regrets with a 4 cyl?

hey all. been lurking and learning some. time for a question.

do you guys with the 4 cyl tacos regret buying a 4 cyl? i would use mine for trips to home depot/lowes. haul my motorcycle a few miles(5?), and just as an everyday driver. my off-roading days are done for the most part, except maybe a little trail riding while hunting. not a speed demon, but i aint no grandpa either. the MPG estimates are tempting me to go for a 4 banger. 4X4 ofcourse. whats the life expectancy on a 4 cyl?

any advice/opinions are greatly appreciated as i'll be buying something in the next 2 weeks. looking for '08, '09, '10.
P.S. my other choices are a tundra or a full size ram. i know...kinda all over the map. maybe i drink too much .

 

Hell no. Love my 4 banger no matter what. Mine's got 215K on it and still running strong. If you take care of it and do regular maintenance they should run for 300K easily...

 

Ive had no regrets out of owning mine. Ive had the v6 and the 4 cyl and I like the 4cyl much better. It is bullet proof and gas friendly, I tow my boat at least twice a week and no problems at all. The 4 cyl also has a timing chain, not a belt like the v6, so no having to change it every 90k. 159hp is pretty spunky for a 4 cyl too...

 

What state are you in? And 4x4 or 4x2? Makes a big difference. I know in Colorado, Toyota doesn't even offer a 4cyl 4x4 anymore (but you can get them in other states). The mountain passes and high altitude just rob them of power. At any rate if you do get a 4cyl I think a lot of people here will recommend you get a manual with it.

 

i'm on long island..in NY. while its relatively flat, i do head upstate a few times a year. i definately want a 4x4.
thanks for the replies gentlemen. BTW...what gears are you running?

 

My truck came stock with 4.30 gears...

 

I switched from driving smallblock chevys to a 2.7 tacoma, and I will admit I was worried to begin with, but this thing goes great. It's

 

I love my 5 lugger. It's not exactly what I want (HD Turbo diesel truck ), but it is exactly what I NEED at this point in my life. I just got 30 mpg on my last tank and I'm looking to improve that even further. The only thing I don't like about my truck is the lack of bucket seats and a center console, which I will hopefully fix sometime in the near future.

 

4x4, reg cab, 4 cyl, absolutely no regrets, serves my needs fine.

 

the new 1GR-FE V6's have chains as well

i have to say the 2.7 in the new trucks are great engines, real low maintenance and run nice and strong. like everyone else said, your not gonna win any streetlight races, but with a load it does fine, the torque is adequate, but more than enough to haul what the truck is rated for. they are a bit on the noisy side though, the valve chatter is kind of noticeable. the 5 speed manual is very easy to drive, but does take some getting used too. it's not as refined as car transmissions, even the older generation tacomas, but its still solid.

the 4 banger is also pretty smooth, at idle and cruising, due to the twin balance shafts.

and the 4 banger produces peak torque lower than the V6! lol

some more info on the 2.7L 2TR-FE (on page 3)

http://www.sae.org/automag/techbriefs/02-2005/1-113-2-36.pdf

 

I have a new 2010 Tacoma 4cly 4x4, my buddies made fun of me because I didn't get a full size or an "American made truck". My buddies and I went to on multiple 200+ mile trips so far this summer, for some reason they love it when we take my truck....... hmmmm. We also have a few additional trips planned for the rest of the summer, we are planning on taking my truck again. They have all stopped making fun of me, It's nice getting 23-24 mpg!

 

I love my 4 banger... My only regret is not having 4X4. It tows my mowing trailer every day just fine. It's not a V8 but it gets the job done

 

Show all your buddies the "Made is USA" decal inside the drivers door! And then point out that their Chevys are made in Mexico, and their Fords are made is Canada. And then Dodge's... do they still make Dodges??

 

I love mine. I am actually on my second one. I originally had a 2007 regular cab 4X2 base and then traded up to a 2009 Access cab 4X2 SR5 A/T package. Only reason I traded was because I needed the access cab for the days I had to pick the kids up at school. I really loved the simplicity of my regular cab with it's manual windows and bench seat the best.

As for as power I use mine for hauling materials for basic home improvements/maintainance and it does great. The only time I have missed having more power was when I hauled a load of furniture into the moutains for a friend that was moving up there. It seemed like the truck really had to downshift alot to climb some of the steeper grades, but it did the job.

 

Love my 10 4/5 4x4 reg! bought it in sept 09 has 13k. The 4x4 man. prety spunky from a red light even with the ac, I love the 4.1 rear end!

 

Yeah that's what I tell them all the time, they shut up pretty quick when I bring that up.

 

2009 2.7L 2WD 5-sp 5-lug. 4banger has enough power for driving. Highway cruising is great. Have to pay attention to the gears, though, as they are waaaay tall. No starting in 2nd and you better be in the right gear for the right speed.

A real "get-er-done" motor. Test drove a 4x4 2.7, and it seemed just as peppy.

Either way, better than my sluggy 1993 B2200 (249,000 km, never an issue, new owner is still using it daily), so I hope this one has a good 17 years in it!

 

Love it! And at 24 mpg it gets better mileage than my Frontier with a smaller engine (2.4L). Everyone that I have talked to prior to buying this truck said the 4 banger motor was indestructible

 

The 2.7L will be fine for your needs. It can keep up in the 5 mph bumper-to-bumper traffic down on Long Island just fine.

Now seriously, I think you'll find the 2.7L does just fine on your trips upstate. I take my 2.7L 4x4 over the hill to Lake Placid and Saranac Lake often and it does great. It's a proven reliable motor.

To echo what others have said, if you go 2.7L 4x4, get the manual 5 speed.

 

nope, i had no regrets with my 4 cyl it was a good little truck