Talk to Me About the 4-Cylinder 4x4

You're probably ok with the 4 cyl then. Friend of mine has pretty much the same truck as me but 4 cyl 5 speed. He drives like a grandma but he consistently reports 23-25 mpg. Not sure how much that would go down if he beat on the truck a little more. Like I said, I would be afraid to tow anything substantial with it on Connecticut highways but for just straight commuting it's fine as long as you don't mind the power difference which you'll likely notice coming from the V6. The cost per year maintenance/gas wise isn't an astronomical difference unless you're driving a ton but you will see a much lower entry cost. My 13 TRDOR access cab 6 speed was almost 28k with 14k miles, I think my friend paid somewhere around 25-26 for a brand new 15 4 cyl 5 speed SR5.

 

Drove a 4 cylinder, man the thing was a dog so zero chance I would buy one but to eachs own.

The longevity thing is completely blown out of proportion when compared to the bulletproof second gen V6.

The V6 is adequate for a truck this size, a 4 cylinder (no offense to those that own one) has zero business being in this truck.

 

Dollar to peso you drove an automatic

"There's your problem right there"

 

You have had lots of input here already. I have owned all the options you are thinking about, 2001 - Access cab 4x4 4cyl 5 spd, 2011 Acc Cab 4x4 4cyl 5spd, 2012 Acc cab 4x4 V6 auto. The 4cyl 5 spd combo is the same in 1st and 2nd gen.
1st gen, great truck, a tad smaller, serious frame rust issues, i would avoid a truck from anywhere but the south.
2nd gen, great truck, a tad bigger especially in the back. The rear seats changed along the way to a different style, you may want to check what style you like better. I have kept up with gas mileage on all of them and I get almost exactly 1 less MPG with the V6, and this is real world driving. The V6 has much more capability especially if towing or hauling heavy things in the bed. If you are going to tow on the interstate at all I would go V6. My 2nd gen 5 spd had the creaky clutch pedal, there was no simple fix and it was very annoying to me.
If I was going to buy another one I would get the V6 auto without hesitation. For the minimal difference in MPG the V6 has a lot more capability.

Add - child seats, In the access cab a rear facing seat in the back will basically eliminate the passenger seat unless your passenger is tiny. A front facing seat in the back is doable, but cramped for the passenger in the front.

 

Nobody has talked about lifting it. If you lift it and put on 285s, you pretty much lose any mpg advantage. And a lot of those really good 20+ numbers folks post up are for four cylinders are for five lugs, not 4x4s. That's one problem with looking at fuelly averages: they don't break out that critical distinction.

I've tracked nearly every fill up using an iphone gas app on my 2011 4cyl 5 speed reg cab 3" lifted 285/70R17 tires.

15.6 mpg.

Simple yes. Reliable yes. Less expensive up front, sure.

Also, I think there were a few changes between the 2.7 2TR-FE between first gen and second gen. And the first gen also had a 2.4 four cyl available.

About your driveway and miata - car trailers have *long* overhangs. If the miata can't make it - think twice about whether a car trailer can make it either. Depends on the driveway and the trailer.

 

Tell me why I shouldn't buy a Colorado.. Oops wrong thread. ...meh, I got nothin'.....

 

I use my truck exactly like you sound like you plan to use yours. Daily commuter with occasional hauling for home projects. Haven't found anything I cant do with my 08 AC 4cyl 4x4 5spd. MPG is not that different from a V6. I average a little bit under 20 driving like a normal human. I can load a trailer up without worrying if the truck can handle it although I wouldn't want to do much interstate driving while hauling. Definitely wouldn't want to

Only reason I'll ever get rid of this truck is when I have kids (like you do) and need the extra space. Getting kids of any age in and out of the back would be a tight fit and PITA even if its rare.

 

Perhaps if you are going by EPA sticker quotes. I have never once gotten less than 19 mpg with my 2.7 regardless of terrain or bed load. Hauling a trailer/boat obviously would be different but the 4 cylinder easily smokes the fuel economy of the 4.0.

 

You hit the nail on the head with your first sentence. 4x4 2.7 5 speed average of 22 mpg over 30k miles. See Fuelly below.

To get 15.6 mpg I would need to have the pedal mashed to the floor at all times.

 

I've been tracking the mileage of my 05 AC 2.7 5-speed 4x4 since I bought it 5 years ago. Been averaging 24-26 in the summer and 20-23 in the winter with very little highway driving. The worst I've averaged on a tank is 19.94 with a lot of time in 4WD. It's all in how you drive.

I just installed an aFe air filter though, so now I'm expecting the mileage to double...

 

I put 100K on a 2009 AC4x4 2.7L. I thought it would be my "forever truck". Yes it was a little slower than the V6 but I have motorcycles when I want to go fast. I got at least 21mpg consistently, no matter what I threw at it. It was a great truck when I had one bike, one dog, and my gear to haul around. Needed nothing but fluids and tires.

Then came along a girlfriend with all of her gear, her bikes, a second dog, and a travel trailer. So I had to "upgrade" to the DCSB V6. Mileage is nowhere near as good, but it's roomier for the dogs and I can tow a decent sized trailer. But I hated to see the old 4cyl go.

If the 4 cyl. can meet your needs, I say go for it

 

Yeah, I'll be careful of what trailer I choose. The trailer might have overhangs, but I don't mind of it scrapes here and there. My Miata is very low on sport suspension and track tires. It would get stuck and scraped up pretty quickly. Not to mention, the track tires.

 

Hehe. Not Big Bear, but very close. You'd be surprised. That said, I have a buddy who bought a bunch of undeveloped land in San Marcos, of all places. That's not where I am, but I can tell you that you need 4x4 in that chunk of land he is when there's rain. For my situation, add snow to that and well, the problems start, lol. Needless to say, this week I managed to get a Uhaul Transit 250 van stuck in loose dirt, on a slope. Took me 80 feet of tow strap, a hand operated cable winch puller and 3 hours to get then dang thing back on on traction. It's going to rain this week and I only have a stock Subbie with street tires. This should be fun. Can't wait to get a truck again.

 

Depreciation.