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2016 Tacoma V6 2wd first test drive of the Atkinson Cycle engine!
mrbill1957
Member Posts: 823
So, I made it to the dealer who had a fresh 2016 2wd drive in stock. Took off from the lot, not accelerating real hard but enough to expect the V6 to show!!. HUH, "is this the V6 or am I testing a I4 truck" was my first question to the salesman sitting next to me. " Yea, it a 3.5 V6, I can see it in the sticker" he said. The performance left me quite underwhelmed, and I'm comparing it to my 95 Tacoma I4!!! I'm almost willing to bet my 95 would keep up with the 2016 for at least the first 50 yards.
I got back to the dealer and left it running while I popped the hood. Yep, it looks like a true Atkinson cycle engine, no signs of a timing belt or chain. TICK TICK CLACK TICK did that thing have oil in it??? OK, it wasn't ready to throw a rod out the side of the block, but it definitely didn't sound like a modern V6 that I'm used to hearing.
It really left me wondering if the engine was running correctly. I'm going to wait a bit and try another test drive somewhere else to see if I drove a dud or that's the way the Atkinson Cycle engine is.
I'd be interested in readers opinions that have 2015 or older Tacomas with V6 engines on how the 2016s compare.
Mrbill
I got back to the dealer and left it running while I popped the hood. Yep, it looks like a true Atkinson cycle engine, no signs of a timing belt or chain. TICK TICK CLACK TICK did that thing have oil in it??? OK, it wasn't ready to throw a rod out the side of the block, but it definitely didn't sound like a modern V6 that I'm used to hearing.
It really left me wondering if the engine was running correctly. I'm going to wait a bit and try another test drive somewhere else to see if I drove a dud or that's the way the Atkinson Cycle engine is.
I'd be interested in readers opinions that have 2015 or older Tacomas with V6 engines on how the 2016s compare.
Mrbill
0
Comments
Don't get me wrong, the creature comforts are great. But, to pay addition money for the v6 seems to be a waste. I'd like to test a 2.7 I4 to see how well it drives. Probably not much different. The spec sheet for the v6 shows big hp and torque. Those numbers don't mean much if you can't use them when you need to do the occasional haul/tow job.
I currently own a turbo diesel jetta, (I know people think there bad, but I like it), it will run circles around what I test drove.