Is the 3.5 V6 detuned for longevity?

It has plenty of power. My other car is a Boxster, so I drive it like that. Wind it up and it goes.

 

Underpowered? I guess no one ever had an old Toyota pickup.

 

I would trade my Tacoma (or buy) for V6 AWD Sienna in a heartbeat. With a roof tent, some lift and AT tires it is a camping dream.
We had 1998 Sienna XLE. Camped out in Yellowstone, Crater Lake, WA, OR ocean beaches, etc. Hauled 7 pax + load.

 

We did a 4 day road trip last month in my parents Sienna. It managed amazingly better MPG than my Tacoma despite being loaded down with 4 adults, 2 kids, cruising over 80mph and all our stuff for a week. Looking at the specs of the AWD version we have, it weighs a out the same as my Tacoma.

Gearing and aero makes a huge difference as it turns much lower RPM on the highway.

 

I owned a 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra SVT about 15 years ago. Ford rated the 03/04 Cobra's at 390 hp/390 torque (at the crank).

These were conservative numbers to stay within certain EPA guidelines. Despite such measures it still achieved a gas guzzler tax on it.

After they hit the market, tuners became very popular for these cars and still are today. Many of these cars when tuned and dyno'd achieve 450 hp at the rear wheels on the stock blower.

When I bought my 2017 TRD OR 4x4 Inferno, the poor thing couldn't even get up to highway speed by the end of the on ramp. I had no passing ability on the highway and after spending $38K I was very angry.

2 months after I bought it I found out about the Overland Taylor Tune. I had my truck tuned with the promise of a full refund if I wasn't satisfied (and of course a reflash to stock).

2 years and 2 months later, I'm still a happy, satisified customer. With the tune I am hitting 90 at the end of the ramp and a whole lot more to give. I have the 6MT in mine. This is the way it should be. And I still get 22-23 mpg on the highway so long as the cruise control is on and I keep it at 70 mph or less.

Almost ALL cars come from the factory detuned (which is why they feel underpowered) to meet EPA emissions and fuel mileage standards.

In regards to durability or any correlation...I have no idea.

 

I don't think de-tuned is the right word. But I've had several mechanics tell me that a big part of Toyota's longevity reputation is because ALL of their vehicles are designed with moderate performance in mind. Not just the 3.5. They have enough power for what I need.

 

Let’s do 1000 Baja miles down and back. I’ll lead the way to some of the finest beaches a dirt road ever found! Bring your Starlink in case your van can’t keep up!

How much fun do you wanna have?

 

There was once a tuner on TW that loaded a Camry tune into his Tacoma, because it’s supposedly the “same engine” yet he made about 15hp less than the Camry would have. I don’t know if he ever found a hard difference between the two but I don’t think the engine is “detuned” just tuned for reliability

 

To answer that, I would look at old Toyota supra engine.

I think Taco V6 is not detuned, its just made for a truck that does not need speed. 4.0 V6 in 4runner is same way, its fat but it doesn't have much power compared to American trucks that fall apart within 2 years

 

i always felt that mainly it was under geared.

 

We've had four minivans over the years, but the kids are gone and minivans aren't available with manual transmissions, so no more minivans for us. Then there is my Tacoma, the first truck I've ever owned; for every 100 times I go out for a drive, 95 of those trips would probably be better served in an S2000; the beauty of the Tacoma is it can do car stuff and truck stuff; it may not excel at either of those things, but I look at as a Swiss Army Knife, it is really good at a lot of things, but a master of basically nothing.

 

My 2008 Camry has a 3.5 V6 268 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque It weights 3,461 lbs to 3,516 lbs And it Hauls ass.

My Tacoma 3.5 V6 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque, Weights 4,040 to 4,480 pounds feels slower.

Both rides have a different power band and the Tacoma IS heaver.

The 2019 Tacoma has a different motor Design then the Camry.......

 

lol, mine is pre recall but still a ticking time bomb. I’m sure a lifter will lock up due to the crap AFM system. It is what it is. My 6.2 is an extra vehicle simply to stroke my ego. It is only driven 50-75 miles a month. I drive it on nice days and take the wife to dinner every once in a while.
And my teenager thinks I don’t notice that he steals it every so often when I’m out of town. He is making memories I guess. It needs to be driven anyway.
My daily is a Silverado with a 2.7 turbo and it’s actually a lot of fun to drive. I’m sure it will blow up too.

 

You just need to do a solid axle swap.

 

I’ve always lusted after a full size van with a Quigley 4WD conversion. SportMobile if you will.

 

I don't think detuned is the right word.

It's slow af and really needs to be wound out in the upper rpms to make use of its 270ish hp. It doesn't help if you have the auto transmission.

I really need to try that OTT Tune.

 

Like it. It is on my bucket list. Wifefy was there and raved about

 

You have nothing to lose. If you don’t like it full refund and a return to stock. Do it……….

 

Fortunately a new V6 is said to be coming for 2026

 

No it’s not lol