Love/Hate my truck ........more love than dislike

I think Texas has some law that states all gas has to have 10% ethanol so if you find a gas station that does not have the 10% let me know.

I think the reason was when I dropped my son off at the sitter I would leave my truck running. So it would be 5+ mins in the morning and 5+ mins in the evening with the truck running at idle with AC blasting. I now turn my truck off when I drop him off and my mileage has increased.

I live in Austin and its the 130 toll 80 MPH . I think the OP said he lives in H-town. I heard that it is going to get increased to 85 but not sure if that will happen.

 

Does a prius come in 4x4? I don't expect 40mpg from my taco.
any comments on how my wifes limited has better mpg

 

Live in channelview and also spend allot of time in south belt area. How about you?
80mph , not legally but at times it's good to keep up ...

 

Gearing?

 

Deer Park, I'm pretty sure I-10s speed limit is 80

 

Need to look up the gears ...

 

I don't have the V6 but my fuel economy keeps getting better and better. Give it some time to break in -- you may see 20mpg someday.

 

My 2012 v6 4x4 gets 16.5 with mostly freeway driving. With a normal mix of city and freeway driving I'm at <15 mpg. I have nearly 10k miles on it.
I also have a 3" lift installed with 285/75/16 (33s), which I'm fairly certain hurts it by 1-2 mpg.
My speeds are typically limited to around 70mph, but I also have a huge hill to get out of my town and into SF, and if I want to maintain 60mph on that I have to give it a lot more skinny pedal than I like.
I did not see the break-in gain that most people say they get.
I was also disappointed when I found out that the other 4.0L v6 toyota offers has more hp and torque. I've read through comment threads where the commentors go on about how the engine in the tacoma is more bulletproof and meant for hauling heavier loads than the 4runner or FJ 4.0L v6. A search through TW will find this thread if you search for v8 swap or something similar. I don't really believe that because the Tundra v6 has the higher hp rating and its way more of a work truck than the taco. I think toyota is just resting on its laurels because it can.
I've done some searching for comparisons between the naturally aspirated engine (ours currently), the TRD s/c 4.0, and the 4.7L v8 I had in my old Tundra and it appears that the s/c v6 gets much better low end torque and has a flatter curve (closer to my old v8 that I loved). I'm heavily considering the supercharger, but I've read that also make mileage worse by 1-2 mpg, depending on how you drive. I don't think I could live with 230 miles on a tank for when the "need gas" light comes on.

damn I talk too much. I'll shut up now.

 

Buy michelin fuel saver tires, that are the factory recommended size. Lighter wheels. No heavy off road armor, rock sliders, bumpers, bull bars, etc. No hood scoop, or other unnecessary protrusions. temporarily, lower the truck till fuel prices fall. Install aluminum front skid plate For smooth air flow under the the truck. Install the tiregate, tail gate also for air flow aerodynamics. I.D.K.... but thats what I intend to do if gas continues to increase in price, into the four or five dollar range.

 

Sounds like you would be happier with something like your wife 4 runner. Your decision. Hope you find peace with it.

 

My wifes truck is very nice and fully loaded but it's not a truck.
Hey mike , speak your mind . Info goes a long way ...

 

I'm torn because I feel the same way as you. I like that it looks great and its the size I want (I work in SF, so full size is a pain in the ass). The power/mpg combo just isn't acceptable. I feel like I should get something with ridiculous power (like a Raptor) and forget about the mpgs, or I should get something more efficient and sacrifice the ball swelling roar of the v8, which I thought I did in getting a lighter truck with a v6. I was wrong. What it feels like I actually got was the inefficiency of the v8 with the power of a 4 banger. I read reviews through rose colored glasses, and only saw people were getting 20-22 mpg with their v6s. I didn't read that they were 5 luggers, prerunners, non-lifted or lived somewhere in the flatlands. Other people with similar setups as me (which I knew I was going to do when I bought the truck) get the same mileage as I do, and I must have read that, just chosen to ignore it. I didn't look at the torque/hp curves of the truck and didn't know that they peaked at high rpms instead of low.

I'm just baffled that the Dodge Hemi 5.7 gets the same mileage as our trucks, but have 2000 lbs less weight, 150 less hp and 1.7L less displacement. Why is Toyota not doing that? I used to work with someone who owned a silverado (2wd, shortbed, short cab) with the 5.3L v8, he got 22 mpg highway. Again, that's a heavier truck, more power, more displacement, 8-10 year old engine tech, yet better mpg... Why?

My wife and I went to San Diego over the 4th, and while down there, I saw shit-tons of truck porn (Raptors, LT tacomas and rangers, and all sorts of aftermarket bumpers and goodies). I paid more attention to that than I did to the barely dressed hoochies walking around. My wife askede after I shush her so I could stare at an LT tacoma as we drove by, "Do you love your truck?" and the honest answer was "No."
If they came out with a v8 option in the coming years, either 4.3 or 4.6, I'd trade mine in in a heartbeat.

The other huge issue that I have is the range. The 2003 tundra I had would get 440 miles per tank on road trips, and around 325 with mostly city driving. This new truck will barely crack 300 if I'm only on the highway. Its not that big of a deal since my office is next to about a half dozen filling stations, but its still a strike in the negative points column of this truck. I've spent a lot of time looking into a legal way to extend the range. No one makes bigger aftermarket fuel tanks (an Aussi company makes one for the Hilux), none of the bed mounted transfer tanks will fit our truck or are legal for gas (they're only for diesel). I've even looked into installing a fuel pump for a toolbox/tank combo and trying to make it legal, but just got too tired of searching for parts on the web, or reading whatever other forum someone did this in their '85 4runner. (there is an auxiliary tank thread/feeler if you search TW)

I know this is stupid, but one of the things that I think a lot of people (myself included) like about having a 4wd truck is that its a bugout vehicle. Everyone in the survivalist threads on TW have a fantasy that if shit hits the fan, you can drive out to bumblefuck and get away from the city. With this truck, I don't have that feeling of security that I felt that I had in my old truck. My brain knows that means nothing, but the soul feels like it does. Another strike for the negative column.

And the last thing I'll bitch about is the bed. I was stupid and bought the DCSB instead of access cab 6' bed because I wanted a smaller vehicle for city driving and 4 doors for when we have company (wife has 2 door car). I don't care about the length, but why are the wheel wells less than 4' apart? You should be able to fit a piece of plywood or sheetrock between the wheel wells. Another notch for the negative column.

 

I think as with everything there is some give and take. I had an 09 Mustang GT than last spring 2010 my wife became pregnant. January of this year I became a proud father of a baby boy. Well as you can probably imagine Mustang + baby = no bueno

I wanted a truck with 4 doors and did not want 12 MPG like my buddys tundra. I had wanted a Taco for a while so I figured 17-21 MPG was ok. My mustang I could drive the crap out of it and I would still get a solid 17.5 mpg and that is with a V8. So for me to get worse gas mileage with a V6 is a little discouraging. I'm scared to think what my mileage would be like if I drove the taco hard. My dad was busting my balls because he has an 11 year old full size chevy that is getting better mileage than I am.

I think it will come around, once I get some miles on the truck and everything loosens up I will see an increase. I am going going to take the truck out drive it hard and see if that helps get the motor broken in. I am close to 1500 miles on it so I think it is safe to give it a little hell. I can live with not getting the best mileage if its reliable, safe, fun, looks good. I feel that this truck has so many positive aspects and did I mention best looking truck on the market. So for now I am overall very happy with the purchase of my taco I hope many more enjoyable years to come.

 

You guys make great points . Truck is great in so many ways but 300 miles per tank is not.
Like I mentioned earlier , 11 4 runner gives 400 plus and it's also 4x4. Do not understand why.
My friends and I were all looking forward to own tacos but now they give me a hard time about my millage. For the gas millage and power, they would rather stick to the full size gmc.
Well I have my truck for now and well see what happens.