should i buy a 4cylinder 4x4 access cab

OP, if you want a truck that will get you where ever you want to go with no complaints and excellent fuel efficiency then a 2TR-FE 4x4 5spd is what you need. I have 2015 SR5 with the same drivetrain and it's scary how good it is. From the highways around Miami to Steel Cut Pass in Death Valley NP it is a bullet proof system.

 

Sure, I'll get right on that.

You want to explain how engine braking improves your mpg?


Sorry guys, but you are not averaging 25mpg in the mountains.

 

Engine braking either uses no or next to no gas (can't remember if they turn off the fuel when coasting/engine braking in the 2TR-FE). So, downhills are free miles, and I know I get more than 12 mpg going uphill (again, I'm not driving like a dumbass). Drove to and from a Rocky Mountain National Park trailhead, filling up on either side, and got 26.7 mpg.

 

Ok, so engine braking doesn't improve mpg, gotcha. Thanks dumbass

 

I don't doubt @Farcedude, I can get a around 22 mpg highway when I take it slow. I stay in the slow lane and do 55mph and this with a full hoop bumper, over sized mud terrains and a truck the weighs in at 4200lbs

 

Right, but that's your best case scenario... doesn't mean that you should go around claiming that you average 22 mpg, because you don't. I got 25.8 once... Once. Dude is not going to average anywhere close to almost 27(!) mpg in real world conditions.

OP, the 2tr is a fantastic engine, particularly when paired with the 5 speed, for a lot of reasons, including pretty decent mileage. Its a workhorse, and its really fun to drive. Just don't have unrealistic expectations regarding the mpg... and 25 mpg average is unrealistic for real world conditions for most people. Lower 20s is a little more realistic, and that's still pretty good for such a capable 4x4 truck.

 

this true, it would be safe to say with a stock setup 22-23mpg would be the high end. I got 25 mpg once too after doing the 30k maintainence to a drive on the Pennsy. Turnpike NE Extension and locked the cruise at 65mph, I never saw another 24-25 mpg since.

 

I'm not looking for corolla mileage but I do expect to get quite abit better than I'm getting with my Titan. And don't know how or why but my mitsu outlander sport 5 sp man averages 3-5 mpg better in the Colorado Mtns than what I get here in the flat land of nw Missouri. And that aint no bullshit.

 

I'm goin down Sat am because ive gotten enough positive input into the performance of the 4 cylinder and test driving/ordering one. Only thing that suks is there aren't any manual 4 cylinders within 200 miles. Dealer says they go before they even get on the lot. Hope the manual is as good as the one I have in my Mitsu.

 

Also hope I don't have to go 55 to get 22mpg on the highway. 65 is about what the normal speed will be were I drive.

 

Thats what I have to do, but idk if thats due to my E rated mud terrains and armor (around 400lbs). So take it for what its worth

 

I have that setup, but older and I always average 18-20 highway mostly. Hell, my 2014 outback on all seasons, only averages 22.5. And that's mostly highway too.

 

Wow, thanks for the edit with the "dumbass" comment. So, if you have a roundtrip commute that takes you up and down a hill, do you not count the downhill stretch that you can coast while engine braking? If you use no gas going downhill, and get 12 mpg going back up the hill, you average out to 24 mpg. Not that hard.
And as far as my mpg, that's stock, with a 33 mile each way commute, mostly flat, between 55 and 65 for 90% of that drive.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I'd take a v6 any day of the week over my 3rz. I know the newer ones 2.7s have a bit more power then mine, and mine being automatic doesn't help at all, but coming from a 3.4 Prerunner to a 2.7 4wd was a huge change in torque. The 3rz barely has enough power to get out of its own way, even with 4.56 gears. I also get the same or slightly worse mpg then my 3.4. I'm supercharging it as soon as I can, can't stand the lack of torque.

Only reason I bought this truck, is cause it only had 61k miles when I got it.

 

Its a different story with a manual. These engines truly need to paired with a manual.

 

Im happy with my 2.7! no, she doesn't have a ton of ass, but we do just fine loaded up and rolling though the mountains. I average around 22 mpg. I do the engine braking in the mountians and honestly don't know if it helps the mpg or not. but it does save my brakes a lot of work so its useful there. as long as youre not trying to drag race other tacos at stoplights and trying to tow a 5000lb trailer up a 10% slope, youll be fine and happy. of course theres times I wish I had the 6cyl, but then again theres also times I wish I had 4x4. ive done just fine though without either in the past 100k miles.

 

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make here, but your maths are very impressive. And you very clearly implied that if you're not getting 25+ mpg then you must "drive like a dumbass". I just reciprocated, dumbass.

 

I'd expect 20mpg. If that doesn't satisfy you, look elsewhere. The guys claiming 25+ probably aren't lying, they're just the exceptions. I have a 2tr RC 4x4 and don't live in the mountains. 19-20 in town and 22hwy are about all I can get.

That being said, I still like it a lot.

 

For the doubting Thomases. I keep a log of my miles and gas in my vehicles. This spreadsheet reflects the mileage I got with my 4 cyl, 4wd, 5spd access cab, loaded with camping gear, last summer on a trip through Colorado. I left home in the Arizona mountains and went to Hovenweep National Monument in southeast Utah, where we camped and ran around for a couple of days. Then through the southwest corner of Colorado to north central Colorado by mountain back roads to visit friends in Greeley and Fort Collins. Took interstate highways through New Mexico to Socorro and mountain highways back home.

 

Hope I get that kind of mileage. My 4 cyl Outlander Mitsu Sport went up 3-5 miles to the gallon vs what I get here in the mostly flat/small rolling hills in NW Missouri. I think the 85 Octane Colorado gas must be ethanol free cuz I get better mileage everytime I use it when in Colorado. hell I get better mileage going up into the mountains than driving the small hills here. Doesn't make sense but its true!