First impressions after reading too much TacomaWorld!

MPG plummets when you hit 80mph so I keep her in the 75 and under range. My city fuel economy is 17 but with freeways my tank averages out to 19 or 20mpg. Needless to say it ain't terrible for a vehicle that's as aerodynamic as a brick. Lot of members suggest running higher octane fuel to boost efficiency. Might be worth a try, especially since you're not paying california gas prices

 

Here are my results driving from San Antonio to Fort Worth. Average speed says 68, but the highway cruising speed was 70 to 80, mostly around 73.
255miles, 23.9mpg.



Normal work commute is about 25-26 mpg, with a couple in the low 27mpg range. I'll post pics later.

 

Had mine a couple months. Enjoying it. Had the whistling problem at certain speeds, which is getting fixed next week. Got 17 mpg pulling our small travel trailer on I-5 between Albany, OR and Yreka, CA. Only about 13 on twisty, steep Hwy 1 on the Cali coast. Generally 20-21 otherwise on the highway. Have noticed a tranny whistle as it shifts 4th to 5th or 5th to 6th. Not a particular problem like the other whistle. Generally like the truck a lot. One thing I would consider a design flaw. At the cab edge of the hood, there is a ridge. For some reason, Toyota thought it wise to bump up the hood in the front, requiring them to drop it back down, creating said ridge. When driving into the sun, or even when it is overhead, that ridge creates a bright spot of glare that is very irritating to the eyes. Thought about putting some flat black tape along it.

 

Why can't I get lucky enough to have my truck burn to the ground from natural causes ? I would sit back and watch with a big grin from ear to ear

 

But worse gas mileage....I tried turning mine on for a while but didn't like the hard shifting or losing 2-3 mpg.

I got 23 mpg on an interstate trip from Knoxville, TN to Charlotte, NC....... with the cruise off.

 

V-6 or I-4???............. 4x4 or 4x2???............. Auto or Manual???

 

MPGs will not improve any significant amount from delivery in my experience. I have over 12k on my truck and actually my MPG has dropped overall on Fuelly since taking delivery. Partly because playing the "fuel economy game" and driving like Miss Daisy was getting old. I try to keep mine to about 70mph max because gas mileage drops off steeply once you go above 65...even here in blazing hot AZ and flat roads. (Less fuel used in hot conditions--thinner air, less fuel required for fuel/air ratio)

 

I've finally given up on using cruise unless it's really a FLAT area. Hills kill this tranny shifting pattern/gas mileage. I do just fine with MPG without the cruise. I drove back from Texas to Missouri and averaged 22 mpg at average of 70 mph (only used cruise a few times on flat or downhill areas). I'm Happy with those numbers. Note: on the country roads around my counties, I got 24 mpg ! I was only going 55 mpg on those back road black tops though. Mine is a V6, 4x4, auto-tranny, sport model. Love this truck! Road noise levels are soooooo much better than my 2013.

 

Stock TRD Offroad 4x4 v6 auto.

 

I think you would get the same $ or more simply selling it as you would from insurance?

 

Its more fun to bitch

 

Just wanted to follow-up here as one of my initial gripes is resolved.

I've seen a vast improvement in gas mileage in 5 days! I took a long drive last night, driving a 60-mile loop and on the return portion I noticed my instantaneous MPG meter was basically pegged at 30mpg for long stretches, and I was driving about 45-55mph on flat roads. Pretty much right after I passed 1000 miles on the odometer I started noticing a major improvement. It is a very significant improvement. I think I'm basically getting the EPA numbers at this point. My short drives around town are even up to 20-21mpg, whereas these were 15-16 the first few days.. It's almost bizarre how quickly the improvement happened - it basically happened over the course of one 60-mile drive!

I have used ECT on some short drives in the Denver/Boulder foothills trying to get a feel for how it climbs and there was plenty of power with ECT on. Even without ECT is was fine, but it'll sometimes shift up too higher. I figure this might go away with more driving in the mountains... because so far the truck is a good learner

Man, the tranny to me so far seems fine! I was really worried about it, but no issues here. I haven't had it out on the interstate again to see if the cruise control has gotten over it's reluctance to shift, but I'll check it out this weekend. Taking it up I-70 west from Denver this weekend. This is the run I've been waiting to do since this is where I'll do a lot of my driving. It's fairly consistent uphill grade for ~60 miles. In fact, TFL Truck does their tow test on eastbound I-70 about an hour west of Denver coming east from Silverthorne. That climb is a beast. I've done it a few times in an older (~2000) F150 and that thing is pegged at like 5000rpm with no load!

 

I did a 700 mile drive from Texas to colorado with average speed of 90+ and I was getting about 15mpg. However, since I'm averaging about 21 mpgs on my highway commute. I baby the hell out if it and cruise at about 60-70

 

Everyone should play with S mode... Make sure your truck is warmed up to operating temp..From stop in with S mode in 1st stomp on the peddle and shift up to 2nd around at least 3-3.5k rpms or higher if you want some fun..repeat till you end at 5th... be careful.

Also I leave it S5 sometimes S4 on hilly Roads and throw it on S6 when the roads are relatively flat... I like ect in city traffic driving where you need the response.

 

the only thing i would have said different is "It doesn't have the acceleration of the 2nd gen's"

 

Drive one in S4....

 

I get a consistent 25mpg going 70+

 

i either manual shift it or drive in ECT....thank god for those options!

 

So, I may've been too hasty in posting my original first impressions as I'd only been driving the truck a few days. I've now had much more time to get out and about off-road, around the city, and in the mountains.

I must admit that fuel efficiency has already improved dramatically! I'm easily getting 19-20 around town and mid-20s on relatively flat highway.

The tranny has become a bit more frustrating now that I've spent some time driving in the mountains. Driving in hilly/mountainous terrain really exacerbates the tranny problems. I live in Colorado, so I'm often driving long stretches (several miles) of continuous grades (5-10%). I've noticed that, even when traveling uphill, the transmission will still try to upshift as soon as possible. I'll be going up a steep hill in 4th gear at like 3500-4000 RPM and if I ever-so-slightly let off the accelerator, it'll upshift to 5th gear. So basically, if you aren't accelerating up a hill, it'll upshift and then immediately downshift once you give it some gas again. It'll continue to do this the whole way up the grade. You can get it to stay in 3rd/4th if you're accelerating, but this becomes difficult in traffic. You'll have to let off the gas when someone is in front of you, and then the truck will upshift. It is pretty damn frustrating.

I drive it in S5 in the mountains, but you still have to deal with upshifts/downshifts between 4th and 5th. ECT seems to help a little bit, but it doesn't solve the problem.

As annoying as this is, it doesn't bother me too much because I really love everything else about the truck. However, it does cause me some concern about the longevity of this transmission!

What is most frustrating about this is that it seems like something Toyota could EASILY fix with a simple update to the transmission programming (e.g. if there is a load on the engine greater than X, don't upshift). But they may be hamstrung by the EPA not allowing them to make programming mods that change the fuel efficiency.

 

Your concern about transmission longevity is quite valid. My truck was 2 quarts low on trans fluid and would shift constantly. Now that it's full on fluid it still shifts a lot, but it also gets hot and the trans temp warning will come on requiring you to pull over for it to cool down. After 3 times of the warning coming on I no longer trust my Tacoma on long trips.