting to find the correct gear is constant between third and forth. When the RPM are high you are sucking the gas back and putting needless wear on the enginee. The V6 goes up hills without effort... and going on the highway is a breeze now. No more praying the ol 4 banger will get up to speed, lol...

Take a 4 and a 6 for a test drive and see how they feel for you. It will be you driving it so it is important you feel good with what you purchase.

 

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

 

i would worry to much about getting stuck i also have to the 4 banger and i havent gotten stuck

 

I have a 4cyl and use it in much the way you describe. Works fine. One time I wished I had a locker, and I don't believe there is any Taco package that has one for the 2.7 altho it can be installed later......for a lot of $ and effort. But, unless you need to tow heavy loads, for 99.9% of situations you'll be well equipped with a fairly basic 4.

 

You guys realize you're responding to a 2½ year old thread right? The has probably already broken in his engine...

 

Even though the thread is old, the subject is a good one for new members who do searches. (c: The 2009 entries have been very informative for me as I am in the same boat as the OP 3 years ago. (c:

Thanks for the input, I think I'm shifting my search to a 4 cyl.

 

^ I see you're in CO. Keep in mind that, while not huge, you lose some power due to elevation.

 

To be honest, from what I understand the 4 banger isn't getting any significant millage improvement. So unless you want a regular cab for the shorter wheel base, there's really no reason to not spend a little extra on the 4.0 and get the great jump in power. Just my $0.02.

 

You are mostly wrong on this comment. I average 24 mpg in my 4 banger and have gotten 25.1 once. The V6 will rarely average over 20. The only situation where the V6 gets close to what the 4 banger gets is on the interstate. The low gearing in the 4 banger reduces my gas mileage to 21 or 22 on the interstate. A V6 could get close to that, maybe 20/21.

 

^Try 23 highway.