V8 owner stuck with a V6 loaner . . .

gonzo

gonzo

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I brought my V8 in for some service work & the dealer gave me a V6 loaner. I must say that I am very impressed. The loaner is an '05 with the five speed V6, and it hauls a$$.

When i test drove a V6 during the decision making process in '04, the 4runner that I drove was sluggish and unimpressive - that is why i decided to go with the V8. I constantly heard folks on this message board praising the V6 and thought that they were nuts. After this new experience I am almost questioning my decision. That is a damn good V6!
 
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gonzo said:
I brought my V8 in for some service work & the dealer gave me a V6 loaner. I must say that I am very impressed. The loaner is an '05 with the five speed V6, and it hauls a$$.

When i test drove a V6 during the decision making process in '04, the 4runner that I drove was sluggish and unimpressive - that is why i decided to go with the V8. I constantly heard folks on this message board praising the V6 and thought that they were nuts. After this new experience I am almost questioning my decision. That is a damn good V6!
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Too bad they didn't loan you a VVT-i V8! The 03-04 V8 has less HP then the V6.

Koz
 
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When I was shopping for a 4Runner, I first drove the V6. It definitely kicks butt! It totally blew away the 4.0L V6 in my Explorer that I was trading in, period.

I ended up getting the V8 because it was packaged with the Sport that I wanted, plus the MPG is not that much worse. I am not sorry I got the V8; the smooth extra power and satisfying growl is worth it.
 
1/4 mile times are about the same with the V6 vs the V8 but I guess the V8 doesn't have to work as hard to pull hills and keep speed steady.

How much does each get gas mileage wise? Is the V8 much worse than the V6?
 
RonMAIDEN said:
1/4 mile times are about the same with the V6 vs the V8 but I guess the V8 doesn't have to work as hard to pull hills and keep speed steady.

How much does each get gas mileage wise? Is the V8 much worse than the V6?
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I don't think the VVT-i V8 is the same!

Koz
 
gonzo said:
I brought my V8 in for some service work & the dealer gave me a V6 loaner. I must say that I am very impressed. The loaner is an '05 with the five speed V6, and it hauls a$$.

When i test drove a V6 during the decision making process in '04, the 4runner that I drove was sluggish and unimpressive - that is why i decided to go with the V8. I constantly heard folks on this message board praising the V6 and thought that they were nuts. After this new experience I am almost questioning my decision. That is a damn good V6!
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When I saw the thread, I thought you were going to complain. Glad to hear that a V8 owner is impressed. Next time the subject comes up, we'll point them to your post!

I've been very happy with the V6 -- never second-guessed the decision.
 
As far as V6 goes, the 4runner's V6 is one of the biggest one on the market, especially for imports. At 4 liters, it is no economy engine. I use to work in a construction site, and some of the huge Volvo dump truck had V6 engines too. My point is, there is not really that much difference between the 4runner V6 and the V8 engine.
 
Boston_Runner said:
My point is, there is not really that much difference between the 4runner V6 and the V8 engine.
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For some people this holds true.....however I just drove a 2006 V6 Ltd today and it still doesn't feel nearly as refined as my 05 V8. Some people are more sensitive to the differences I suppose.
 
I went to a dealer locally and almost bought a Black v6 sport. I ended up leaving since i set a limit on my payment, and they were 50 dollars to high. I found my 05 v8 sport 4x4 for less than they wanted the v6 for. Granted mine was used, with 200 miles. I am happer i got the v8 now.
 
*wishlist* said:
kind of off topic but what i want to know is how the drive in the v6 4-speed auto compares to the v6 5-speed auto.
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One thing I noticed when driving my '04 V6 vs '05 V6 is that my 4 speed hits a spot around 40 mph where it doesn't really know which gear it should be in. It remains in 4th (OD), but when it hits a hill, it takes a second to engage 3rd. Where the 5 speed never missed a beat. I think the 5 speed would probably be better for some low end grunt work since the gearing is a little lower in 1st and it might be a little better in MPG on the highway since 5th is a taller gear than the 4 speed. Is it a deal breaker? No way... I still average 21 mpg, and have achieved over 25 mpg when the conditions were right (no snow, perfect temps) and I kept my foot off the gas. As far as towing, even with the 4speed, I barely notice my 4200lb boat behind me unless I am going up steep hills.
 
Northof49 said:
For some people this holds true.....however I just drove a 2006 V6 Ltd today and it still doesn't feel nearly as refined as my 05 V8. Some people are more sensitive to the differences I suppose.
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I've driven both. I've also continuously read posts here using the word "refined". Like I said, I've driven both the 6 and the 8, but I honestly don't get what some people mean by "refined". I think that the 6 might actually be more "refined"....referring to the use of newer technology.

I do agree that you can feel more torque in the 8. But what does this "refined" mean? Is it an imagined quality, since most people think from the old days that 8's run more smoothly? :confused:
 
Acoording to the dictionary, the difinition of refine is as follow:
a small change that improves something or improved because of many small changes that have been made.
The Toyota V8 has been around for a long time and Toyota has made many small changes to make a good V8 engine a great one. It is one of the best V8 engine on the market, hence, it is a refined engine.
 
JungleJim said:

I do agree that you can feel more torque in the 8. But what does this "refined" mean? Is it an imagined quality, since most people think from the old days that 8's run more smoothly? :confused:
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The V8 feels, sounds, and operates smoother and and with more pleasing sounds. That to me = more refinement, and yes I have driven literally dozens of each engine in every option package.

Maybe if you put earplugs in the difference wouldn't be as noticeable.....but to me it's still a noticeably different truck with the V8.
 
hear ye! hear ye! hear ye!

This is the let the Toyota Corportation know that I want my next generation 5 spd auto tranny installed in my 04 V6 Runner. It's ashamed that Toyota short changed the 03-04 V6 owners by installing the 3rd generation tranny in a 4th generation vehicle.
I have always said from the day I purchased my 04 v6 that Toyota should have put the 5 spd in the V6. I thought they were afraid the 04 V6 would perform and get BETTER ratings than the bigger V8 engine---especially since the V8 was missing the VVT-i at that time.
 
I think the V8 generally runs smoother than the 6. I often feel a little bit of vibration in my gas pedal when the engine is under load that I did not feel when I drove a V8. I just think the noise and smoothness of the V8 makes it feel more expensive and refined. I chose the 6 anyhow, and certainly dont regret it. BTW, my neighbor recently purchased a titanium V8 vvt-i and the seat of my pants really cant tell a difference in power, except for a little jerk off the line.
 
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