Anybody own a 4 Door, 4 cyl 3rd gen SR?

7186/7185

Friend of mine is looking for a new Tacoma. She is hung up on a 4 cyl only. Any of you driven the 3.5L and the 4 cyl back to back?

I have driven the 4 cyl access cab, but not a 4 door. Local dealers don't have one.

How lethargic will it be?

She doesn't need to tow. She uses the truck 2-3 times a week buying stuff at HD and lots of large plants.

I was telling her to get the V6, but she said SR 4 door 4 Cyl are only about 24K or so. So can't argue with that, when my truck costs 10K more.

Thanks

 

Let's put it this way and I want to preface by adding that I am in no way critizing either option because it's want ever floats your boat. In April I bought a real nice 2016 SR5, 2.7, 4x4, AC. I traded it with 3k miles last month for a TRDOR, 4x4,AC etc with all the whistles and bells. My original thinking was that the 4 was going to get this great gas mileage compared to the 6. The truth is in my experience is that they're comparable mileage wise. I made the change because I'm looking into buying a travel trailer and the V-6 IMO is better for that. The change cost me some money but I love the truck. Good luck to your friend

 

Thank you George. I was explaining to her, I understand she doesn't NEED the V6, but it will have higher resale later on. Additionally its better to have the capability and not use it. Then again, maybe that is a very American mentality.

Rest of the world tows with 4 CYL trucks, and we can't get by without a V10 at times.

For her, it isn't the MPG, she says, but the cost of entry. She says the 4 CYL saves a lot of money on the Double Cab conversion. San Diego has a Toyota dealer that has 2 4 CYL 4 Door.

 

Just me... but I ordered a 4 with a 5 speed manual. Price had something to do with it but mostly I have faith in the 4 and not so much in the 6 and also, I prefer the 5 speed to the 6 speed. Fuel economy will be about the same and you trade HP with the 4, however, I am not that sure that the 6 will have the reliability that the 4 has. I'm in it for the long haul (I tend to keep stuff a long time) and not so much the resale value, however, I saw a 4 manual on the lot with 39k on it that sold for about 2k less then my new one and I got exactly what I wanted. Gutless is in the eye of the beholder.

 

You are talking about Access Cab right?

My friend needs Double Cab, only.

 

I have had DCSB in 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder; I traded the 4 cylinder in because it was very under powered IMO. If she is strictly gonna be around town driving to HD like you stated she may be alright then, but if she thinks she may end up on the interstate or traveling in it at any point, I would highly recommend her toward the 6. The v6 4x4 I traded my 4cylinder 4x2 in for was only about an extra 2-3k and I am confident it will pull in at least that much more than a 4cylinder if I sell or trade it later.

 

I got the access cab 4x4. Sorry.

 

I am not saying her opinion doesn't matter.


She has not been able to test drive a 4 Door 4 Cyl. I think anybody spending 25K on a vehicle should test drive. Thus I am curious for those who have driven both V6 4 door and 4 cyl 4 door to see how they are. I couldn't find a review of one.

I imagine the 4 door is much heavier than the AC, thus real world opinion was coveted.

 

I have the 4 door 4 cylinder SR5. I traded in my 2008 access cab 4 cylinder with 185k miles to get this one. I went with the 4 cylinder for the lower price point as well. All I can say is test drive both and know what to expect with each. I know the 4 cylinder is not going to move like the 6 cylinder but, I don’t care about that as much. The 4 cylinder is enough power for me and I am completely happy with the truck.


Another thing to consider is the 4 cylinder engine has been around for a long time and has been proven to go 200K miles plus with little to no issues. Not that the new 6 cylinder won’t but, time will tell.


As a side note, I have had none of the issues with my 4cyl truck that other members of this forum complain about. Trans, vibrations, low fluid ect……

 

I don't agree with this. I traded my 08 4 cylinder with 185K miles earlier this year and I got almost 40% of my original purchase price on the trade in. Everyone always says the v6 holds its value better but, a lot of that is because you are spending 10K more to begin with. My 4 cylinder seemed to hold its value just fine.

 

This is correct.

Someone posted a data sheet awhile back proving this to be true, but don't know where it is.

 

I also have a 16 DCSB SR5 with the 2.7 and auto trans. I use it the same way your girl wants to: Home Depot and taking my surfboard to the beach. Otherwise it stays parked. 4500 miles in the year that I have owned it. I too liked the low price. I can afford a more expensive vehicle, but for my uses the 4 banger is fine.

To answer the performance question, it depends how you drive it. With a light foot it goes nowhere fast. But, keep the rpms between 3 and 4K while accelerating and it goes just fine. Or set the ECT button and it will go fast too. What the motor lacks is torque. You can't be afraid to push the gas pedal.

All this talk about the DC being heavier than the AC might be true, but people who say you should not get a DC with a 2.7 don't know what they are talking about.

My bottom line is I'd rather have a 2.7 and 10k in the bank than a fast truck.

 

The 4 door is only 115-125lbs greater than the access cab. I'm loving my 4-cylinder.
Plenty of power to keep up with aggressive NYC/Long Island traffic.

Hard to beat a new 4x4 tacoma for $24k.

 

I got the wheels/tires for $500 from a member here. Sweet truck for what I spent on it.

 

Sounds like the perfect job for (drum rolls please)

 

http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/ebrochure/

You can check out the weight differences in the brochure, but apples to apples comparison shows the DC about 115 lbs more than the AC. Which equates to a light person in the passenger seat. I really don't think a 115 lbs is going to make too much of a difference between an AC vs DC.

For me, it would depend on how much power I want or need, e.g. merging on to the hwy with a load of plants or HD material. If she's gotten by in the past with a similar setup, I don't see an issue with the 4 cyl. For the 3rd gens, the primary reason to go with the 4 cyl is upfront cost, and nothing wrong with that. The 4 cyl engines seem to be reliable and I hear less issues vs the 3.5 V6.

 

I think the best comparison I have seen is the estimates in 0-60 between DCSB 4cyl and DCSB V6. DCSB 4cyl is around 10 sec while they DCSB V6 is around 7 sec. No idea if those pan out in the real world, but it would help explain why some who drive both say the 4cyl struggles on the freeway ramp in comparison.

 

That is the issue, there are no 4 cyl 4 door she can find to test drive.

 

That is what she is saying too.

I have a 4 cyl Double Cab gen 1, and 3.5 V6 Gen3. No Tacomas are fast. We aren't talking about Raptors or Lightnings here

 

DIdn't know the 4 door and AC are so close together!! I don't think you can get a 4x4 4 cyl 4 door though.