Hi Scotty,
I am in a bit of a dilemma regarding what to do with my vehicle. I own a 2020 SR 2.7L 4 cylinder Toyota Tacoma 4WD, automatic with about 15K miles. I love my Tacoma and it is almost perfect, except for one thing: its powertrain.
I recently moved from a flat area of my state to a more hilly and mountainous region. The elevation is of my new town is only about 1,300 ft. so not way up there. I have noticed my truck has a difficult time maintaining highway speeds and accelerating, especially uphill in my new area. I am often forced to turn on the ECT button (thank God it has it!) but it kills my fuel economy in the process. I am also concerned about not having enough power when passing and merging which could be a safety issue. Before I moved I was satisfied with the power of the 2.7L. The 2.7L engine is famously bullet-proof but it is no powerhouse. This is where someone will most likely say, "Should have bought the V6" Yes I know, and that is exactly what I am considering. I use my truck mostly for daily driving, light hauling, occasionally hit the dirt (for hiking, fishing and camping), and don't tow. Here are some of the other options I am also considering:
1) Trade my truck for a V6 Tacoma
2) Trade for a Ford Ranger XL or a similar vehicle (i.e. other compact pickups, SUV's/crossovers)
3) Install a turbocharger or supercharger in my truck to give more power
4) Just put up with fact that my truck is slow and stick the right lane (for now)
My truck is over 50% paid off as I write this and I could pay off the whole thing off right now if wanted to but I rather not because I am also trying to build my savings.
I would appreciate your advice on this matter. Thank you for all that you do!
Have the dealer check it. If it checks out, I would keep it and drive it.
It would be a terrible financial move to swap trucks at this point.
That 2.7L isn’t a bad engine. It certainly isn’t a race car and will be sluggish with a load. But normal driving there are some complaining of same issue and then some not having your problem. I would say have it checked at the dealer since it’s only got 15k in miles see if anything is wrong. If you have put bigger tires on it instead of stock since it’s a 4WD then yea it’s gonna struggle.
I have Cooper Discoverer AT3's on my truck. Same size as original the stock tires and still have the OEM steel Toyota rims. The AT I have are only a few pounds heavier than the OEM tires (Firestone Destination). I have done no other performance mods and my truck is otherwise completely stock.
Gotcha. i would have the dealer check it over.