CoedNaked

So ever since the 4 Cylinder 2.7 2TR-FE came out in 2005 I have been aching to test drive it in a 4x4 Tacoma Access Cab. They finally brought them to Canada this past year so they had one at a family members dealership which I took out for a test drive (the one with the SR5 package with the 5 speed manual)

The reason I was so curious was because it is very similar to my truck power, Configuration (cab/bed length/setup) wise, so I wanted to see how she handled, and how it pulled.

First off, I must say I was surprised by the ride quality. It has the TRD version Bilstein shocks and the revised Springs they changed to a few years ago and I really liked the ride. Very 4x4 and truck like, like it should be, but slightly more refined than my truck. You can tell it's an unloaded truck when you drive it, but it's not bone jarring, and it probably rides like a dream with a few hundred pounds in the bed. I would have to say that the truck road a lot like my truck does (my truck has Bilstein shocks) only my truck rides a little stiffer/harsher in the rear end because I have OME HD Spring packs.

While I have never owned a 4 cylinder Toyota truck, I do know that distintive 4 cylinder Toyota truck exhaust sound, and this truck definately had it which brought out a little nostalgia I guess. Sounded a lot like some 22RE trucks I've heard exhaust wise. It also had that "you know it's a 4 banger idle," feel to it. While the V6's are a little smoother, the 4 bangers tend to idle a little rougher, which I noticed pretty quickly.

The one thing that makes me think twice about my truck and my trucks only vise is that it doesn't have any air bags. This truck lets you know it has air bags and then some, with side curtain and seat air bags, plus the normal front air bags. After having gotten in a nasty accident last year that I walked away from in my wife's echo hatchback, safety in a vehicle is something I put stronger emphasis on. I also appreciated the creature comforts (namily, A/C, something I don't have on my truck - not a fan of the power stuff although I do like power mirrors) and I liked the way I sat in it and the visilibility it offered over the road as well as how high up you sat.

Anyways - the power. This trucks engine was originally rated at 164 HP and 183 foot pounds of torque, which was the rating system that my Toyota truck was rated at with 150 HP and 180 foot pounds of torque. Then a few years ago they changed the way they rate horsepower so it is now rated at 159 HP and 180 foot pounds of torque. Either way it has about the same torque and a bit more HP than what my truck is rated at. Factor in a few things that work for or against the comparison

1) My truck is mechanically in the best shape a truck of it's age could wish to be in, with Amsoil synthetic fluids throughout the drive train and engine, new plugs, new O2 sensor, and a new air filter currently.

2) My truck also has a Borla Catback

3) The Tacoma isn't broken in yet

4) Maybe working the against my truck although I haven't tested it is due to its age it has probably lost some of it's compression.

5) My truck has a 150-200 pound canopy on it, as well as camper bars and a tow hitch. While my truck stock has a curb weight that is about 100 pounds give or take as the Tacoma in question, the accessories I have definately put the odds in favour of my truck being heavier by around 200 or so pounds.


So right away I noticed the truck felt pretty peppy off the line, probably due to it's VVT-i. It felt like a different truck at first but as the test drive progressed I noticed it felt fairly similar power wise. The 2.7 was a bit more peppy, but not that much more. I did notice that the RPM range for the different gears was different than my truck as I shifted - this TAcoma probably has 4.10 gears, or the tranny is geared differently, or a bit of both. Either way it's geared a bit "higher," than my truck, where as my truck is geared "lower" which helps it performance wise, which doesn't help the comparison I guess.


Anyways, it was an interesting comparison to see and I must say I liked the ride quality, and I can only imagine what that TAcoma set up would get for fuel economy numbers on the highway.