Scotty: My wife and I have to buy a car to replace her 2004 Malibu. We are looking at a used Toyota Rav4 (automatic transmission) for ease of getting in and out of the vehicle as we age. We are hesitant about the 4 cylinder engine however since our experience has been a 6 cylinder seems to have more get-up-and-go than a 4 cylinder when it's high mileage and older. This scenario may no longer be valid today since our experience is based on 2004 vehicles and older. Please help stear us toward a good option! And thankyou Scotty!
A six cylinder engine can be more difficult and expensive to service, thus increasing overall cost of ownership even beyond the increased gasoline consumption. For example it is common to have to remove the intake manifold to get at the rear bank of spark plugs to either replace them or their coils, or check them as part of a diagnostic procedure.
The best way to tell whether the 4-cylinder model has sufficient power for you is to test drive one that's for sale. If properly maintained the performance will last. As has already be stated just be sure to avoid the oil-burning 2AZ-FE 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine.
The four cylinder engines in the newer Rav4 vehicles have plenty of pep and good gas mileage too. I'd go for the four. After all, you are not going to be drag racing.
If you need good fuel economy, then go for the 4 cylinder option. If you do go for this, avoid the AZ-FE oil burners.
Consider V6 if: live in a very hilly area, do a lot of highway driving, or often drive with the car loaded with people.
Otherwise the 4 cyl is just fine.
People all above listed great concerns and points, though consider this.
V6’s may end up costing more down the road with the spark plugs and intake manifold, but think about it. The spark plugs truly only need to be changed every 100K… so it’s not like it’s a common occurrence. V6’s also last longer if maintained due to the proportional weight distribution and force balance… since a V series engine is perfect balanced with forces… so therefore a V series engine will runs smoother… they will also last longer because they require less rpm strain to reach speeds when going from 0-60 due to the high torque ratio and ratings from V series engines. Therefore
less strain=more gain in the long run.
Now 4Cyl. get better fuel economy and most of them can provide enough “get-up-and-go” as you might say, but nothing compared to a V6 (unless if you get a 4Cyl. turbocharged but turbocharged engines = more pressure in cylinders therefore less longevity)
So in conclusion 4Cyl. nowadays are pretty smooth and can last awhile. But overall V series engines are stronger/faster and will last longer.
Kind Regards,
Nathaniel J.
In theory that is probably true but it depends on the vehicle and the engine. (Also, older models require more frequent spark plug changes.) I've run 4-cylinder engines to 300K-400K miles and not had them wear out, including turbocharged models. It's not clear to me that you're going to get much more than that out of a V6. My current daily driver has a turbocharged 4 that is still going strong with over 365,000 miles. Spark plugs can be changed in less than 30 minutes (did it just recently) and there are only two O2 sensors to deal with. It's a much friendlier setup for the shade-tree mechanic.
I completely agree with you. My answer was correlated off physics of the V series engines compared to the 4Cyl. In theory with natural balance and less strain for power output the V series should last longer compared to a 4Cyl. but I also see how if you have a shady mechanic, and you have no mechanic experience and can’t take off the intake manifold by yourself, that it would be easier to have a 4Cyl. I guess I’m speaking off my rhetorical experience. I have a 2011 Nissan Frontier 4L V6 and it runs like a champ. But I do mainly all the work on my vehicle, except when it deals with the cooling system, because I’d rather not deal with such an important system, and rather have a mechanic who is experienced in cooling systems work on it with a warranty. Mine still is kicking strong @154K miles but it was previously owned in New Jersey and has no rust, and transmission shifts Like a dream, and since it was in New Jersey it mainly was a city mileage driven truck and it drives like a dream. I’m educated upon conceptual physics and I understand mechanics and physics. It theory V series engines will last longer. But if you have a sketchy mechanic and you can’t work on your vehicle, I’d buy a 4Cyl. If you wanted simplicity to work on mechanically if you know nothing about cars.
Or if, like me, you're just lazy and don't want to be bothered with things like removing the intake manifold to deal with spark plugs and coils, or having to deal with with two banks of O2 sensors. 😆
🤣 yes sir I can tell you, it’s a pain when I work on my Nissan 4L V6😂😂
Yeah drive the cars you like which each engine to see if you think there is enough pep for you. Some 4 cylinders aren’t half bad.
Fuel Economy > Pep, get 4 cylinder.
Pep > Fuel Economy, get 6 cylinder.
But test drive them. Some 4 cylinders are surprisingly peppy.
