Fuel Economy Update for February - Holding at 18 MPG - 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

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Fuel Economy Update for February - Holding at 18 MPG - 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

We've got another month under our belts for our 2016 Toyota Tacoma. We are still averaging just 18 mpg, however.

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csubowtie

My 2003 S-10 ZR2 (V6, real offroad package, comparable to this truck) used to get 14 mpg consistently with all city miles, 17 mpg combined. That was at the end of a very long product life, that drivetrain was like a decade old. So 13 years later, economy superstar Toyota can only beat it by 4 mpg? I don't think they are really trying. Same for the new Colorado/Canyon. These companies would be better off dropping their fullsize truck powertrains into these trucks. They would probably be getting 2 mpg better.

g35buf

I still haven't figured out how the mfrs keep struggling for some separation of midsize and full size truck mpg. I know because I drove around a 2010 Ridgeline for 70k miles averaging 16.3 mpg, then got a RAM 1500 Hemi and got 16.5 mpg (thanks ZF 8 speed). I hope the Gen II Ridgeline can break into the 20's combined. Right now I have a RAM EcoDiesel and average 22 mpg, so I'm spoiled but I don't think I'm asking for miracles from the midsizers...

daryleason

@csubowtie : That S-10 was significantly smaller than the current crop of "mid-size" trucks. Today's mid-size trucks are about comparable in size to a 20 year old Full-size (which is when the S-10 was designed as a "small" or "mini" truck). The fact that they are getting 18 MPG out of the 4x4 Toyota, based on size, isn't bad (not great, but not bad). Which leads into...

@g35bug : You've hit on something that I've been saying. The car companies aren't really making a "mid-size" truck. They're full-size trucks that just happen to be smaller than the current "full-size" trucks marketed. It's like a restaurant that offers three sizes of fountain drinks. You think of it as "small, medium, & large" but they market it as "medium, large, & extra large." It's just a label.

With today's technology, if they really wanted to, I believe they could come out with a decent small pickup, sized about like an early 2000s Ranger/S-10 that could hit 28 mpg combined. Furthermore, if they'd make the price reasonable, meaning economy car pricing for an economy light duty pickup, they'd re-open a market that wasn't abandoned by the consumer, but by the manufacturer.

dougnuts

csubowtie said:

My 2003 S-10 ZR2 (V6, real offroad package, comparable to this truck) used to get 14 mpg consistently with all city miles, 17 mpg combined. That was at the end of a very long product life, that drivetrain was like a decade old. So 13 years later, economy superstar Toyota can only beat it by 4 mpg? I don't think they are really trying. .

That's a 29% improvement over your old truck!

daryleason

@dougnuts : The average fuel economy is only 1 mpg higher, which is a 5.88 percent increase over the S-10. Granted, there are some caveats here. 1) the Toyota can tow/haul a lot more than that old S-10, I'm sure. 2) the S-10 probably had a lot more miles to bring up the average. 3) He's probably ball-parking.

longtimelurker

I know it's early, but at over 3,300 miles not that early, and this truck, with EPA estimates of 18/23/20 combined (same as the F150), is getting 18 mpg. With towing removed from the equation, the F150 got 17.2.

I realize there have not been any highway trips with this truck, however, with a 700-lb weight advantage and an absolute boatload down on power, right now the Tacoma is bettering the much-criticized F150 by 0.8 mpg.

craigo7

Ford continues to sell the Ranger elsewhere in the world. Mazda also sells a truck that shares its platform with the Ranger, just as it used to in the USA. See: https://www.google.com/search?q=2016+ford+ranger&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVz_KH0sPLAhWCu4MKHdgJABEQ_AUIBygB&biw=1920&bih=1075

daryleason

@craigo7 : The foreign market Ranger is a larger pickup, a mid-size, than the Ranger we knew here in the US. In fact, I believe Ford has sort of indicated we might get it in 2017. However, even then, it goes back to being too large for a "small" truck. Plus, I think it's going to be a uni-body vehicle.