2006 Sport V6 or V8
- Thread starter lasallen
- Start date
Northof49
New member
Can't say what's better for you.....I bought the V8 because:
- More power for towing, hills, and general idiocy
- Smoother, more pleasing sounds and operation
- Mileage difference is minimal considering the class of vehicle
- Mileage was better than my old 3.4L 4rd gen....bonus
- Price difference is a steal for an engine upgrade of this nature
- V8 badge on front
All that said, you can't go wrong with the sixxer either....
- More power for towing, hills, and general idiocy
- Smoother, more pleasing sounds and operation
- Mileage difference is minimal considering the class of vehicle
- Mileage was better than my old 3.4L 4rd gen....bonus
- Price difference is a steal for an engine upgrade of this nature
- V8 badge on front
All that said, you can't go wrong with the sixxer either....
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boston_kevin
New member
Yea, looks like it's been about 3 months since the last V6 vs V8 discussion, I guess it's about time to drag out that dead horse again....
Drive both, figure out what you need it for, and how much that is that extra power really worth to you (it's a personal thing). Then get the one you want...
I have a V6, tow a 4200lb boat about 10 times per year, head up to the White Mountains in NH 10-12 times per year (sometimes with the boat) and commute daily about 20 miles each way to work. No complaints whatsoever with this engine as far as a lack of power...
And BTW, the resale on the V8s is no higher than the V6. My dealer offered me $26k for the vehicle in trade for a Limited V8 (at $37k) because he had too many V8's on the lot. He said the V6s were very hot for resale now, and he had a lot of customers asking for them. Nice deal (considering I bought the car 20 months ago for $27k), but I had to refuse. I like my plain and simple SR5 V6.
If you want full time 4x4, leave in in 4WD... That's not an advantage the V8 has over the V6 (unless turning the knob is too much work - and if that's the case, shifting should be a b__ch).
Drive both, figure out what you need it for, and how much that is that extra power really worth to you (it's a personal thing). Then get the one you want...
I have a V6, tow a 4200lb boat about 10 times per year, head up to the White Mountains in NH 10-12 times per year (sometimes with the boat) and commute daily about 20 miles each way to work. No complaints whatsoever with this engine as far as a lack of power...
And BTW, the resale on the V8s is no higher than the V6. My dealer offered me $26k for the vehicle in trade for a Limited V8 (at $37k) because he had too many V8's on the lot. He said the V6s were very hot for resale now, and he had a lot of customers asking for them. Nice deal (considering I bought the car 20 months ago for $27k), but I had to refuse. I like my plain and simple SR5 V6.
If you want full time 4x4, leave in in 4WD... That's not an advantage the V8 has over the V6 (unless turning the knob is too much work - and if that's the case, shifting should be a b__ch).
JungleJim
New member
V6 - If you change your own oil, the oil filter is easy to access from the top of the engine. Also, the V6 is a none interference design with a timing chain. Even if the chain would ever break, the engine will not be damaged.
V8 - You don't have to change the spark plugs as often.
The gas mileage thing seems to vary a lot, if that is even a concern for you. If you look around at other forums and review sites, you'll see some V8 owners dissatisfied because they only average 14 mpg, while others are very satisfied and claim to average 19 mpg. The V6 mileage seems more consistent across the board.
If resale is a concern...unless gasoline prices drop, V6 4Runners will have higher resale, plus will be easier to sell.
If towing heavy loads and power are at the top of your list, then the V8 is the way to go.
Your needs should dictate your decision. Good luck.
V8 - You don't have to change the spark plugs as often.
The gas mileage thing seems to vary a lot, if that is even a concern for you. If you look around at other forums and review sites, you'll see some V8 owners dissatisfied because they only average 14 mpg, while others are very satisfied and claim to average 19 mpg. The V6 mileage seems more consistent across the board.
If resale is a concern...unless gasoline prices drop, V6 4Runners will have higher resale, plus will be easier to sell.
If towing heavy loads and power are at the top of your list, then the V8 is the way to go.
Your needs should dictate your decision. Good luck.
I drive like a maniac and still average 17 mpg, not a huge difference from the V6 average.
Another advantage of full-time 4WD is not having to shift on the fly when road conditions change. I've heard some griping from the V6 owners about 4WD not wanting to engage immediately on the fly. I just like that I get 4WD all the time and don't have to worry about if I'm going to need to engage it for a certain situation, its a nicer option than it sounds. Of course, like someone said, you could leave it in 4HI all the time and render everything I just said moot.
Another advantage of full-time 4WD is not having to shift on the fly when road conditions change. I've heard some griping from the V6 owners about 4WD not wanting to engage immediately on the fly. I just like that I get 4WD all the time and don't have to worry about if I'm going to need to engage it for a certain situation, its a nicer option than it sounds. Of course, like someone said, you could leave it in 4HI all the time and render everything I just said moot.
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Good question. 5% less on the V6 gets them to within 10 WHP and 20 WFT-LBS (Assuming 20% parasitic drivetrain losse on the V8). Published acceleration numbers show about a .8 second difference in 0-60 times, which to me suggests more than just 10 WHP & 20 WFT-LBS difference for cars of equal weight. I'd say all things constant it would take roughly double that to reduce acceleration numbers by .8 seconds. I'm gonna go with 2.5%-3% loss in the front end. What do ya think?geeman said:
boston_kevin
New member
After running in 4WD all winter, I can honestly tell you it equates to roughly less than 1 MPG lost vs 2WD for the same commute. If I was losing 2-3 MPG by putting in 4WD I'd be questioning Toyota's engineering (10% loss by engaging 4WD? what is this a Ford?) In the summer, I run every 3rd tank all in 4WD and notice no significant difference fuel wise (I get around 410 miles per tank in 2WD average and 400+ in 4WD which would be around 20.5 avg 2WD and 20 avg 4WD). I just think it feels more nimble in 2WD when I don't need both axles driving.
Light_Mania
New member
I did a little test a few weeks ago, driving at 40 mph on a perfectly flat road for several miles, with no wind.
In 2WD, my V6 showed 35.1 mpg on the trip computer for that run, and in 4WD showed 31.6 mph for 10% difference.
We all know that the trip computer is over-optimistic, so the absolute numbers are questionable, but the percentage difference between the two should be valid.
This 10% difference at a steady 40 mph will not translate to normal use. At low speeds, mechanical losses are large relative to wind resistance losses and so the difference between 2WD and 4WD will be exaggerated. At steady speeds of 65 mph I would venture the difference to be more on the order of 5%, maybe less. And when you throw in stop and go driving, braking losses become large and will further diminish the percentage contribution of mechanical losses.
In 2WD, my V6 showed 35.1 mpg on the trip computer for that run, and in 4WD showed 31.6 mph for 10% difference.
We all know that the trip computer is over-optimistic, so the absolute numbers are questionable, but the percentage difference between the two should be valid.
This 10% difference at a steady 40 mph will not translate to normal use. At low speeds, mechanical losses are large relative to wind resistance losses and so the difference between 2WD and 4WD will be exaggerated. At steady speeds of 65 mph I would venture the difference to be more on the order of 5%, maybe less. And when you throw in stop and go driving, braking losses become large and will further diminish the percentage contribution of mechanical losses.
V8 vs V6
Referring to an earlier post, if the cost of the V8 is about $300 more/yr. that is less than 2 Starbucks a week. One could give that up and the V8 wins. Besides, there's nothing worse than wishing later that you had gone for the bigger engine. This also allows the beer supply to remain intact.
Referring to an earlier post, if the cost of the V8 is about $300 more/yr. that is less than 2 Starbucks a week. One could give that up and the V8 wins. Besides, there's nothing worse than wishing later that you had gone for the bigger engine. This also allows the beer supply to remain intact.
RickyCRX said:
Yeah, I agree, this is beating a dead horse. I thought we had the mileage figures straightened out. Every once in a while someone drops in with an outlandish 4+ mpg difference and it starts up all over again. Do a search and you'll find that at worst there is a 1-2 mpg penalty for the V8 over the V6. The preponderance of the owners (V8 & V6) on this forum bear this out. I think I calculated somewhere in an earlier post that for 15,000 miles at $3.00/gal there was something like a $200/year difference for the V8. I've owned them both and all I can say is that you really have to drive each one thoroughly to make a choice. You won't go wrong with either engine, depending on your requirements and personal preferences.
4RunnerRon
New member
V8
OUTRNNR said:
That seems reasonable but I'm just guessing. On other car forums I've had the discussion of drivetrain loss of manual vs automatic and it seems logical there'd be and additional penalty of 2WD vs 4WD. Small but something. Even with my other car, a RWD sports sedan, which recently came out with a AWD version, consensus is around 3% additional drivetrain loss. However, that loss is made up somewhat in the real world by the better overall handling (with average driver) afforded to AWD.
I wasn't trying to start a penis size argument. I was really just curious, as a relative newbie here, to see if it had been discussed. The V8 tows more, has more go fast aftermarket options and well it's a V8. Doesn't seem to be much mileage penalty so I don't see much downside besides initial cost. I haven't compared resale on one vs the other which might influence a buyer.
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