V6/Automatic Transmission Combo Doesn't Impress Much - 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited March 2016 in Toyota
imageV6/Automatic Transmission Combo Doesn't Impress Much - 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

Getting the 2016 Toyota Tacoma with the V6 is a smart choice, but the six-cylinder does little to truly impress.

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  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    Have you tried it with the manual transmission? (thanks for the feedback)
  • nomercy346nomercy346 Member Posts: 69
    expected exactly this when they announced they'd go from the old 4.0 to the new 3.5... does anyone still make NA engines with low down torque anymore (excluding V8s)? VVT, DI and more transmission gears can only make up for so much

    why can't someone make a big V6 like they were common only a couple years ago and couple it with all that new tech? We'd end up with a lot more driveability and better real world economy instead of only similar power figures and exaggerated mpg numbers on paper...
  • banhughbanhugh Member Posts: 315
    desmolicious said:

    Have you tried it with the manual transmission? (thanks for the feedback)

    That's not even an option unless you're living in Canada
  • 5vzfe5vzfe Member Posts: 161
    banhugh said:

    desmolicious said:

    Have you tried it with the manual transmission? (thanks for the feedback)

    That's not even an option unless you're living in Canada
    Is Oregon part of Canada now, eh? Up here we can get a V6 taco with the six speed in any cab/drive train combo dontcha know. It would actually be a selling point for me - I miss driving a stick.
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    banhugh said:

    desmolicious said:

    Have you tried it with the manual transmission? (thanks for the feedback)

    That's not even an option unless you're living in Canada
    Hmm, according to the Toyota site, you can get the manual transmission with the short bed, not the long bed.
    Also, the TRD Sport IS available in 4WD, Not just the TRD Off Road.
  • 5vzfe5vzfe Member Posts: 161
    Yep you're right, I misspoke. Only on the TRD Sport and TRD Off-Road models with the short bed. Those were the only ones I looked at. Looks like the base model SR can be had with a 4cyl 5 spd as well.
  • emajoremajor Member Posts: 332
    edited March 2016
    I had hoped it wouldn't perform this poorly when it hit the market. A number of commenters on precursor articles anticipated the lack of grunt due to the lower displacement and later torque peak. Sure enough, in just about every test this truck is a half to a full second slower to 60 than the old 4.0 and now you have to rev it. EPA ratings haven't gone up enough to seem remotely worth this tradeoff from the consumer's perspective, and your early 18mpg isn't impressive either.

    What benefit is the fancy new engine and additional transmission gear providing beyond boosting EPA ratings for paper-only fleet fuel economy purposes?

    The similarly priced 4Runner is looking better and better.
  • desmoliciousdesmolicious Member Posts: 671
    I wanted to really like this Taco, but an all new engine/transmission combo that performs worse than the previous model? That is a serious fail.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    The 4.0 is probably being phased out. It's cheaper to build one engine and use it everywhere. This new engine is going to be Toyota's V6 engine for all applications. Just like how the 3.6 Pentastar V6 powers the base model Ram and Ford's 3.5 V6 powers base model F-150s. Only GM is currently building a V6 engine that is only used in one slow selling vehicle. The 4.3 Vortec V6 for the base model Silverado/Sierra twins. They should drop it and use the corporate 3.6 V6 that powers everything from Chevy Colorados to Caddies.
  • robsisrobsis Member Posts: 162
    I've had my '16 Taco Limited for 6 months, now. Serious buzzy vibration not only through the gas pedal/floorboard but also through the steering wheel...bad enough to make my hands numb on longer drives. Very disappointed. Complained to Toyota. They had an engineer look at the truck for a whole day. Got a letter from them stating that :"the steering performs as designed", never addressing the vibration issue at all. IMHO, this is a total failure on Toyota's part and, unfortunately, I am looking to dump this truck and find something that doesn't numb my hands unless they can come up with a fix. This could be a great truck; however, this one issue, also reported on several forums, makes it a FAIL all around. I'd look elsewhere unless they acknowledge and fix this issue.
  • nem0sumnem0sum Member Posts: 0
    I'm very interested to hear more about the engine vibrations you were feeling, as many are having issues with these vibrations coming through the pedal, floor board, and especially steering wheel at certain engine RPMs. For example, this entire thread is devoted to people with the issue or who have canceled their orders or not purchased due to concerns: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/buzzy-vibration-at-certain-rpms-read-before-buying.397620/.

    Some have it so severe they can't drive more than a few miles without pain or numbness.
  • wannatacowannataco Member Posts: 1
    I was thinking of ordering a 16 trd off road but with all of these issues with Toyota and poor customer service, I guess I'll be looking elsewhere.
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