4th gen V6 vs. V8. Pros/Cons, MPG

[whipkiller]

To: the OP's "friend"
tying your manhood to the vehicle you drive is pretty old-school and honestly sounds more like something women used to say about men because they were pissed that we owned everything or they secretly wished they had married a lumberjack instead of an insurance salesman. Not the incompetent muppet lumberjacks you see on discovery channel but a guy who really knew how to get it done , If ya know what I mean.

That being said, I bought my runner to complete a picture of say, an old man who looks like his dog. I am a 4 runner. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive, but hella good at what I was designed for. solid, reliable and just dead sexyimp: For me, purchasing my runner was a completion of myself, as If the vehicle choose me and I was powerless to say no. If at the pearly gates I'm forced to choose between my dog and my runner to gain entry, I'm gonna burn.:flame:

I worked for a used car salesman for 8 years and one thing he told me was,"they're just cars, never fall in love with something that can't love you back" I totally blew it when I bought my runner. Every time It gets me there, and every time it gets me back, I feel the satisfaction of having made a good purchase. And that my friends, is the most manly feeling of all.

14-16 city 15-20 hwy, that's actual math at the pump for my V6 4X4

This isn't you is it? It sounds like you really "Love" your car.:boink::naughty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0S642NtHtE

You'll never have to choose between your dog and anything else at the pearly gates, because in most cases our dogs will already be there, and they will probably have a say in whether or not we get in.

I hope I can be half the person my dogs think I am.

 

[progress4m]

I have lifted 4Runner with V8 and AT oversized tires (Nitto TG 265\70R17). My average city\ HWY is between 17.5- to 18.2 (hand calculated);

Long hwy. trips with family gets me around 19.2-19-5.
Before lift and AT tires my best mpg was during 3000 miles trip (from Texas to Yellowstone and back) and yield over 21 mpg;

I echo some replays that difference between V6 and V8 mpg (both being 4x4 and similar setup) is 1 to 1.5 mpg; that difference diminishes quickly if lift and bigger tires are added (higher low end torque of V8 pays off when you start loading the powertrain)

 

[truckmike26]

The 4th-gen. 4Runner is a excellent vehicle, period. On one end of the spectrum, V6 SR5, 2WD models are the lightest (4,050 lbs.) thus the most fuel efficient and on the other end, the V8 Limited, 4WD models are the heaviest (4,550 lbs.) and thus the least fuel efficient.

So a V8 SR5 2WD is somewhere in the middle of that spectrum as is my V6 SR5 4WD. My fuel economy is crummy because I like to drive, um, swiftly so my numbers are of no use here but one time I reset the meter on a steady 80 km/h stretch and it and after a while it indicated 10 L/100 km or 23.5 MPG

 

[KingPrat]

Up here, during winter months, I see maybe 17.5-18 on the highway at 70mph. Tops.

On a nice day, say, like you'd have in San Diego, best I've ever done is 20 on the dot. Both hand-calculated.

I've put about 55000 miles on my truck since September 2012, and my overall average is 17.1 mpg.

My buddy has a V6 and makes fun of me constantly for my gas mileage. I think you will get varying responses here because everyone drives differently. I've seen people who claim 22mpg out of the V8 and 25 out of the V6. Not sure if those are hand calculated numbers, but as said above, the dream-o-meter on the dash will always read 1-3mpg better than what you calculate by hand.

Gas mileage is the only complaint that I have about my truck, and even with that, there are many more positives about it to keep me with my butt in the seat for 2 years.

 

[M1911]

So a V8 SR5 2WD is somewhere in the middle of that spectrum as is my V6 SR5 4WD. My fuel economy is crummy because I like to drive, um, swiftly so my numbers are of no use here but one time I reset the meter on a steady 80 km/h stretch and it and after a while it indicated 10 L/100 km or 23.5 MPG

Don't believe that meter. Divide the miles driven by the gallons you put in the tank. You will find that the dash display is 1-3 mpg optimistic.

 

[RunnerAK]

We currently have a 4x4 V6 and 4x4 V8 (both basically stock), so we are able to do direct mpg comparisons between the two. Our V6 consistently gets about 20% better gas mileage (hand calculated) than the V8 on the same roads with the same driver.

The V8 isn't affected as much by heavy loads as the V6 though. I only lose 0.5-1 highway mpg in my V8 loaded down with camping gear and a big draggy rooftop tent on the rack, while our V6 loses 2-4 highway mpg when packed with a similarly heavy load minus the rooftop tent.



Edit: Note that this is with "reasonable" driving. I think that most of the people who don't see much difference between the V6 and V8 mileage probably have particularly heavy right feet.

 

[whipkiller]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys, this will help him make an informed decision.

The one he had been looking at appears to have been sold, so this may open up his choices a bit.

It sounds like the 4th gens are getting as good or better mileage with a bigger engine/more HP/more room than my '01 3.4L.

Hmmm, I am approaching 200K on my '01... sounds like maybe I need to upgrade.

(in another 100K miles or so.):laugh:

 

[eviele]

Thanks for all the great feedback guys, this will help him make an informed decision.

The one he had been looking at appears to have been sold, so this may open up his choices a bit.

It sounds like the 4th gens are getting as good or better mileage with a bigger engine/more HP/more room than my '01 3.4L.

Hmmm, I am approaching 200K on my '01... sounds like maybe I need to upgrade.

(in another 100K miles or so.):laugh:

I know the 4runner your friend was looking at is sold, but I feel compelled to add my reasons for buying a 4th Gen 4runner with a V8.
I should say reason really.
Reliability.

Like your 01 there's a good chance I'll get 300K+ out of this vehicle.

https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motor...ic-guide-10-best-used-vehicles-181842236.html

The raw data.
Untitled

I hate that my V8 is only averaging 15.7MPG and I dread the day the gas prices get back up in the $4.00 range, but the vehicle is, has and does everything I want and should last me for the next ten years to boot.

Also, it's a hell of an upgrade in terms of luxury and comfort from my 04 Tacoma. I can live like this....

 

[470SNC]

The V8 is so worth the mileage loss IMO

 

[28.]

If you can find a solid runner with the 4.7L V8 4wd or not, grab it! These engines are really built right and around here, a little harder to find..

 

[racer107]

I don't know how you guys are squeezing out 18-20 mpg...I just bought a 2007 V8 Limited 4WD with 156K (very well maintained judging by the stack of receipts) and the first tank (90% highway) got me 15.4 MPG actual. Even the optimistic computer never gets much above 17. Even if it stays that low I'm happy I got the V8....drove a V6 and it was pretty wheezy in comparison.

 

[M1911]

I don't know how you guys are squeezing out 18-20 mpg...I just bought a 2007 V8 Limited 4WD with 156K (very well maintained judging by the stack of receipts) and the first tank (90% highway) got me 15.4 MPG actual. Even the optimistic computer never gets much above 17. Even if it stays that low I'm happy I got the V8....drove a V6 and it was pretty wheezy in comparison.

That is pretty typical.

 

[sunnysider]

I just bought a 2007 v8 4wd sports edition. It came with new BFG Mud-Terrain T/A KM2s. I just drove the thing 650 miles on the highway and I averaged about 14.3 miles according to the computer on the car. I wasn't too thrilled with that. Since then I have only been doing city driving and been getting around 13.5 mpg. :ybrick:
I'm hoping that the tires and winter gas is causing me to get such crappy mileage. :tsk:

 

[yosh2000]

hwy driving i can get around 18 going 75-80 out here in Denver. Weeks i am not in the field much, i average around 14-15, mainly due to my short 3 mile commute in stop/go driving.

i had a '98 tacoma with a I4...always wished i had gotten the v6, mileage was only slightly better.

i then had an 05 tacoma v6 and it was nice

i then had an '12 ram hemi V8 and LOVED the power

i then went to a '99 v6 (half the hp/tq as the ram) and it was a bummer

i then picked up an '05 4runner v8 because i missed the power

tell him to just get the v8 and be done w/ it!!

 

[DCGweez]

I didn't read any of the prior posts. Just posting my experience having driven both extensively:


Why the V8:

The sound of the engine is super important to you.

If you're gonna tow or be weighed down(Have 3-4 adult male passengers often while adding armor) for any reason get the V8.



If not, the V6:

The V6 drives and steers far better.

The V6 gets better gas mileage.

The V6 gives you the option of 2wd/4wd/"AWD"

 

[truckmike26]

Don't believe that meter. Divide the miles driven by the gallons you put in the tank. You will find that the dash display is 1-3 mpg optimistic.

Yeah, I know, so figure 20.5 to 22.5 MPGs for a stock '09 V6 SR5 4WD with a K&N drop-in and Shell V-Power 91. What's important is where the different iterations of 4th-gen 4Runners fit on the MPG spectrum.

 

[truckmike26]

I didn't read any of the prior posts. Just posting my experience having driven both extensively:


Why the V8:

The sound of the engine is super important to you.

If you're gonna tow or be weighed down(Have 3-4 adult male passengers often while adding armor) for any reason get the V8.



If not, the V6:

The V6 drives and steers far better.

The V6 gets better gas mileage.

The V6 gives you the option of 2wd/4wd/"AWD"

Any V6 4Runner is about 250 lbs. lighter than an equivalent V8 4Runner.

 

[M1911]

If not, the V6:

The V6 drives and steers far better.

Baloney. The steering gear is the same.

The V6 gets better gas mileage.

Yup, it gets 1-3 mpg better.

The V6 gives you the option of 2wd/4wd/"AWD"

The only "improvement" here is the option of 2WD. Other than 2WD giving better fuel economy, I don't have any desire to drive in 2WD.

 

[GMZ]

Ive had both, prefer the V8 even with the mpg penalty. I could eek out 22.X with my V6, and high 18's with the V8 pre lift. Post lift maybe 16-17.

 

[m85476585]

I get 18 average in my 2007 V8 (limited). The speed limit is 65 on most highways around here, and in the mountains it's not safe to speed much. I usually go no more than 70. Here's my Fuelly page: 4runner (Toyota 4Runner) | Fuelly

The higher altitude seems to help MPG by reducing engine power, letting the engine operate at a more efficient point (throttle open more) while cruising, and because the air is thinner so there's less drag. Going up and down mountains seems to help because the engine can work harder on the way up, but you can coast all the way down.

I haven't driven the V6 in the mountains, but it's nice to have the V8 to make up for the reduced power from the lack of air. Every 1000 feet above sea level reduces power by about 3%, so at 10,000 feet you have 30% less power. I rode in a friend's V6 Tacoma with three of us, three bikes, and a week of camping gear, and it seemed fine unless he tried to pass going up hill in the mountains. It had to downshift more, but not as bad as my Civic would.

Climbing mountain passes in my Civic (2007 LX) was interesting. 2nd gear would redline at about 65 mph, but 3rd gear was a bit too far below the power band, so the top speed was 65 if it was fully loaded and going uphill. Usually I would keep my foot to the floor for the whole climb (a few miles), but it didn't matter since it couldn't go any faster. One time I was on a pass that was a bit steeper and around 11,000 feet, and the car started to slow down. With the pedal to the floor the whole time, the car slowed from 65 to 45 before it finally decided to shift to 2. I'm not sure why it didn't shift earlier, but I guess I could have manually selected 2nd if I wanted. It was kind of amusing, actually.