Real World MPG with 5th Gen?

[samwhich]

I had no idea the pumps do that....and elsewhere in past I read it was bad to keep pumping after it shut off, not to force it to be entirely full. Whatever “bad” meant I don’t recall.

BUT good news is if we do RysiuM’s strategy will it be a factor? Just pump until it shuts off??? Or “Force” whatever extra we can after auto shut off?

As long as I live in LA my mpg probably won’t be so hot. And I got the 4runner for reliability long term and eventually off road capability after it gets a little older. Not gonna beat on it until it is higher mileage. And I like it, but compared to say a Chevy half ton or even a Colorado, the lack of power and lack of fuel efficiency is a downer. As legit as Toyota engineering seems to be why can’t they make an engine that has some balls and gets better gas mileage ? My dads Silverado 4x4 with a 5.3 routinely got 21mpg Hwy and had 300+horses, now he has a Colorado that I think has 300 HP and 20+mpg. I’m not gonna be in the market for a new 4x4 anytime soon, but imagine if Toyota had a 4runner or Taco that had a V8 or juiced up 6 with good mpg, and Could
Maintain reliability, it would be an easy sell.

I think gearing is key too, GM seems to have highway cruising gearing down to fuel economy science so you can cruise below 2,000 rpms easily. Obviously they are also building and tuning their engines accordingly as well, with a lot of vehicles cutting off cylinder banks to increase fuel economy.

Toyota could easily add this but then they would start breaking away from what they do best, building a simple and stout engine/drivetrain combo that runs forever.

Double edged sword!

 

[traveg12]

Just got done with a 100% highway trip back to my parent's, and got terrible gas mileage. I've done this trip before and usually end with about 1/4 tank or just slightly higher. I was lucky to make it into town this time, going both ways.

I was watching my mpg bar most of the trip, and I was barely getting 14-15 mpg at 75 mph. I know that isn't an efficient speed, but like I said, I've done this trip multiple times at this speed and gotten significantly better mpg. Normally, my lifetime average mpg goes up a tenth or two after a long (4 hour+) drive, this time it didn't budge. Just curious if anyone has had their mpg drastically change in their vehicle without any changes in configuration of that vehicle?

 

[bluecollarjock]

I’m glad to know that the lower power and poor mileage is what allows the Engines be more reliable. That eases the pain somewhat and makes sense

On resetting the dash mpg and not yet ready to do calculations , I’m getting 13-14mpg still. However this is so far 100% city driving in LA, stop, go, traffic jams and probably Average 35mph. So I’m gonna hope next road trip I take I can see 17mpg whether dash or hand calculations. Maybe my issue is just the fact I’m never on the highway!

Is there any chance those of us with “bad” mpg could need some computer tuning by a dealer that has someone who is sharp? Remember I’m clueless mechanically and technology wise.

 

[jsun_2k]

I’m glad to know that the lower power and poor mileage is what allows the Engines be more reliable. That eases the pain somewhat and makes sense

It does not make sense to me.

the large air cross-section (high body and big ears) makes the air resistance dominant if the speed is over 65 mph.

OTOH, the desirable 6th speed might help on highway

 

[1jzgte]

I’m glad to know that the lower power and poor mileage is what allows the Engines be more reliable. That eases the pain somewhat and makes sense

On resetting the dash mpg and not yet ready to do calculations , I’m getting 13-14mpg still. However this is so far 100% city driving in LA, stop, go, traffic jams and probably Average 35mph. So I’m gonna hope next road trip I take I can see 17mpg whether dash or hand calculations. Maybe my issue is just the fact I’m never on the highway!

Is there any chance those of us with “bad” mpg could need some computer tuning by a dealer that has someone who is sharp? Remember I’m clueless mechanically and technology wise.

You drive in LA.... i know how you LA folks drive...

 

[TacoRunn0517]

Ouch I feel for you. Here in SC it's about $2.15/gal right not. That being said I do commute 60 miles a day to work now. Racked up 21K miles first year of owning my 4Runner. That being said I looked into getting something more fuel efficient, but I wouldn't be happy with it, plus the 4Runner will last me well past 200K miles with basic maintenance, so I just pay the gas bill LOL

We are in the same boat. I've put over 20K miles in 7 months and have a round trip of over 60 miles to work. I hope to move closer but still do a decent amount of driving outside of work. As much as I'd want a more efficient vehicle, the 4Runner addresses all my needs and then some. I'll follow the recommended Toyota maintenance schedule and feel confident that my Runner will respond accordingly.

 

[Drama1]

This MPG and the convoluted oil change is why I'm keeping my 2005 4th Generation V6 for as long as possible. I want a new 4runner in the worst way, but my 05 easily get around 20 MPG between city and highway driving. Plus pickup is sooooo much better than the 5th Generation. I'm not bashing the 5th, I love the looks, way better than the 4th, but Toyota really needs to up its game before they'll get another cent from me. And don't even get me started on the advantage of the V6 4 Gen. drivetrain. I drive in 2-wheel all summer/fall/spring, 4-wheel all winter. Whether there's snow or not.

 

[bluecollarjock]

You drive in LA.... i know how you LA folks drive...

Ha! My girlfriend and her kids say I drive like grandpa. I’m not hauling a$$ at all. If I had a throaty V8 of some sort I might be getting on it more. But I’m driving gingerly and that’s what got my attention. I’m driving like an old man, it doesn’t have any power, and my mpg is bad. I got it for reliably so will grin and bear it but sure do miss V8s I’ve had that pulled hills better, passed on highways better and had much better mpg.

I’d be scared to see what mine got if I went bigger on tires and put bumpers and skids on it.

I want one if those FJ 80s from that Icon/TLC 4x4 guy who puts crate vette engines in them!! I’d take an FJ 80, a Bronco and a K5 and be in heaven. But those rigs cost like $180k each so only for the Hollywood elite I guess

 

[1jzgte]

Speaking of tires.. what do you have on them now? what psi are you running them?

 

[bluecollarjock]

Speaking of tires.. what do you have on them now? what psi are you running them?

Stock tires. Whatever PSI the dealer sets them to. I’m at around 16k Miles so hopefully won’t need tires for a few more years.

 

[bluecollarjock]

Well, my dash mpg is precise, after doing it by hand, I only got 13mpg for the last 3/4 tank...and thats exactly what the computer shows too.

So....all city driving I get 13mpg...hahah...kind of funny to me because its not even CLOSE to the 17mpg city its supposed to get!

 

[dot_tom]

MPG Update:

2.5" lift
285 KO2
Gobi Stealth with RTT on top

Dash reads 13.7 after resetting and driving 700 miles.

 

[RAD4Runner]

...I was barely getting 14-15 mpg at 75 mph....

My buddy's 2WD 5th-gen display shows 17MPG average since he got it 2 years ago.

I’m glad to know that the lower power and poor mileage is what allows the Engines be more reliable....

Yes, like my 31-YO first gen that averages 20 MPG

I'm so disappointed at Toyota on the MPG department. All that technology/electronics and still dismal fuel efficiency.

 

[MaddoxPics]

Literally got 16.8 with a stock TRD Pro. An entire drive across the country from CA to VA added literally .3 MPG. Going to reset it for the drive back and see what happens, granted now it's 2" higher, has a 285 tire setup (5), sliders, and C4 bumper w/ winch. Probably going to hit 15's I'm guessing.

 

[SalsaRed]

With my 275 KO2’s I was getting 15.6 mpg avg on winter blend gas. On summer blend I was getting upper 16’s.

I reset my average after getting 305/70r17 NRG’s installed yesterday and my average is currently at 11.8 mpg. I know the diameter is throwing that off, and I’ve only put about 50 miles of mixed city and highway driving on since I reset it. I’ll report back in a few weeks.

 

[jahdai42]

averaging 16.9 in the shittest traffic in the country

 

[bluecollarjock]

So I get worse mileage than someone with a lift, Big tires and a roof rack...

And 4mpg less than someone in NOVA/DC traffic which I can affirm is even worse traffic than LA.

how can there be so much variance in the exact same vehicle or guys with lifts and roof racks outperform my mpg?

I a not hot rodding. I try to keep it where the green dash light is on as much as possible.

16.8 driving cross country doesn’t sound that great...and curious why did you do the lift in VA??

Maybe I need to buy an old yota for DD ha.

 

[e60ral]

My buddy's 2WD 5th-gen display shows 17MPG average since he got it 2 years ago.



Yes, like my 31-YO first gen that averages 20 MPG

I'm so disappointed at Toyota on the MPG department. All that technology/electronics and still dismal fuel efficiency.

66.5"x 66.1" cross section and 3,520-3760 lbs vs. 75.8" x 74.2" cross section and 4,400-4,805 lbs

 

[Angonemoto]

Chicago to Colorado round trip

Hi all,
2017 Off Road, family of 4 with dog, rooftop box on Duratrac 265s. We travelled across the interstates on 87 octane of various and sometimes dubious origin, up mountain passes, through snow drifts, around towns and idling for warmups. 2922 total miles. Never did the display change the entire time. 16.4 mpg average.

 

[philsey]

So you're in California too. When filling the gas here, I NEVER get a full tank without significant effort because of the gas vapor recovery boot at all of our stations. This is an important point, because you cannot properly calculate your gas mileage if you're not filling the tank to the top. The California gas stations always stop my gas flow approximately 2 gallons before it's actually full. I spend an extra few minutes every fill up to actually go to the top. Remember that our 5th gen has a 23 gallon stock tank which you'd never realize if you just stop when the pump says stop. I ignore it and fill to the top, then properly calculate mileage.

My guess is that some of our MPG discrepancies here are from both dash panel MPG errors and manual miscalculations from an unfull tank. Of course we'll always have differences due to rig config and driving habits.

What nonsense! MPG is simple math. Miles driven divided by gallons consumed - period. Keep a running average to be accurate - period.

I have read multiple, multiple times that it is not recommend to fill beyond the pump shutoff.

Google "Overfilling the gas" gets many hits, all agree, like so: "Overfilling the gas tank can cause liquid gas to enter the charcoal canister, or carbon filter, which is designed only for vapor. Gas in the system can affect your car's performance by causing it to run poorly, and damage the engine."