Tacoma 4cyl Auto Real World Mileage

Which cab?

If you go from an 18-19 MPG Prerunner to a 25 MPG 4 banger extended cab, and drive 1200 miles /month, you'd only save ~ $55-60 a month using $3.25/gal gas.

If you need a real back seat, don't really _need_ a truck, and are super concerned with fuel costs, maybe a Corolla or Civic, and a $400 4x8 trailer to carry things when needed? That choice could save you closer to $120/mo.

The ugly downside of the Prerunner is that you get most of the negatives of 4WD, like a high roll center & extra drag, with none of the benefits, like 4 driven wheels & access to super-low gearing.

You will not notice much difference in the 4 and 6 in terms of gas mileage. Sad but true.

The 6 gives better performanceon the freeway, but in city driving the two are pretty much the same. As a practical mattter, the mileage is the same. The difference in fuel costs over time will make the 6 cost a bit more, but this should not be such a large number as to make the 4 attractive. Basically, if you have trouble putting gas in a PreRunner, you will find the problem the same no matter which motor you have.

I agree with that comparison. I have an '06 4.7L V8 Tundra, and it doesn't get much worse mileage than the V6 Tacoma. Lets face it, a truck is a truck. Any vehicle with decent hauling and towing ability isn't going to get stellar fuel mileage. Maybe when they start producing a small turbo diesel for the US truck market? Although, what is diesel fuel going for now, almost $4.00/gal? Its a "no win" situation for truck buyers / owners.

I agree with other responses.

I've a 2000 Prerunner with the 2.7 4cyl, and the occasional 20mpg city is as good as it gets (auto tranny) with maybe 25mpg hwy.

Great truck, but you'll give up a lot of low-end torque/power by moving to a

Pick your poison.

For comparison my 1995 Tacoma 2WD with the 3.4 V-6 and a 5-speed manual gets

AND it goes like a bat out of hell.

And that is exactly the point. I could do a bit better with a stick, but how much better I'll never know as it wasn't offered on the PR this model year.......

Thanks all for the responses! I cannot give up my Camry @ 30mpg for my truck to occasionally haul garden stuff. Guess I am now going to change tactics and hunt down a beater, 70's or 80's for a couple of hundred and keep it parked in our neighborhood RV storage area when not in use. At least this way, when they dump a load of garden rock, I won't need to look the other way ;-)

On Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:45:35 -0700, S.Lewis spat out the following (in article ):

For the 2006 Tacoma extended cab 4WD TRD, the automatic was rated for better gas mileage than the stick. My 6 speed gets 17 around town, maybe 20 on the highway.

Desert Guy