2.7 or 3.4 overall best choice?
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Kanoe
New member
OOOOHH. Let the opinions fly.
I love my 3RZ. Paired with a 5spd it is very nice. I wouldn't trade it. I might pass it up if it were an auto...
Its a dream to work on. Tons of room in there for the I4. Spark plugs? Easy and $10-15 dollars for dealer plugs. Valve cover gasket is easily done. Valve checks too. Oil changes are easy and not too messy. Seems a nice engine to live with if you do your own work like I do.
It might be underpowered for towing but mine has never had a hitch mounted. I'm good with that.
Weaknesses that I am aware of are that it needs valve checks and possible adjustments, as well as the cast iron exhaust header can crack. A tacoma mini header is an easy swap.
A bonus is slightly better highway fuel economy, but only slightly. I have yet to see anyone report higher MPGs than I can get, but I make every effort to keep the truck light and simple. No add-ons or added weight.
Can't wait to see what others think!
I love my 3RZ. Paired with a 5spd it is very nice. I wouldn't trade it. I might pass it up if it were an auto...
Its a dream to work on. Tons of room in there for the I4. Spark plugs? Easy and $10-15 dollars for dealer plugs. Valve cover gasket is easily done. Valve checks too. Oil changes are easy and not too messy. Seems a nice engine to live with if you do your own work like I do.
It might be underpowered for towing but mine has never had a hitch mounted. I'm good with that.
Weaknesses that I am aware of are that it needs valve checks and possible adjustments, as well as the cast iron exhaust header can crack. A tacoma mini header is an easy swap.
A bonus is slightly better highway fuel economy, but only slightly. I have yet to see anyone report higher MPGs than I can get, but I make every effort to keep the truck light and simple. No add-ons or added weight.
Can't wait to see what others think!
UnderFire
New member
It's really going to come down to personal preference. If you're willing to give up power and drive a manual transmission, the 2.7 backed by a 5 speed trans is hard to beat as far as cost of ownership and ease of maintenance goes. Gas mileage is better, general maintenance costs are lower, maintenance intervals are more sparce, etc, etc.
If you're looking for an automatic, definitely good with the V6 though. The 2.7 is a horrible dog when it's backed by an auto, lots of gear searching and revving but not moving.
I've had lots of experience with all 4 possible engine/tranny combos, that's just my .02.
Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk
If you're looking for an automatic, definitely good with the V6 though. The 2.7 is a horrible dog when it's backed by an auto, lots of gear searching and revving but not moving.
I've had lots of experience with all 4 possible engine/tranny combos, that's just my .02.
Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk
Mark_BC
Senior Member
What is your mpg?
Red October
Member
My Daily Driver is a 3RZ(2.7) 5 speed on 33s, I love it. My brother has a 3.4 auto, and Ive driven several trucks that are similarly equipped. IMO the power increase isn't huge, although the V6 has a little better low end, it doesn't really blow the 2.7 out of the water.
My 3RZ journey has been somewhat less stellar than average. I will say though that the right maintenance in the first place would have prevented all of the problems I've dealt with. Overall its a great motor and will do most things that you ask from it, as long as you remember what it is and what it isn't.
Same goes for the 5VZ (3.4), maintenance is the key, keep it up to date and you're good to go for a long time.
In the end it really boils down to what your goals are for the truck.
Edit; I would add the thought that as the these trucks age parts will be more available for the v6 option since most 3rd gens are equipped with the v6/auto combo. There are always Tacomas too, but I'm pretty sure that there are more v6 Tacomas too. Not saying you should be wary of the 4 cylinder, but just food for thought
My 3RZ journey has been somewhat less stellar than average. I will say though that the right maintenance in the first place would have prevented all of the problems I've dealt with. Overall its a great motor and will do most things that you ask from it, as long as you remember what it is and what it isn't.
Same goes for the 5VZ (3.4), maintenance is the key, keep it up to date and you're good to go for a long time.
In the end it really boils down to what your goals are for the truck.
Edit; I would add the thought that as the these trucks age parts will be more available for the v6 option since most 3rd gens are equipped with the v6/auto combo. There are always Tacomas too, but I'm pretty sure that there are more v6 Tacomas too. Not saying you should be wary of the 4 cylinder, but just food for thought
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Kanoe
New member
I have had it about 5 years and I can often hit 9.5l/100km (24.7 mpg)highway. Overall is 10.82l/100km (21.74mpg) over the 50,000km I have put on it but I do not do much city driving. I record every fill up.
JZiggy
Senior Member
My 3RZ does this too.
Also, the timing chain doesn’t seem to need servicing unlike the timing belt on the V6.
The 3RZ is a bit slow. If I had aspirations for lots of lift/armor/tires I’d want to have a V6 instead.
jtnumberthree
Member
I own both, and each have known minor issues. I’d guess that the 3.4 has a slighter better “bulletproof” reputation based on customer satisfaction and sheer number of 3.4s out there with high miles. (FYI I haven’t done any off-road driving for at least a decade). I swap both as daily drivers, freeway and streets. Mileage: about 20.8 MPGs on my 2.7 auto 2WD combined and about 17.6 MPGs on my 3.4 auto 2WD combined. I owned a 1996 2.7 5 speed and it definitely had more power than my current 2.7 auto. My wife’s 2003 Honda CRV smokes all of them though. I’ve driven Toyota trucks for 25 years...never with the expectation that I’d go very fast. I do prefer the extra power of the 3.4 but my guess is that the 2.7 is the cheaper option for long term ownership.
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Lindenwood
New member
If it had been possible, Id have probably sought out a 5sp 4banger option, mostly for the better economy. However, I wanted an 01/02 for the additional safety features (for my wife), and we wanted an auto so she would actually drive it while I was deployed.
IBallEngineer
New member
I have both, drove the 3RZ auto 2wd for a few years, no issues. I towed a small trailer with some equipment on it, not too heavy, but again I had no issues. I now drive 3.4 4WD auto, for the past year and a half. Fuel economy is lower, power it higher, and with a flow master it sounds cool. The 3RZ has 225K, the 3.4 has 305K, longevity is not an issue with either one. I love both runners and I'd be happy with either one.
So there is no overall best choice, only the best choice for you. If you want a little better economy, choose the 4 cylinder. If you want the extra power, choose the 6.
I also have a 96 3.4 Tacoma with 235K, which feels like a rocket ship accelerating from a dead stop, and I love that too. But I've never had to put a timing belt on the 3RZ! Haha!
So there is no overall best choice, only the best choice for you. If you want a little better economy, choose the 4 cylinder. If you want the extra power, choose the 6.
I also have a 96 3.4 Tacoma with 235K, which feels like a rocket ship accelerating from a dead stop, and I love that too. But I've never had to put a timing belt on the 3RZ! Haha!
