miles per gallon way lower than factory numbers

Well looks like I have bad Toyota news as well. I have had my 2wd 4cyl auto extra cab for a year now and just got back from my first 3k mile fla road trip. I avg only 22 mpg....and have noticed my speedo is off nearly 4 mph @ 70 indicated on gps.....so that means my avg is actually worse as I worked the numbers off the truck speedo. BTW for comparison, the year before last at same time and same trip I avg 26 with my 09 Colorado 2wd 3.7 I-5 auto extra cab. I don't need to mention how much more torque/power that 3.7 has as its quite obvious. I'm very disappointed and wish I had kept my Colorado. I will likely replace this taco soon unless things get better.......around town and speeds under 60 its very good, but over 70 its a slob for a 4cyl as full size v-8's get close to what I get.

 

I have the 2014 TRD 4x4 access cab, my in town driving is just about 17 mpg.
This is what I expected, the 4x4 will take away some of that mpg you see on the window sticker.

 

Nice 1st post there Bud...welcome to Tacoma World...get your wallet out....

 

HHAHAHAAHA I bought my truck and not a more gas efficient vehicle because I figured 21-24 wasn't bad. Too bad that is Pre runner. Still 17-21 isn't bad, too bad I get the crap end of 17mpg.

I have a 2012 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab just over 10k miles. Makes me NOT want to put a lift in.

 

All you people saying you're getting close to 20 mpg I envy you. My 2011 Double Cab TRD gets horrible gas mileage. My 2007 FJ Cruiser with 6" of lift and 35's got the same if not better gas mileage. Kinda drives me nuts!!

 

stoked with 16.8 bummed with 12.5.. in my opinion driving with a light foot makes the biggest difference... by light I mean keeping rpms under 2k... creeping

 

Chips don't work

 

I keep my rpms right around 2000 this yields the best mileage for me. 2000 rpms is about 68 MPH for my truck. Around traffic I run good with the traffic doing that also. I could see where bigger tires or heavier truck would not work well in that rpm range.

 

I really don't know, exactly...don't want to know. However, the exhaust tip is black inside, and I asked the dealer's best (IMO) Service Writer about that. He said that's the way they are.

In May'12, I drove my buddy's Chevy extended cab 5.3L 4x4 to TN and back to get his new bass boat, and stopped in SLC Utah to visit a friend. This Ute is a retired garage owner, and said "your buddy's engine is running rich, might want to put in a new O2 Sensor." He has not, but he has since gotten as much as 19mpg with it, but with 3.73:1 final drive and automatic. I got as much as 18.3mpg with my '97 GMC, but was sick of the lousy automatic (went out at 61k). Hence the 6 spd. manual. The towing gears sure don't help, but I have cruised it at 80mph with no complaints, it has seen 120 mph, and the speedo is correct per GPS.

Has anybody else got a "Scan Gauge II"? I have one on the steering column, and have it set to read MPH, MPG, RPM and Water Temp. It can tell you spark advance other stuff, and tell you what fault codes are causing the "check engine" light. But it can also teach you how to get the best MPG you can squeeze out of your vehicle...if you are willing to let it. Let it slow as you climb hills, never try to maintain steady speed while climbing. Coast when you can (not with automatics!), and of course, keep the rpm down.
https://www.scangauge.com/products/scangaugeii/

 

Ha! They want $170 for the scan guage?! I'd buy a bluetooth ODB II reader for $130-140 and get a cell phone app for another $10.

Gives you way more data in a better format than a tiny gauge that only displays a couple lines a time, but requires an Android/iPhone. I put it on an old cell phone which I leave in the truck. Can reset CEL's and read codes as well.

I personally have this: http://www.obdkey.com/ ($143 shipped) and the Torque app.


As far as mileage I get 17.4 average over all tanks with a 14 mile commute, 5 mile suburbs, 10 miles highway @ 75mph. On a long trip with 2 motorcycles (700 lbs) in the bed I got an average of 17 mpg on the highway at 75-80 mph. When I slowed down one tank I got 20mpg at 60-63 mph with one dirt bike (325 lbs) in the bed. '14 v6 manual trans stock sr5. When it's below 35 degress mileage drops 1-2 mpg, usually because I'm in 4Hi. I get the same mileage if I run premium/91 or regular (85 in Colorado).

 

As others have mentioned and I will replete, the chips do NOT work. Your only option in that arena is the mass air flow recalibrator. You'll gain some mpg there depending on how it's mapped. The 4.0's run a bit rich out of the factory.

Have a little more patience. Toyotas take a long time to loosen up. Like 7.5K miles or more. You could swap out the engine oil and differential oils with synthetic. That will help a little too. 18.5 mpg is nothing to be ashamed of, especially with your combination.

BTW, my Tacoma is about the lightest you can get with the 4.0 (3780 lbs 1/2 tank of gas) and with conservative driving, shifting at no higher than 2500 rpm's, and no a/c in mixed driving I get 18-19 mpg. If it were just highway and I keep it at 70 or below, I can eek out 20-21 mpg but I get passed by blue hairs when I'm in that mode!

 

That's about normal.My 2012 TRD 4x4 dbl cab gets about the same,almost 20,000 on it now.

 

I get 17. I don't complain. If I was a tree hugger, I'd get a hybrid.

 

Horrible attitude

If you bought a carton of apple juice thinking it was full, and got home realizing it was only 3/4 full I am sure you would be pissed.

Realizing your Tacoma gets 5+mpg less than the factory claim is the same BS. Especially when bigger trucks are getting the same or better MPG.

 

Mine has 11k, and runs the Toyota full synthetic. Like I said, keep it under 60 and its real good I've gotten 26 on one tank that was ideal back road running when it was brand new. I wonder if the gas we get these days is suspect as well? Maybe a diesel would be an option as some midsize trucks are coming with a diesel....Nissan chevy etc......

 

I usually get aound 13 or 14 in mine. Thats mostly driving around town. I have a 2013 dble cab 4x4 with 285/70/17 trail grapplers

 

Wait lemme say I do. I mean I wish my truck would get 20+ mpg with my current mods. But I knew I wasn't gonna get the 24 mpg like when it was stock once I started modding Lets just say I've learned to live with it. But to the OP, your milage should get better once the engine is broken in, but don't expect unworldly numbers.

 

Well...I've had my Scan Gauge II for about 6-7 years now, so it is old tech. But my brother sent it to me for my birthday, so it was free. My cell is a dumb phone, attached to my son's family plan...otherwise, I probably still wouldn't have a cell phone.

As for octane ratings, I asked my mechanic buddy in Utah about the low octane (85) and he said more octane didn't help at high altitude due to the low cylinder pressure. Which in turn is due to thin air. Makes sense. What I was recently surprised by was (after 90k), I found I was supposed to be putting mid-grade (89) in the Taco, and I've always run regular here (87 octane). Of course, the engine control systems eliminate "knock", by retarding the spark...but at the cost of MPG and maximum possible HP. With the towing final drive gears, it still hauls a$$.

 

Worst thing Toyota ever did was take away self locking hubs-- fI the hubs weren't locked in the trucks front was freewheeling. It wasn't turning the front axel thru the housing and the drive shaft-- now the full time font end means you are pushing everything down the road all the time-hence forth - resistance - leading to reduced gas mileage..... dont get me started on now having to look for some knob on my dash to turn so I can get into four wheel when I'm sliding on black ice on a mountain road.....STUPID..... I want my transfer lever back

 

I do dealer transfers on different cars. Many time I drive a car to another dealer and get the same vehicle in a different color. I like cars that get good mileage and so I check the mileage on them just for something to do to pass time on the drives. I have seen big differences in the mileage on the same cars, you would not think there would be much difference, but there is on some of them. I dont yet have a Taco, but looking at them. I had a 05 Honda civic hybrid and avg 40 mpg for the 8 years I had it, then I got a Subaru BRZ and have been averaging 30mpg overall and 35+mpg on the road. Now I am looking at Tacos, and it is a pain thinking about 20mpg or less! Once you wver get a high MPG vehicle it is oh so hard to step back down to a low mpg vehicle!