Can you tolerate the 4 cylinder?

lol saw it on the toyota website. no pics that i can find tho.

 

I'm leaning back to get getting the 4cyl RC with 2wd. GAS is getting too dam expensive to get a truck where I would probably use 4wd a few days out of the year and a V6 that costs more to maintain and the initial upfront cost. We all have to do the speed limit so being able go quicker off the line to get to the next red light doesn't make sense. Why pay all of that extra dough for a v6 to have to pussy foot around town to save MPG is retarded (No offense to retarded people on here). I once had a 1991 Nissan Frontier 4cyl 2wd auto King cab and I loved it, that truck really took a beating hauled tons of shit and kept on trucking. From what I hear on here is the base model rc is capable of averaging 25 mpg.

I'm close to making a decision on pulling the trigger on a used early 2nd gen 4cyl RC 2wd with 50k-60k miles in the price range of $8k-9k. I initially was going to get a brand new 2012 V6 AC 4x4 for $27k cash but after careful consideration and looking at the current state of the economy and gas price increasing I've come to the realization that I'd rather see the many extra thousands of dollars in my bank account rather than looking at a loaded truck sitting in my driveway and realizing I can only do the speed limit and will only use 4wd on a few snowy days out of the year. Is $17,000 more + more maint costs + more ins costs+ more gas costs worth the bragging rights and the little extra utility the V6 4x4 provides? Hell no. I'm a business man and that does not make business sense.

Even if I wanted to off-road, only a fool would off-road in a brand new truck. Most of the off-roading I've ever done was a dirt road in the mountains that a 2wd can do. Honestly, I'd rather do my off-roading on a dirt bike which is the reason I'm buying a p/u truck in the first place, so I can haul it in the bed with using a stupid trailer.

 

A five lug regular cab with a 4 cal is a great choice and a solid little truck. It'll haul what you need with good economy.

 

Holy thread revival batman

 

That's what I figured. It makes economical sense. I don't have kids and will only be hauling myself most of the time and a motorcycle on a rare occasion. I live up north but very rarely does it ever get so bad where I would need 4wd. If I can get by with a RWD sports car in Colorado in the winter then I can certainly get by with a 2wd pick-up truck.

 

I purchased the 2.7 ltr due to it being rock solid and toyota's most reliable engine. It is slightly underpowered on the torque dept so that's why I re-geared. With this being done I am estatic about the engine. Never any issues with off roading or DD. One thing to note is that I have never towed with my truck although I have had 1000lbs in the back for a 3 hour drive and no issues

 

when i got my truck 3 years ago i went from driving a modified 5.0 mustang every day to a 2.4 taco. obviously its not going to have the same torque and HP so it felt like a snail. now that i have been driving it for a while its not to bad. gets me from A - B. and if its a 5 speed you learn how to drive it effectively and you learn where to shift. never towed anything but again those weren't my intentions of getting the truck.

 

This is a long thread.. To the OP if you're even still considering. If you like your V8's and can't stand not having decent power you won't like a four banger. Plain and simple. The four banger is a neat engine that can do what you need it to do but it's not about speed.

LOL! I just read the post date on the OP's post.

 

I own a V6 access cab auto, and a friend owns a 4 banger access cab 5 speed. Both are 4x4's, pretty much a requirement around where I live. My V6 gets the same if not BETTER gas mileage than her 4 cylinder. The reason being is the 4 cylinder has to work way harder to get up the mountain passes frequently drove around here, elevation from 6-8500ft. It can barely go 40mph tacked out at 4 grand on the steepest parts of Teton Pass. Something to consider if you drive Mtn passes.

If you ever drive in snow, with temps below 25, on hills, IMO the Tacoma is one of the worst vehicles to drive without 4x4. You would need to chain up pretty much everyday in the winter out here to get around in 2WD. Of all the trucks I have owned, I have never had a pass. rear tire spin out so easily on the slightest hint of ice. No way I could make it up the small hill I live by in order to get home without 4x4 in winter, I have tried hard just to see if I to do it Always Fail.

I average 21-23mpg with the V6 and love it. Some of the 4 cylinder guys on here get around the same MPG, +or- 2/3 MPG. But its nice being able to keep speed up steeper sections of highway.

 

If you live in an area with any hills the 4 banger sucks. Cruise control is useless. This is with the auto at least. If I had a head wind or any hills I just had to stick in in 3rd and rev it. There's no replacement for displacement. After a few months I am loving the 4.0. Plus I am getting about the same MPG if not better.

 

Really? Your high out of your mind.

 

I agree that Utard is usually high out of his mind, but in this case, I agree with him.

A 2wd regular cab 4 cylinder Taco most likely gets the best MPG out of the whole line of Tacoma's. But compare an access cab 4x4 V6 to a AC 4x4 4 cylinder and there really is not that much difference in MPG. I have witnessed and tested a friends access cab 4 banger on a 300 mile trip where I filled up the tank for her. She got 20 MPG and some change where my V6 on the same trip, pretty much loaded the same with two people and fairly empty bed, gets 20-23. The 4 cylinder works way harder to go up hills, and sucks the gas down.

Then again, I think the 2.7 is a bullet proof engine. Check out n0rths build of a 2.7 access cab 4x4. Best off road basedTacoma out there IMO.

 

yea on road trips i only get a max of 22-23 mpg and the whole 1% incline making O/D kick in is annoying as hell but since i dont do long roads trips to often i can get 24-25 easy during summer when gas is not all effed up with additives.

but as an overall statement i love this truck! i came from a v6 but im still extremely happy with it. and the whole bulletproof engine is always a plus haha

 

I had a 04 four door TRD with the 3.4 v6 and auto. I presently have a 2010 regular cab 4x4 with the 2.7 and 5 spd. I also have a 09 4 door TRD with the 4.0 v6 and auto. the 4.0 has the most power, then the 3.4, then the 2.7. All three were very close on fuel mileage with the 2.7 having a slightly higher MPG. I had/have a Scan Gauge on all three Tacos.
The 4.0 is much better at altitude especially pulling a load. The 4 cyl. will work harder to do the same at altitude and get worse mileage because of it.

 

Although many of you V6 taco peeps sing the praise of getting close to the same mpg as the 4cyl you fail to mention that you are pussy foot driving around town like grandma kettle and you also forget how much cheaper maintenance is on the 2.4, we are talking several hundreds of dollars cheaper. Not only do you save 1-2+ mpg at the pump with the 2.4, you save on the initial upfront cost, maintenance and insurance. All of that saving adds up over the life of the truck. The only way I would consider getting the V6 is is I still lived in Colorado or in an area with steep hills. Otherwise, the V6 is not really cost effective. Also, you don't buy a truck for speed, if you want that get a sports car so you can get speeding tickets and watch your insurance increase ridiculously high. My Main objective is to get from point A to point B with the occasional shit loaded in the bed for the cheapest possible cost.

My only conundrum is whether to get the 4x4 or the 2x4 2.4 taco. I love the idea of knowing I that I can drive in severe winter weather or take a cruise up in the rocky mountains on an occasional ski trip but that would be so far and few in between it wouldn't justify the the added cost in increased mpg and the initial upfront cost not to mention the extra maintenance cost required to maintain the 4x4 system.

Did I forget to mention that gas is up to $4 a gal now? Imagine that savings in gas if you pussy footed around town in the 2.4 taco, many people here are saying they can get 27 mpg with the 2.4, you WILL NEVER see those numbers with the V6 if your life depended on it!

 

For me my 4cyl does the job. I don't tow, when I haul its usually just bulky stuff that doesn't weigh alot (shrubs, tree branches, furniture) and it does fine.

The gas mileage is a plus, I hate driving cars so my 4 cyl gave me everything I wanted, a truck that I can afford to drive.

Test drive one, I'd suggest getting a stick though, I've heard that the auto is a real slug, the 5 speed gives you the control you need to be able to merge and pass people on the road.

 

I've heard that the 2.4 auto is a slug as well but hey it's the same engine so it has the same speed ability. I just think people have it in their mind that the manual feels faster b/c manuals make you believe that when in reality they don't make the vehicle any faster at all just the ability to hold gears.

I HATE shifting. I owned a 5-speed manual civic and driving in the city got old. I got to the point where I never downshifted, I would just throw it in neutral and hit the brake to slow down. I heard later that not downshifting is easier on the tranny.

I wll be getting the 2.4 automatic. I just don't know whether I really need the 4wd, which adds about 400lbs and less mpg. The initial cost + lower mpg doesn't justify the added utility which would very rarely be used, probably no more than a couple weeks out of the year at the most. With this economy you really need to be focused on cost savings b/c you never know what could be around the corner.

 

Wow, I haven't seen someone so close minded in a long time. Props bro!

BTW, the 4.0L V6 doesn't take shit for maintenance... what are you smoking? It's chain based, has two more spark plugs (that's uh, $4 every 3k more... and the engine WILL run on iridium with a proper tune if you're that worried about $16 in plugs every 30k.. which btw works out to be virtually identical in cost with the interval change vs iridium price difference). Shop labor charges I don't even consider, because if you own a truck you should be somewhat handy and able to change the plugs yourself.

That said, as for the MPG statement... yea. I didn't buy a truck to save gas (I'd get an economy car for that). I bought a truck to be a truck, as do most people. I get about 14mpg on a good day, and I'm still going to supercharge it and get even worse... because I actually enjoy driving and pushing the limits off road (and even around town, passing power has saved my ass plenty of times). So, to each their own, but calling someone retarded from your single viewpoint on how you use your vehicle is... wow.

 

Not true, I actually heavily favored the V6 Sr5 4x4 access cab. Different strokes for different folks, that's why they make several different model setups to choose from. You got the truck setup that was perfect for your utility needs. I'm not an off-roader or a redneck or a millionaire who can waste money. I need an economical truck, not a car, to transport various light loads on occasion and transport a motorcycle when need be. I'm willing to risk the extra 5-10 mpg a small economy car could provide me so I can use the truck bed to transport shit. What I don't want is an unnecessary option-loaded truck that wastes more gas for sake of cool points, garage candy or the ability to get from point A to point B a few seconds quicker.

 

da 4 bangah is da bestest.