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Toyota Tacoma Prerunner (owner experiences)
I juts bought a new a new Toyota Tacoma Pre-runner
V6 extra cab, 900 miles on it and man it is GREAT!
I love it. I always wanted a high quality TOYOTA
and now I own one yeeeeeehaaaaaaaaa!!!
Dave
V6 extra cab, 900 miles on it and man it is GREAT!
I love it. I always wanted a high quality TOYOTA
and now I own one yeeeeeehaaaaaaaaa!!!
Dave
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
- Tim
I get about 14/16 mpg around town and 20 or so highway if I don't put my foot in it a lot. On the other hand the supercharger requres premium gas but what the heck.
Happy Motoring. ;-)
Pocahontas,
Edmunds.com/Roving Host
From pictures, I am opposed to the chrome package as it draws serious attention to the grille (not my favorite design Toyota has come up with).
The color keyed packages seem a bit nicer but I suppose when I visit them in person I'll know.
Thx
1. Do they handle like a 4x4? Is the the ride smooth?
2. I am considering a PreRunner4Cy 150HP xtacab.
3.How the gas mileage on the 4 vs 6. Im reading the comment on the 6 and a few have expressed the fact the mileage is not that great.
All feed back appreciated.
Thanks
RonP
going strong. But thinking of the 4cy prerunner.
How your mileage and whats it got on it. Would you mind sharing the price you paid with acces.
Thanks
east489@wwnet.net
storm while everyone else is stuck or at home is a
good time.
Thanks for your help! happy Holidays!
How well did the 4X2's with locking rear hold up during this latest Midwest storm? Are they somewhat OK in 3-6" of snow?
How much is Toyota charging for the TRD Supercharger? What are they charging for the install?
Thanks in advance..
For those of you wondering about the Prerunners vs. 2wd or 4wd models, here is a little insight.
The Prerunner sits on the 4x4 chassis but, of course, lacks the 4wd. It rides just like the 4x4's--firm. If you get the TRD package w/ Bilstein shocks, expect an even firmer ride. Of course, you'll thank the toyota engineers should you venture into a field of medium to large rocks or potholes as the firmness will keep your insides on the inside.
For those wondering about whether they should go with the 2.7L or 3.4L V-6, there really shouldn't be much discussion. The 3.4L V-6 is the smoothest, most efficient V-6 in a pickup. It produces over 80% of it's torque at 2500 RPM's. The extra weight of the prerunner, whether reg. or ext. cab, demands the extra power of the V-6. The 2.7L is adequate at best in the Prerunner. Yes, it will cost more, but in the end, you'll thank yourself.
The supercharger can be bolted on by the dealership in around an hour, and the last time I saw, the prices were around $2400-2500 which may or may not include installation (sorry, I didn't check into this.) The supercharger bumps the HP and torque by 70 horses and pounds for 260 HP and 290 lbs. torque. Get that in the prerunner ext. cab which only weighs around 3350 lbs. (3280 for '00 model, heavier for newer, feminine-grilled '01 models)and you will do 0-60 somewhere in the 6 second ballpark. I wish the magazines would do a roadtest for this model, so we could know the performance for sure.
Hope this helps anyone with questions.
First thing I learned is how to work the Locking Diff... (Plenty of time to play in the 2 hour commute) Next was to add about 300lbs of sand over rear wheels.. what a difference. It definately reduces the slipping and sliding.
4 X 4 would be nice but I don't go off road and can't see it (except for this year) for only a few days a year. I use the truck mostly for commuting to work and yard/house work.
Love the truck so far. Great heater, comfortable and better than my 89 Corolla in the deeper snow - especially when it freezes.
1) 95% of it's use will be the daily commute in manic urban traffic and typical home center runs, but I do flat-tow an old Jeep on occasion. I know the Taco ma tats show a towing capacity of 5000 pounds, but is that a realistic figure? Can the 3.4L V6 be expected to comfortably flat-tow a 3000 b. vehicle at interstate speeds over rolling hills?
2) I have two boys, 8 & 10, that I have to have a back seat for. The F150's back seat is adequate, but I'd really like to have 4 doors on a pickup that I can actually park in my garage. Considering the fact that I plan on keeping this vehicle for a number of years, is the Double cab's back seat realistically sized and comfortable enough for teenagers?
3) When I test drove the Taco ma I had no idea what the "ETC" button was for and never turned it on. I found the engine power to be adequate to compete with traffic, but just barely (maybe because I'm used to a billion horsepower and a million pounds of torque). What exactly does this button do and does it really help performance?
Any and all input is appreciated, thanks.
Gas mileage is not going to be great on the V-6 regardless of which model you go with. My '00 Prerunner has averaged 18.67 MPG in 29,689 miles. Considering the DC weighs about 500 lbs more, you'll probably get around 17.5 - 18 MPG. Of course, I drive conservatively, so yours could even be worse than that.
As far as towing, others will tell you this and that, but if they don't actually own a toyota, their opinions are just that--opinions. I've towed a U-haul trailer totaling about 3200-3400 lbs at an average of 70 mph with no problems. I live in TX, so we don't have real mountains, but there were hills like you would encounter on almost any drive. If you are going to be driving under or around 55-60 MPH, you can switch off the overdrive, and you won't have the annoyance of the transmission downshifting on all the hills. The OD is a pretty long gear (under normal driving it comes on at 45 mph), and if you tow, the engine will be kicking down a lot especially in the 45-60 MPH range. I averaged 14.1 MPG while towing, if that helps you.
As far as the interior room question, I don't have a clue. My version of comfortable is probably different from yours.
Dcdriver, I had '98 reg. cab and it's okay for the single guy with no friends or no life, but if you want to carry anything like luggage, groceries, etc. without getting it wet, the regular cab is pretty limited. You may not like the styling of the ext. cab, but if you need the space, nothing beats having the protection of the extra cab.
By the way, I agree with Superglide on the cruise control issue. Whenever I do the driving up and down hills on a long trip, I always get better gas mileage. But if I let the cruise control do it, my mileage is less.
Happy hunting.
The V6 engine averages about 17-18 mpg (pre-runner & 4WD) period; if you get more, lucky you; take good care of your unique truck.
Towing:
Referencing the above post, would recommend the 4dr 2001 version w/ V6--preferably supercharged--and towing package. As in #23, it's heavier, has more useable room and easier access. Venturing into the mountains and/or driving faster than normal hwy speeds while towing 5000 literal pounds will cause a great desire to A). Sell truck;
Improving Fuel Economy:
To improve mpg, you must slow down, make alterations and/or spend $$$ For example: Amesoil TS-115 air intake, modify air box
(see http://www.gadgetonline.com/airinduction.htm), have computer re-mapped (Taco's inhale gas above 75 mpg, this can be corrected somewhat), exhaust system upgrade, smaller hwy (not all-terrain) tires and keep at rated psi, decrease ring & pinion ratios, lighten vehicle--remove brush guard, nerf bars, tailgate, campershell, etc., use good gas, use recommended oil weight then switch to synthetic after 35 or 40K miles, move to higher altitude, etc,.
4WD excellent for snow, 2WD not as good. Here are some 2WD fixes:
"Z-chains" (actually cables, MUST get exact tire size) for all 4 tires (2 & 4WD's). Gives bulldozer-like traction on snow and ice--especially braking. Can be found at Pep-Boys or online.
No factory locking axle. Get cheaper plain axle (it's stronger) and have Powertraxx's "No-slip" Locker installed and forget it (no maintenance). First ice/snow/steep hill thereafter will produce grins and giggles; vastly improved cornering under throttle and off-road traction too; especially necessary with Supercharger.
Use good tires: Michelins, Goodyear or Toyo. Maintain air pressure, keep rotated = better mpg & longer life. Use correct tires: Use off-road/snow tires exactly for that; use all-weather hwy tires rest of year = better mpg (fraction of percentage), quieter ride, better breaking and both sets will last much longer.
4 vs.6 cylinders:
The 4 is too small for the extended cab, okay for regular cab.
The V6 is okay, wish it was mapped like Mazda's 3.0L 200 hp V6 w/ better mpg and more low end.
The Supercharged V6: WOW! Enough said. You can peg 100 before you know it while passing so be careful--Tacoma's with large tire package become nervous around 90 mph. It's also rough on timing belts, tires, trannys and drive train so keep pretty close to maintenance schedule if you lead-foot. Finally--after supercharging many Taco owners report excessive giggling, funny grins, occasional drool and unusually-cocky attitudes...don't let all that power go to your head.
Let Toyota Dealership service your vehicle according to regularly scheduled maintenance if possible.
Whew!....enough for now.
I looked at Toyota's nearest competitor, the Nissan Frontier, and while its features were attractive, it looked like it fell out of the ugly tree & broke every branch on the way down. Someone needs to have a serious meeting with that firm's design team. Unfortunately, Toyota decided to change the grille on the newer models as well, yuck. I prefer last year's design.
I took the liberty of printing out Edmund's new car shopper's guide; although I almost have enough now to put a good down payment on the truck, I need a little more time to do my homework before I enter the battlefield of the dealerships. What kind of good experience/hassles have you had? Any local Toyota dealerships here in the Bay Area that are recommended over others? I realize the playing the numbers game is part of the deal, but I really want to avoid any unecessary run-arounds when I am ready to buy.
Thanks for your time, wish me luck!
Also, I got the truck with the diff lock but without the entire trd package. Later I realized that the truck also has the bilstein shocks form the trd package which I did not pay for as an option (I'm not sure how). Anyway I want the overfenders, too (the last part of the trd package). They are the only thing in the trd package that I don't have and I think they look great. Are they the same thing as fender flares (they don't look as big), can I get them from Toyota, and how much can I expect to pay? Diff lock works good in the slick gumbo mud of the Mississippi delta as far as I can tell.
I bought a Doublecab Prerunner v6 the day after Thanksgiving. Really happy with it. I did 2 internet searches, dropped into so many dealers I lost count (Richmond, Oakland, Alameda, San Rafael, Berkeley, Walnut Ck, Dublin, Fremont, Hayward...did I leave anyone out?) and ended up buying from Bill at Berkeley Toyota. Got a great deal, exactly the truck I wanted, and he offered the best trade-in on my 2000 Dodge Dakota Quad cab of anybody. I got it for $1500 over invoice, but on the xtracab or reg cab could have done way better - the double cabs are just so new and popular. I found an $800 over invoice at Walnut Creek, but for white TRD only. And a $1200 over invoice for vehicles on their lot only from Oakand- downtown toyota. So the Berkeley deal wasn't that different and he would have given me that deal for whatever truck I want wherever he had to go to find it. Whenever dealers trade cars they loose their hold-back profit, so thats why they're reluctant to do it. I was a little specific in that I didn't want TRD, and almost all the doublecabs are made with it. I didn't want the supercharger (91 oct fuel requirement and less mpg) and didn't like the shocks. So he found me a beautiful green doublecab prerunner v6, with the TRD fender flares, the mudflaps, runningboards, chrome sr5 package, the dueler tires, the aluminum wheels. That was all I wanted to start with , and then I took it to 4 Wheel Parts for Rancho 5000's - rear shocks and front struts, fit is for 2000 4x4 - and the ride is great. I will probably eventually install a LSD, as long as I can find one with the same ratio as the factory diff. I am getting about 18.5 mpg overall, 50/50 driving. Long trips I've got over 20. Went to Pinecrest this weekend, 305 miles round trip on 15.6 gal., up 5600 ft of elevation, with the snug top shell and roof racks! Really a great truck, much better than domestics (have had 81 ranger, 87 Mazda b2000 (Ranger), 91 explorer, 92 F250, 96 f150 supercab, 00 Dodge Dak. Quad, and now this one - the best of the bunch by leaps and bounds). Have 3200 miles on it in 5 weeks, expect it to go as long as your last Toyota! Go get one at Berkeley...
Ben
I bought a taco ma prerunner 2.7l 4 cyls, automatic shift.
When I drive, the shift stick shakes although It doesn't shift between gear. Especially, when I drive fast on a wavy road.
I asked a guy who has a Taco ma about it, he said that is normal. But, I am still worried.
Anyone who know about it, please tell me your experience. I appriciatte.
Ben
Thank you very much Webbd and Ben.
Tien
I bought a Tacoma Preruner 2001 with Regular cab a month ago. I would like to install Tube Steps for easy entry. Any one can suggest where to buy them?
Thank you in advance.