'03 Actual OBSERVED MPG...

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humanatek

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'03 Actual OBSERVED MPG???

Hello all. This is my first post. I have been following this site for some time. I used to own a 2000 Limited but bought a Honda Pilot because of my need for the extra seats. My Pilot :50cal: has turned out to be a lemon and Honda is buying it back from us. Because we had such a GREAT experience with our previous 4Runner, I am looking at buying an '04 V6 LTD but I am considering a V8. I have done several different searches on this site and on Edmunds and I did not find one that dealt specifically with this question. I would like to find out what the actual observed fuel economy is for both the V6 and the V8. I know what the manufacturers claim is, but I have owned many a car that did not meet the manufacturers claim so I would like to find out the real world experience of you all. The more responses the better as I will get a better view of the overall picture. Thanks in advance!!!
 
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Yes, you broke the rules, we must ban you forever.:50cal:

Just kidding. Actually sometimes this board is very active at times and sometimes you may not get messages for awhile.

On the thread, "What kind of gas mileage do you get?", the last two posts are from a V6 & V8 03's.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=773


You may notice that the V8 seems to be worse than the 1or 2 MPG the EPA figures suggest. From what I have read on different boards the mileage difference is larger. One thing to consider is the V8 4Wheel Drive is always on and on the V6 you can switch from 2 Wheel to 4Wheel Drive. Also, some people on this board have had some noise problems with the V6. It is a brand new engine and the V8 has been around in other vehicles for awhile. You can also choose a 2 Wheel Drive V8, which may be slightly better mileage.

If I had to get another vehicle right now, I plan on keeping my 2001 forever, I would choose a V8 4Runner. I just feel the risk of having problems, like you did with your Honda, will be less. I just feel I would be happier with the V8, dam the mileage. :arrow:
 
Originally posted by jharris2
Leaving a post for 4 hours 11 minutes before expecting a response is hardly reasonable.
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jharris...I guess I am used to the other boards that I am a member of. In four hours on S2ki or audiworld or hondapilot.org I could easily get as many as 20 responses. Reasonable is, after-all, a matter of perception.

Originally posted by peter78
Yes, you broke the rules, we must ban you forever.:50cal:

Just kidding. Actually sometimes this board is very active at times and sometimes you may not get messages for awhile.
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Its all good, I am just learning the ropes over here. As for both of your suggested links, I did come up with some of them, but most of the posts were from V8 owners, only three or four were from V6 owners. I was hoping for a group of focused responses, i.e.:
V6 - 19.5 mpg
V8 - 17.3 mpg
etc....

My ADHD doesnt allow for me to assimilate a bunch of data if it is surrounded by information about a malfunctioning computer, how someones current car compares to their previous, etc. I am just too dumb for all that.... :)
 
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Yeah, i see how those "20 responses in 4 hours" helped your Honda Pilot. :rolleye2:

Since you claim to be an experienced forum surfer, then you would know how the SEARCH function works. Like other forums, a thread here may have other "mini-topics" within it...and you have to filter out the info you don't need.

Patience is a virtue.:)
 
I got my 2003 SR5 with the V6 in July. I have a little over 3000 miles on it so far.

To date the worst mileage was all city driving and was 18.5 mpg. Keep in mind Reno is at 4500 feet in altitude and we do a lot of mountain driving.

Just got back from vacation where I drove from Reno to Southern California which was 450 miles one way. Averaged 20 mpg going down driving betweeen 75 and 80 down highway 395. Averaged 20.5 going back driving between 70 and 75. Again this was going from 4400 feet to over 7000 feet in altitude and back down several times both ways.

Considering the weight of the 4runner and the preformance from the V6 the mileage is outstanding. ;):
 
srpage said:
I got my 2003 SR5 with the V6 in July. I have a little over 3000 miles on it so far.

To date the worst mileage was all city driving and was 18.5 mpg. Keep in mind Reno is at 4500 feet in altitude and we do a lot of mountain driving.

Just got back from vacation where I drove from Reno to Southern California which was 450 miles one way. Averaged 20 mpg going down driving betweeen 75 and 80 down highway 395. Averaged 20.5 going back driving between 70 and 75. Again this was going from 4400 feet to over 7000 feet in altitude and back down several times both ways.

Considering the weight of the 4runner and the preformance from the V6 the mileage is outstanding. ;):
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Thanks for the info...very informative and helpful.
 
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Easy on the flames :)

Anyway, back to the question at hand:

v8 averages anywhere from 13.8 - 20 depending on driving habits/conditions/location.

the v6 on the other hand gets better mileage from somewhere between 17.5 - 22.0.

ofcourse these are rough estimates though as other boards have talked about the comparison alot.

The v8 and v6's mpg differ only by 1-2 mpg overall though, but the key difference is how you drive it and how much you drive it in what kind of condition. Both vehicles are great when crusing at highway speeds. the v8 suffers abit more in the city but i suspect it's from the abundant torque available that helps to move the 4runner pretty quickly (or it just might be my lead foot!).

my personal experiences on the v8 is this:
8 mi city commute to work... (which sux) so i usually get the bare minimum mpg I can possibly get as I'm a pretty heavy foot driver.
on the freeways driving over 100+ miles, my mpg goes up significantly (atleast 5 - 6 mpg) so hope this helps :)

Things you should consider:
v8's engine has been around for awhile. the new 5 speed auto tranny is new but remarkably great! the gearing is perfect and there is instant power (literally). it is full time 4wd so power is distributed to all 4 wheels constantly so you will burn alittle more fuel but I think it's well worth it :)
the v6's engine is new and thus has had it's share of issues. hopefully the 04 will make revisions and fix the issues that were at hand.
if you plan to tow, get the v8 as you'll be glad you did. for long term resale value, either one is good but i'd say v8 only because it's a v8!

But either way, you really can't go wrong with either engine as both are quality stuff. They're all made in Japan so you know the quality is top notch! Hopefully we'll see you on this board more often talking about your new 4runner :)

good luck

lance
 
I have the V6 in my SR5 and have observed an average of 20.8 mpg. My normal loop consists of a roughly 50/50 mix of country roads and highway. I have seen as high as 23-24 mpg on a strictly highway drive with an average speed of 65 mph. The lowest I have seen was 18.6 which occurred shortly after break in when my left foot suddenly got a lot heavier. These numbers are for mostly 2Hi with 4Hi being used in the rain.
 
03 4Runner said:
I have the V6 in my SR5 and have observed an average of 20.8 mpg. My normal loop consists of a roughly 50/50 mix of country roads and highway. I have seen as high as 23-24 mpg on a strictly highway drive with an average speed of 65 mph. The lowest I have seen was 18.6 which occurred shortly after break in when my left foot suddenly got a lot heavier. These numbers are for mostly 2Hi with 4Hi being used in the rain.
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What does your left foot have to do with it?:slap:
 
humanatek,

I don't blame you at all for posting this question, especially since I was just about to do the same thing. I've tried the search function, but very little information turns up. Plus, I don't see anything wrong with reposting a previous question.

I'm am currently trying to decide between the Pilot and 4Runner. Would you mind elaborating on the problems you had with your Pilot? Do you think they had anything to do with first year production? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

It sure sounds like the the V6 gets much better highway mileage....
(I wish Toyota had their hybrid SUV's available in 2004 :) )
 
gaslight said:
What does your left foot have to do with it?:slap:
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Good point. I read somewhere that one out of ten males has some form of dyslexia. Sometimes I have trouble with my left and right.

OK, so maybe he meant his right foot.:D

-----------------------------

Also I think this thread is showing perhaps there is a greater difference of the stated 1 or 2 MPG.

Also, I am a little curious as to what the problem was with the Pilot.
 
JungleJim said:
Plus, I don't see anything wrong with reposting a previous question.
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JungleJim, reposting a previous question is perfectly fine...but asking/demanding for an answer after a short period of time (in sarcastic tongue) is a bit obnoxious in my opinion.

Most of the forum members (including the moderators and myself) will try to answer any question that comes up...however, we all have lives outside this forum...patience is a virtue. :)

BTW, many thanks to the moderators...great job!:thumb: I would for sure have carpal tunnel syndrome by now without them!:D
 
JungleJim said:
humanatek,

I'm am currently trying to decide between the Pilot and 4Runner. Would you mind elaborating on the problems you had with your Pilot? Do you think they had anything to do with first year production? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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JungleJim,

Due to the sensitivities of some of those on this board, I will try my best to answer your question without any negative tone in my voice....oh, wait, this is in text format...so I guess you cant tell whether I am being serious or sarcastic or facetious or if I am just kissing the moderators @rse. :bonk:


Anywhoo, to answer your question, check this thread:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=151360
My post is the 10th one down. You can also check www.honda-pilot.org

Hope this helps
 
I went to honda-pilot.org and I could only find 14 posts from you. I wanted to see more of your story about the Pilot. All I could get was posts on "Dog and rear sealt belts","Rodent in intake manifold" and "Don't miss my S2000 at all". From the posts it looks like you liked your Pilot. Am I missing something?
 
peter78 said:
I went to honda-pilot.org and I could only find 14 posts from you. I wanted to see more of your story about the Pilot. All I could get was posts on "Dog and rear sealt belts","Rodent in intake manifold" and "Don't miss my S2000 at all". From the posts it looks like you liked your Pilot. Am I missing something?
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I posted my major complaint to this link:
http://forums.s2ki.com/forums/showt...threadid=151360

I did not post too much to the HondaPilot.org site. When I did most of my initial posting, it was right after I bought the car, before I started experiencing the repetitve problems I am now having. I actually find that the individuals on S2ki are more knowledgeable about Honda, how to deal with problems and automobiles in general than the Pilot forum. It was actually a member of S2ki that pointed me here.

As for my opinion of the Pilot, as I state in the link above, I think the Pilot is a good car. I just feel that even if we did not have the problems we have had, I would still miss my 4Runner and want to get a new one. Toyota just makes a much better truck than Honda, afterall, they have been at it quite a bit longer than Honda.
 
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My V8 gets 17.5 to 18.3 on my 22 mile 2 lane country road commute--no lead foot action. The computer readout, meanwhile, says 19.3 to 19 .6. This is with regular 87 octane.

I towed 3500 lbs recently...the computer started dropping to 16.1, which means it was probably getting around 14mpg. It handled the towing very nicely.

Vehicle is great. Had a chance to drive a 325xi recently (the vehicle I would have purchased other than the 4Runner). Let's just say I 'm very happy I chose the 4Runner.

This vehicle is very easy to live with. It's quiet, smooth and powerful. It accomodates you. Whereas bmw's more often than not say, f you, this is the way I am, get used to it!
 
V8 Mileage

On average I get 15.5-16.3 for my 03 V8 2wd. It rides nice and it is quite fast. It is so smmooth, almost like a $50K Lexus gx470. The engine is at 2000 rpm at 75mph. If you don't mind spending extra $100 a year on gas I would recommend the V8. Nothing beats a V8.
 
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