Feedback from fellow 4 Cylinder taco drivers.

I have a 2016 4X4 SR5 Access Cab Auto Transmission with the 2.7 and have no complaints. I came for a 2006 SR5 2WD Access cab with the 5 speed manual. I always thought the gearing on the 2006 was weird, 1st was too low and 2nd was too high. But the 2016 seems to get to speed faster since the auto transmission up shifts faster.

I my 06' at 75MPH in 5th gear I would be at 2600 -2800 RPM's. I found that in my 2016 that it is about 2400 to 2600 RPM's when using "S" mode and limiting the AT to 5th gear. When I do this I consistently get in the 23 MPH range, if I leave the transmission in "D" then it bounces between 6th and 5th and even sometimes drops to 4th at the slightest incline and the mileage drops to 18-19 MPH. But this happens using cruise control. Without cruise control and using "S" mode the truck stays in 5th even when significantly adding throttle. SO cruise control sucks in the programming.


So basically my 4x4 is getting the same mileage as my 2nd Gen 2X4 when both trucks are using 5th gear.

6th gear on these trucks and that goes for the V6, is purely for the EPA when the truck is on a dyno with no incline, headwind, and basically utopian non-real world driving conditions.

So I am happy with my 2016 4 banger. It was made September 2016 and has had no issues, except the standard dry U joints which I took care of.

 

Have an '07 Ac Cab 4x4 2.7/5 spd. 86k now.
Great truck IMHO.....Got better when replaced the OEM Dunlaps'
w Michelin LTX's.....
Other than the 1/2 dozen recalls it's been a 100% trouble free truck......
I've recorded every gal of fuel that's ever been put in the truck
(over the edge I know) and for the last yr the accumulative milage is...
Nov - Mar MN winter months 23.3 mpg
Apr - Oct Mn summer months 25.8 mpg
And that's 80% suburbia driving/20% Highway (65-70 max)
Have had her on a couple of long road trips and she'll do 27-28 routinely
doing 65-68mph... 70+ spd, headwinds or mt inclines will drop that back 3-4 mpg.
Not bad for a 4200 lb truck........
However I am a conservative driver....
90% of the time I fuel w non-ETOH fuel (20c/gal more//0.5 mpg better)
And the inside of the tailpipe still looks as clean(zero soot) as the day I bought it new.
Am Running 5/20 Mobil 1 synthetic and Redline in the gearboxes.....
For light pulling and hauling it does well. Have a 1ton Cummin's diesel for serious
work so seldom tax the Tacoma w HD work........
The 4cyl/5spd works for me....and in '17 if I stay w the Access Cab It'll be another one......

 

This has been my experience as well. The spacing on the gearing is just a bit off. I've found that I can go up hills better at 70mph than at 60mph. Keeping the motor in the sweet spot between 2300-2500rpm's seems to be the key.

The new 6 spd auto on the 3rd gen is supposed to help that. And they changed the rear gear from 4.10 to 4.30.

 

Love mine, would make the same purchase again.

 

I also really like this motor and seems to be getting stronger as it breaks in , 5k on mine ... My friend has high miles - around 170k , and she gets 23 mpg mixed driving in her 2tr 2009

As others mentioned this is a global engine which is kind of cool if you ever end up in the Dakar rally and need parts

 

It's odd but mine feels like it's getting stronger as it breaks in also. I've never bought a brand new vehicle before though so maybe that's normal. I thought maybe I was just getting used to the 4 banger.

 

As far as gear spacing, on my 4 cyl/5 speed I do indeed notice while driving how big of a difference there is between 1st and 2nd. The ratio essentially cuts in half, 4:1 to 2:1. I don't think of this as 2nd gear being too high, I think of it as first gear being slightly lower than your typical passenger car. I'm thankful for this and have no doubt it's intentional. It really helps starting (especially on hills), saves your clutch, and first gear in 4LO is an absolute beast; it provides very slow crawl speed for a stock vehicle and gobs of torque. Also easy on the starter for those times you have to start it in gear.

The price you pay during normal driving for these advantages is minor in my opinion - either wind first gear out a bit longer than you might be used to so 2nd lands in the sweet spot, or lug 2nd gear a bit until the engine is at a workable RPM. I usually go with the former.

These 4 bangers were designed to be wound up - do it without fear, keep that oil changed, and you'll get where you need to go with power to spare.

 

I tow a little pop-up with mine and it does great even going from the Bay Area to the Tahoe area. It does it better than our V-6 minivan did the same run. I would have loved a V-6 but wanted a low truck, not 4x4 height. I don't get all the talk of struggling with the 4-cyl. Works great for me.

 

Just hauled a half-ton bag of gravel. Power wasn't a problem but suspension was a little wishy-washy. Popped right back to shape after unloading it. Going back for number 2 now.

 

I like the rims and tires. What brand model are they? Do the rims come in other colors?

 

Ya man, they come in 16" bronze, gray, and black. They are these:

Bronze:
http://trdparts4u.toyotaofdallas.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-10268

Black:
http://trdparts4u.toyotaofdallas.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-8542

Gray:
http://trdparts4u.toyotaofdallas.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=-10180

 

Thanks!

 

Your welcome man!

 

Around 5000 miles mine felt like it picked up hp, after break in you will notice difference.

 

I love my manual trans 4 banger.... Have zero regrets about buying it!

 

Several pros and cons. I bought the 4 cyl because of cost and reputation of the 2.7. Mine's an auto transmission. My plan was to dive it a very long time. However, many times I wished I had the 6 because of the lack of acceleration. It's really poor compared to other 4 bangers I've owned. I've also been disappointed in the 2016's mpg. Driving at 70 mph is a breeze, just takes a little to get there.

 

That's a nice truck you have there. It'll serve you well for a long time as long as you don't ask too much of it. My 2011 SR5 was a four cylinder. I liked it a lot until I ruined it by putting too much lift on it and too big and heavy tires. My advice to you would be not to do a lift and stick with a modest size P rated tire and enjoy it. BTW my V6 sounds like a 4 cylinder. Lol.

 

How are the auto trannys on these 4 cyl? are they having the same problems as the v6 version? looking to get an AC sr5 4x4 auto

 

The only tranny issues I've had are while using cruise control. If I'm using cruise at speeds above 65ish it seems to downshift too often and then holds that lower gear too long. Obviously MPG suffers from that. If I leave cruise off I don't have any issues. I'm hoping the cruise issue can be fixed by an update at some point.

I'm not bashing the truck. I love mine and plan on keeping it for 10+ years.

 

I keep repeating the same thing....Nothing like a motor you can work on, if & when you have to....& with the A/T a transmission with a dip stick & a plug in the pan....The longevity outweighs the performance....in my book.....I would do it all over again if I had too.....