Living with the 5th gen

Had my 2011 about a year now and no major issues. Purchased with 45K and in very good shape.Only Mobil 1Syn on every oil chg. I was a little surprised on how underpowered it is. Then again coming from a V8 that would not be entirely fair. I do love the shape of this truck...and I say truck because this is truly a truck and no crappy unibody. It feels like one and you just want to take it offroad. So far no need to change 4 wheel selections to get out of snow. This thing is a beast with any terrain. Gas mileage has been terrible though. Ive only been able to get 11.8 in city driving but maybe you guys can confirm whether that's crappy or about avg. Ive had to coat the underbody because of rust. Somehow these trucks show quite a bit of it. I changed to high/ low LEDs headlights and that was a plus. All interior lights also to LEDs. Overall, I bought this truck because of Toyota's reliability. I am hoping it will last me for quite some time.

 

11.8 is really low, but if your city driving is mostly traffic jam stop and go I guess it's possible. I'm averaging 20.6 but I drive gently and not too much in the city. They aren't speed demons by any stretch but the conservative shift programming makes them seem more underpowered than they really are. I've been surprised at the acceleration it's capable of when really pushed. This is my second 5th gen. First was a 2010 that still ran like new when I traded it at 117K. If I could only have one vehicle, this would be it. It's the swiss army knife of trucks. Just does everything you ask of it and does it for years without complaint. They are capable on trails, roomy and comfortable cruisers, reliable, and good looking. What more could you want?

 

Use the S-mode shifting when you feel underpowered or uncomfortable in stop and go. S-modes are simply gear limiters. Works very well in my Tacoma.

 

Thanks, Ive used the s modes a lot..younare correct, I turn up the music and floor it. Damn thing takes off but Im sure that motor is screaming....but it does haul ass!!

 

that mileage is not normal, on a tank with all city my lowest has been I think 14 and that was winter with stop and go and a lot in 4wd. Normally it seems to be 16.5-17.5 unless I get out of town and it bumps up in the 18-19 range

 

I think we've just figured out why you're getting 11.8mpg

 

Okay, I admit hitting the gas a bunch of times...but today I was out driving and eased
up on the throttle...I got 14 to 19.4 mpg between city and highway. I let go of the gas downhill and only gave it juice when it slowed..but gradually, not punching it.Looks like that worked a while lot better. It also helps that it's colder outside. Pickup is way better.

 

Has anyone used above 87 octane?

 

only use 93

 

I only use Shell 93. I feel like the engine is a bit quieter, and the throttle response is a little bit better compared to lower octane.

 

I always run 91 or 93. Ethanol free when possible.

 

Thanks guys, I will try that.

 

So you filled up and today you eased up on the throttle for a long drive and then filled up again and hand calculated your mileage??? Or are you just reading these figures off the dash board???

 

I only use ethanol free 87. If not available, I use shell 93.

 

Nah, I didn't fill up. I reset the avg miles per gal and drove less aggressively. That made a huge difference. If you keep the Eco bar under you obviously save your gas.

 

I know people say you're throwing away $$ with premium in these vehicles. But I have 20 years in Tacoma's (six of them) and every single one of them ran better on premium. Without it they knocked/pinged on inclines until downshift. And I always get very slightly better mpg with premium. Calculated by hand/odometer over several hundred tanks.

 

premium is awesome. have some very nice features.

 

So just so you know, if you don't hand calculate your mileage you have no clue what your actual mileage is.

 

Respectfully disagree. On both my 4runner and my Camaro, hand calculations have been pretty much right on the money when comparing to the computer calculated mileage.

 

hand writing only good for carpal tunnel. too many parameters come into play. speed, wind temp, road conditions traffic. but you win

 

Also have to use the same pump at the same gas station every fill up. When the pump clicks off don't squeeze anymore in. Never trust a computer. YMMV

 

Did you hand-write and snail mail your replies to this thread, or did you use a computer?

 

Computers are not fail proof. The OP was hammering his 4 and saw 11 mpg.....temporarily.....UNTIL he eased off the skinny pedal, probably on the same tank, and saw better mpg. The computer is adjusting to real time and is Obviously not accurate in figuring out actual or average MPG in this manner. I hand calculated over multiple tanks and then averaged. Only did this one time cuz honestly I didn't buy this thing for mileage and was curious. You do whatever you want or YMMV.

 

Correct, not fail proof, but certainly more fail proof than a human being.

 

bottom line yall. fill up when you need it and c'mon, we didnt buy our 4's for the mpg.

 

I’m getting 12.8 - 13 L/ 100 km, roughly 18 mpg in USA metric. Not too bad! I live in a small town so it’s a mixture of driving, mostly short distances with no traffic jams. I have a trip coming up to Detroit, so it will be interesting to see how much mileage it gets in cruise mode. I think of myself as a gentle driver, but I drive fast and have the speeding tickets to prove it. Haha

 

I do mostly highway driving I’m getting 20.9 on my Pro. I was getting this after I reset my gauge. I average anywhere depending how hard I drive it. 18.0 to 20.

 

I think the biggest indicator is how many times you visit the pump...forget the mpg, hand calculated or computer for now. If you make less trips to the gas station, obviously your mpg is better. I'm ok with that.

 

Again, just saying....the way the OP was doing it was completely inaccurate.