Hwy MPG (Post Service Update)

I have a new 2016 TRD OR DoubleCab, no mods. It has about 600mi. on the clock and the highway mpg is awful. I normally get around 14mpg probably because the truck is not able to roll down the road in 6th gear. In fact, it can't even hold 5th. Normally, it sits in 4th and at highway speeds this means the engine is revving at something over 3.000rpm. On occasion it might upshift to 5th but probably 90% of the time, the drivetrain cannot even hold 5th and just sits in 4th. Where I live the speed limit on the highways is either 80mph or 75mph, depending. On the 75mph roads I cruise around 77. On the 80mph roads, I cruise at 80. Is this typical for this truck? I was under the impression that the rated highway mpg was 23 which to me - meant I should expect ~20mpg real-world. I get 14. In 4th gear. And passengers are not happy with the sound as over distances it gets annoying, quickly. Fishing buddy took one ride in it with me on a recent trip to a spot that was perhaps 30 miles away. Takes his own truck now.

Is this what others with a similar truck have experienced?

Curtis

 

Turn off your cruise control................and never, ever use it again.

 

Perhaps I should have mentioned that whether or not I use the cruise control - the end result is the same Truck does the same thing using it or not. If I want to drive the speed limit, the drive train is not able to hold 6th or 5th and simply sits in 4th.

Curtis

 

You are driving too fast. Quit driving so fast.

I get 28mpg on the highway when I drive 55-60. If you drive 70+, you will get shitty mpg

Go buy a full size if you want 18mpg at 70+. You won't get 18 around town in a full size, tho

 

Agree and wrong on last part.

I get 20-22 mpg with mixed driving staying below 80 mph on highway. The 2.7L ecoboost in the Ford and the 5.3L ecotec both get 18+ around town, I had a 14 sierra for a bit it consistently got 19-20 city.

 

I think you should keep driving it and hope for something better later on. I have bout 13,000 on mine and the transmission seems to behave much better now than early on. Driving 80+ mph on the interstate on a recent trip I was happy how the thing dug it out in 5th gear up the hills. Something to do with the transmission "learning". I think it will get better for ya buddy.

 

I agree!! lesson learned. Hills and this cruise control do not mix.

 

i was getting 16 mpg on Highway until i put 1300 Mile on it , then got 21(started to drive like a grandma. At 1500 mile i ask my dealer to check my transmission fluid, 1qt low. after that it was smooth and got 23-25

 

OP .... there are literally 100s of threads on this. If you try and use cruise over 70mph, and the road is NOT perfectly flat the transmission will shift from 4th to 6th and back to 4th hundreds of times. Even after thousands of miles. I have a write on a 1500 mile trip.

I have a TRD OR 4X4 DCSB with 12,000 miles. Tranny fluid is full. I get an average of 16mpg at 70mph. It has been to Toyota had the tranny and fuel mileage checked etc. The 3.5Liter engine and the auto tranny with these specific ratio set of gears in the diffs doesn't produce enough torque to maintain a constant speed above 75mph in 6th gear.

I live in Texas where posted speeds are 75mph and 80mph. Those speeds are just not right for this Taco.

The posted EPA - MPG at 23mpg highway ... 20 mpg combined and 18 city for my TRD OR, are ONLY test lab results on a dyno in a closed building running at 55mph. I have gotten 19/20 mph with mine on the i10 from Lake Charles to Layfayette driving for hours at 45mph because of traffic accidents. Some members on here get higher mpg, but they are in different parts of the country with different variables.

The rest of my Taco is Perfect. 4x4 is awesome. Love the rest of it, but would yank the POS engine out and stick a 6.2 liter in there in a heartbeat.

I drove my brother in laws 2015 Taco last weekend to work for a few days and on a trip. His has the 4.0 liter. There was NO CRAZY shifting issues with it, and he gets around 18mpg on his.

Some members on this forum traded in their Tacos for a manual Taco and others for other trucks. My Taco sits in the garage during the week now, and I take the 2002 explorer with a V8 4x4 to work at 75/80 mph as I get 21mpg on it and pass anything on the road.

I use the Taco on weekends to putt around and drive some off road. I paid 45K otd with warranties. If a tuning chip or tranny update does not come out by the new model release I may trade on another truck like a Raptor; so then I can really complain .... LOL

 

I just did 65 miles home on the highway going 70-80mph and got 22.4mpg, no cruise of course. RPMS were staying around 2300

 

The govt. uses a constant 45 mph speed on level ground at sea level to rate the hwy mileage on vehicles. Not always the most accurate if you don't drive that way.


I drive a 2nd gen, 2007 4X4 Double Cab. Not the exact same vehicle, but I just returned from a 4,700 mile road trip from GA to the Grand Canyon in AZ, up through Utah and back via CO, KS, MO etc. I kept detailed fuel mileage records and have some observations. We camped and had 3 adults + gear so I was loaded a little heavy for a Tacoma.

In the eastern states with cruise on 70 mph I was able to maintain that speed on all but the steepest inclines with no downshift. I averaged just under 20mpg on those stretches of road. Once over 5000' elevation I couldn't keep it in OD at even 65mph. No chance to use cruise on most roads. Over 7000' the difference was even more noticeable. BUT, I actually got the best fuel mileage on 2 lane mountain roads in AZ and UT where there were lots of downhills to coast down and speeds never over 65, rarely over 55. I hit 22 mpg on a couple of tanks. There were lots of roads in UT with 80 mph limits. I didn't try driving over 75. You could watch the fuel gauge move at 80 mph.

I got my worst fuel mileage on the way back from Denver eastbound all across KS. I was driving into a strong headwind trying to maintain 70 mph and got 16-17 mpg. Once I got to MO the wind died down, I was at lower elevation and fuel mileage averaged close to 20mpg the rest of the way home.

FWIW, my truck did improve on fuel mileage after a few months.

Trying to drive 80 mph, and if the elevation and wind are against you 14 mpg might be what to expect. Everyone hated the old 55 mph speed limit but it does reduce fuel consumption. Try slowing down to 70. On a 300 mile trip you'll only get where you're going about 20 min faster if you're driving 80 vs 70.

 

This truck averages about the same as second gen. 18 to 19 mpg is normal. Don't believe the hype

 

Hey OP.. Your tranny needs fluid..NOW.. don't "break it in"... or you WILL break it.

 

To those that posted helpful information - thank you! I will take it in to get the trans fluid checked among other things.

Curtis

 

I have the exact same truck and found the same things. I am currently driving from San Diego to Austin. I lock out 6 th in sport mode and go 70-72. Normal revs about 2200. Hit a decent hill and it will downshift yo 4th and hit 3k. This is no race truck for sure. My personal opinion is they should have used the end gears from the manual on the off road. The larger tires take to much torque and it struggles.

 

With the stock tires I got 22.x on my first tank and then was at 24 mpg on my second tank when I changed to aggressive MT's in basically the same size as stock. Now my tank average is 20.5, average is 20.5, and my trip mpg's range anywhere from 18.5 to 23.8. I'd say 20.5 to 21.5 is my most common trip mpg's, but also get lower numbers when I run short errands in town, drive more aggressively, etc.

Im very pleased with the mpg's Im getting, particularly with these tires. Ive been on the interstate with a 70 mph limit and also a 4 lane highway with a 65 mph limit, albeit not very often, and have still been seeing 20-21.5 mpgs. However, Im not staying on either of those roads very long, maybe 10 miles at the longest. I can see where one would get 18-21 mpg's at 65-75 mph, depending on tires, traffic, weather, temperature, driving style, etc.

Having said all of that, I didnt buy a Tacoma for Prius like mpg's.

 

I'm up 2 mpg better than my 2013 Tacoma...I'm satisfied. It took a few thousand miles on the truck and some warmer weather, but I'm finally getting satisfactory mileage.

 

Several of you have stated that the larger wheels and gearing require torque that this engine doesn't have to hold high speeds.... Speed is held with horsepower and speed is attained with torque. Please use the terminology correctly

 

Now we know why you're angry

 

My first four tanks of gas have averaged 20.7 mpg. That is a combo of city/county driving covering all the various speeds up to 70mph. There is no doubt it will do better. Love this Truck!