MPG 2024 Tacoma Pro

Sure did, quite gladly after cross shopping the GM and ford offerings

 

This is one of those apples to baseballs comparisons I was talking about.

 

OR iForceMax here.

21.4 MPG average over 2500 miles, reset at 1000 miles.
Closely matches hand calculated tank to tank numbers.
Front air dam removed at dealer. Stock tires. No mods.
Typical driving 60/40 highway-city. A small amount of cold weather on road 4x4. No crawling yet.
I set it on Economy for two tanks, but the fuel efficiency did not change significantly from normal mode, so I set it back to my preferred drive mode.

 

Totally stock Hybrid and no air dam...
City Driving --21.6 in about 3000 miles. A little less if I get on a bit but still over 20. I do keep on Eco mode 90% of time.
Highway Driving ---I got less due to hills and almost impossible to keep at 65mph ( I tried). 75-90 mph I got low 19s.

 

2024 TRD Sport 4X4 AT. Purchased in early March 2024 and nearing 10,000 miles. Never sniffed 20 mpg. I was hovering around 18 mpg with probably 55% city - 45% highway before winter. Throughout winter the average has continued dropping and is now around 15.7 mpg. I'm a little baffled about what is going on. I drive in eco mode and 2 wheel drive exclusively. The air dam is still on. I'm relatively conservative with A/C and heat. I don't leave the car idling. I have a bit of a lead foot on the highway 75-80 mph but it is pretty flat in Iowa. Still trying to figure out what is going on. Any tips are welcome.

 

Grok says this:

You get worse gas mileage in the winter due to a combination of factors that affect your vehicle and driving conditions. Here’s a breakdown of the main reasons:

1. Cold Engine Efficiency: In winter, your engine takes longer to warm up to its optimal operating temperature. Until it does, it runs less efficiently, burning more fuel. This is especially noticeable on short trips where the engine doesn’t fully warm up.
   
2. Winter Fuel Blends: Gasoline is reformulated in colder months to vaporize more easily in low temperatures, which helps with starting the engine. However, these blends often have slightly less energy content per gallon, reducing mileage a bit—typically by 1-2%.
   
3. Air Density: Cold air is denser, which increases aerodynamic drag on your vehicle. This means your car has to work harder to push through it, using more fuel. At highway speeds, this effect becomes more significant.
   
4. Tire Pressure: Cold temperatures cause tire pressure to drop (about 1 PSI for every 10°F decrease). Underinflated tires increase rolling resistance, forcing your engine to use more energy. Check your tires regularly in winter to counter this.
   
5. Road Conditions: Snow, ice, and slush create extra resistance, and if you’re using snow tires, they often have higher rolling resistance than all-season tires. Plus, idling to warm up your car or getting stuck in traffic due to bad weather burns fuel without adding miles.
   
6. Battery Load: In cold weather, your battery’s performance drops, and you’re more likely to use power-hungry features like heaters, defrosters, and lights. This puts extra strain on the alternator, which in turn demands more from the engine.
   On average, you might see a 10-20% drop in fuel economy in winter, depending on how cold it gets and how you drive. Hybrids and electric vehicles can take an even bigger hit due to cabin heating demands. To mitigate this, try minimizing idling, keeping tires properly inflated, and bundling trips to let your engine warm up fully.
   

 

Fair enough. I get that fuel efficiency would be worse in the winter. My confusion is why the overall fuel efficiency is so much lower than the posted range.

 

I’ve been getting 18 and change in the same truck. Our cycles sound about the same. The weather’s been pretty crap around here the last several weeks, too; plenty of snow and colder (teens or low 20’s). There’s gotta be something different besides the weather.

 

Try normal drive mode and maybe keeping speed within 65-75