V6 vs 4 cylinder

I regularly get 21-22mpg on the highway in the mountains with my 2.7L 4x4 5 speed manual treating speed limits as a suggestion. I have load range E tires on the truck now.

 

Another vote for the 4 banger.

A bit of context.
I drive my truck a lot. I bought it brand new in July 2012 and it is getting ready to hit 83k. The motor has been awesome.
I use my truck like a truck. I heat my house with fire wood so every summer sees me making many a trip in to the National Forrest to get firewood. I Pull out a cord of wood at a time and with the weight of the trailer we are talking at least three thousand pounds. That is up and down two track fire roads anywhere from 5500-8000 feet.
The truck does just fine.
I have hauled my moto and trailer all over the rocky mountain area 75 MPH all day long pulling a thousand pounds. No problems
Every summer sees me making many trips to the garden supply place bringing half a yard of dirt or compost back at a time easily a thousand pounds in the bed no problems.
Winter finds me making trips up and down to ski hills and hauling my two snow mo's and trailer including this year on a 1000 mile road trip.
No problems

I hauled a packed U haul trailer from Salt Lake to Sand point Idaho about three thousand pounds
no problems

I use my truck like a truck, it works like a truck, and the I 4 is more then enough 98 percent of the time. Would it be nice to have more power pulling three k of fire wood out of the woods ? Sure. Will the truck do it and come back kicking for more the next day ? Yep. No problems


Some real world numbers and info

2012 Tacoma, Regular Cab 2.7 4x4 five speed.
Stock size Hankook DanaPro Atm AT's
ARE Mid rise topper with cross bars

MPG
Summer combined town and highway 20mpg ( I live in a rural town in the mountains so its not like lots of stop and go)
Summer, Highway, cap on racks on 70 MPH 22-23
Summer, Highway 80 MPH ( speed limit out here) Cap on racks on 19-20
Summer, cap off, no load, 45-65 24 second best all time tank
Summer Cap off, 65-70 all time best tank 27 on a 400+mile road trip.

Winter combined cap on weight in bed with cap and sand bags about 500 lbs 18-19 lots of 4x4 use 17-18
Winter Highway 20-22 depending on speed limit 20-22


This motor is a small truck motor, it was designed to be bullet proof and work. Win races ? No.
The 2.7 with the 5 speed has plenty of pick up and go, If you use the whole rev range its not all that much slower then the 4.0 to sixty.
there is a great youtube out there of that.


YMMV
best of luck, and just know that the 2.7 will not let you down. If you want a truck that drives like one this is the motor. If you want a " TRUCK" aka trucks that have gotten away from their roots in the name of more power, more fast and more gismos that is fast a race car and rides like your mini van and gets amazing MPG this aint it.

But hey.... then again I have crank windows and the only " power " anything inside my truck out side of the radio is the 4x4 switch and a few trac buttons. Perhaps I am biased since thats what I think a pick up should be. Not some roided out version of todays f150 or tundra.

best of luck feel free to get in touch with any questions. Id wager I am one of the few people out there that has left my truck bone stock and uses it in this manner. There are a few of us out there, but most people are looking for something else

 

Van motor? Like the 2GR-FE in the 2006+ Toyota Sienna? It does not have D-4S twin injection fuel system or Atkinson cycle. Wasn't the 2wd Sienna rated number 1 & 2 along with Honda Odyssey as the best van to own for years?

The Tacoma 2GR-FKS is more based off the Lexus motor 2GR-FSE which has the D-4S technology but not Atkinson but however it won Wards 10 best engine.

So I guess my 2016 Tacoma V6 has a proven Lexus motor in it.

 

I will add that for me, when I bought mine. I was limited by my budget. I also really wanted a regular cab so I didnt have a lot of options. If I could change anything ? It would be to have the space of the AC truck.
There is one spot that I always wish I had the power of a v6. 75 MPH speed limit climing up that last pass in Wyoming before you take the turn off and head for denver. It always seems to have a wicked head wind coming down it. Its a long climb and I often end up in third gear. Oh... Two lane county roads, short passing zones. A v6 would be nice for that as well dont expect to stomp it in fifth and have fire works either put in a two week notice that you are passing in 5th when you are under 60 or down shift.
But hey, thats what a clutch is for.

The 4th gear in the five speed is a great gear. 30 mph chuggin around town all the way up to 70 sitting a just under 3.5k on the tach. No bad when you think that red line is not till past 6k. Plenty of rev range left. In general I keep mine under 3k but there is always plenty left
Pretty solid and 4th will pull you up most climbs.
I used to live in Maine, CT/ MA the 4 bannger will do you just fine for almost any hill you are going to find out there

and you are right 4x4 is a must for those winters.

 

With 40 HP less, that would be dumb.

 

yeah i have no idea how your getting that kind of mileage, no offense but I've driven mine since i bought it with 64k and have over 113k now. And I've never gone over 20 mpg but i have a v6 w/ a 6 speed, I've tried everything possible but if i can get 350 on a tank of gas its a miracle

 

I have the 2016 3.5L V6 with 6 speed auto and also the 4.0 V6 with 6 speed stickshift gets less EPA mpg than the 5 speed auto.

 

I disagree 236 hp in a Tacoma is more than enough power and it's a good reliable engine. It's definitely more power than a 2.7.

 

No problem at all with a disagreement, but when there is another choice available now with 40 HP more, more fuel efficient than the old 4.0 and is just as fuel efficient as the 2.7 it`s a no brainer to many that may be looking to make a purchase.

To get back on topic

My 3rd Gen purchase was made on what I wanted not what I needed, I did not necessarily need the V6 but I drove both the 4Cyl and the V6, the 4Cyl is a slug compared to the V6, as I stated in other threads, the 4Cyl is a very reliable engine and has proved itself for a very long time now.

 

I was at the dealership a few days back just walking around while they were fixing something on my Tacoma. I was looking at all the stickers in the windows of the cars because I had nothing but time to waste. I found it odd that the 4 cylinder in the Carolla has more HP than the 4 cylinder in the Tacoma. 171 hp vs 159 hp I believe. My biggest complaint is the lack of power in the 4 cylinder. I was also considering a Canyon and I believe their 4 cylinder has about 200 hp. I feel like Toyota needs to figure out how to get more HP out of that engine.

 

You can't get the V-6 in the SR access cab , so that will limit you on your selections. Make sure you can get the combination that you think you can get. The four-cylinder and stick is pretty limited in its applications.

 

The lack of power on the 4 cyl. is really disappointing, especially with an A/T & 4X4. The only consolation is its longevity, ease of maintenance, and a transmission that you can service & check the fluid with a dip stick....

 

Shit. I get 22mpg on the highway with my 3rd Gen 6cyl 4x4 Sport with BFG KO2's!

 

The lack of power with the 6cyl is also really disappointing.

 

Hate to admit it, I drive a 2015 Escape company vehicle with the eco boost 4 cyl. It has double the speed & power than my Taco....but it is what it is.....No one ever said the 2.7 was quick & powerful.....I knew this going in.....

 

I wonder if that's why Toyota engines traditionally last longer? Are they tuned below their potential as sort of a protective measure to help ensure longevity over performance?

 

Yes

 

You may be on to something. Your comments got me to thinking about the triton V8s Ford was using. It was a well known fact that these motors were tuned down to last longer and felt underwhelming compared to the competition. It was also pretty common to get 300k out of one.

 

A first gen cummins 5.9 has only 1 hp more than my 4 cylinder.

But yes, I am sure the 2.7 is overbuilt and/or underpowered. Maybe not as much as an early cummins or 2.25 rover petrol engine (they put a 7:1 compression head on a diesel block) or an international SV Comanche V8 (which weighs almost as much as a cummins and has less hp than a 2TRFE), but I am sure, barring overheating or oil loss, the truck will rot out before the engine dies. I mean, when was the last time you saw an iron block on a four cylinder?

 

Mine don't have a transmission fluid dipstick. Is that just something on the Auto, 4X4, 2.7?