2016 Toyota Tacoma Engine Specs and Fuel Economy Numbers

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The all-new Tacoma has finally be revealed. Here are the numbers you’ve been waiting for.

The 2016 Toyota Tacoma officially launched today. The truck has been updated and modernized for the first time in many years. Although we have seen the truck in press releases and at trade shows, until now the engine and transmission specifications along with fuel economy were not known.

2016 Tacoma Engines and Transmissions
The 2016 Tacoma will have two engines for 2016. First up is the all-new 3.5-liter Atkinson-cycle engine. It will produce 278 horsepower. That is 42 more than the previous V6. Torque comes in at 265 ft-lb at 4,600 RPM. This engine will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission or six-speed manual.

The second engine is the 2.7-liter, four-cylinder engine. This engine will produce 159 hp and 189 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 RPM. The transmission options are a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic.

2016 Toyota Tacoma Fuel Economy
The new V6 Tacoma with 2WD and the automatic transmission will return an EPA-estimated city/highway/combined mpg of 19/24/21. With 4WD and the manual transmission, the engine will return 17/21/19 and with the automatic and 4WD it will return 18/23/20. This represents an approximately 10% improvement in fuel economy for the six-cylinder Tacoma. The combined fuel economy of the V6 automatic Tacoma is now the same at the 2016 Chevy Colorado’s.

The 2016 Tacoma four-cylinder city/highway/combined fuel economy is listed as 19/23/21 for the automatic 2WD truck. The 4WD manual gets a rating of 19/21/20 and the automatic 4WD Tacoma earns a rating of 19/22/20. Here the Tacoma is slightly ahead of the automatic 2016 Chevy Colorado 4-cylinder’s rating.

The final big of number is the V6 Tacoma’s towing rating, which is 6,800 pounds (per the SAE J2807 tow standard). This is an increase of 300 pounds over last year. We will have more details over the coming week.

  1. Related: 2016 Toyota Tacoma V6 Towing vs. Chevy Colorado Diesel Duramax
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  3. VIDEO: Is this Toyota Tacoma all it's cracked up to be?
  4. VIDEO: What Difference Light Bars Make in Toyota Tacoma Compared to HID Headlights

Submitted by Steve (not verified) on August 19, 2015 - 2:01PM

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After 10 years Toyota sqeezes out 3 more MPG over the current 4L V6. That's a major fail my books. I currently own a 2007 TRD Sport 4x4. It's a great truck....just loud and rough. I'm now doing a lot of towing with my Tacoma with a off road camper (AZ, CO, UT, and NM). Loaded down with trailer, dogs and gear my weight is less than half of the 5,500 lbs tow rating for my Taco. The 4L V6 stuggles heavily when I start uphill. I have serious doubts the new engine will fair any better even with a claimed 6,800 lb tow rating. These tow ratings seem to be created for someone who lives in Kansas.
With the release of the new Tacoma numbers my wife and I test drove the GMC Canyon All Terrain. This is easily the best truck I've driven....ever. Off road and on the pavement the Canyon soundly topped the Tacoma in every way. The 4 disk brakes on the Canyon are fantastic (BIG mistake Toyota not following suit). My only concern with the Canyon is ground clearance. An easy adjustment to raise the front end after purchase will solve any concerns with clearance however.
I know everyone in this 7/8's market has their own needs and wants in a mid-sizer, but as soon as the Duramax diesels arrive at my local dealer I will be there with cash in hand and a well used Tacoma to trade.

Without a doubt truck owners that tow near the maximum loads these trucks can handle would do better with the top-rated truck, the Colorado Duramax 2.8L. Or a Silverado for that matter, if the owner can tolerate the extra size. True that the new Tacoma with its 42 added hp is only 3 mpg better than the outgoing model still for sale. However, you throw in that "After 10 years" part. Ten years ago the Tacoma V6 4x4 had a combined rating of 16 mpg manual and 17 mpg auto. The new truck's 23 mpg rating represents a 35% improvement in fuel economy over the 2006 and no V6 mid-size truck in the market has a higher fuel economy rating. Since you live in a southern state your Colorado will also have a great cost per mile because diesel is not used to heat homes in that area of the country, hence its price is not $1.00 more than unleaded gas like it is in many parts of the U.S. from October to May.

Submitted by John hamanoizer (not verified) on August 25, 2015 - 5:21PM

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Epic fail for Toyota not increasing its mpg. This is the main reason people do not buy these trucks increase mpg means higher truck sales. These guys may need to talk to Mazda in order to get the fuel mileage up. I live in a part of the country with thee highest fuel costs in the nation.

Geeze guy, ever do your research before writing. Tacoma out sells all trucks in it's segment by A LOT.... and Mazda......... what planet are you living on?

I think the reference made towards Mazda was that their vehicles i.e. cars make far superior mileage than most other four-cylinder cars including ones that are hybrid technology. For example my Mazda three grand touring premium with a 2.5 liter engine makes over 40 miles to the gallon, I've recorded 46.1 miles to the gallon on my monster and that's at highway speed's of 65 miles an hour if Mazda made a pick up truck 4 x 4 I'd buy it no matter what. Masses vehicles are tough and they're fun to drive

Submitted by Fat trucks for… (not verified) on August 26, 2015 - 5:38PM

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Cars and trucks are getting heavier. It seems to coincide with waist increases in Americans. The 1988 Toyota pickup weighed 2,800 lbs, whereas the 2015 Tacoma weighs 3,615 lbs, but can climb as high as 4,285 lbs depending on options. Total pig.

Glad you added this. You are right that almost all car and truck models do get larger and heavier with each redesign. The first new vehicle I ever bought was a compact truck and it was so much smaller than today's. It would seem like there is room below the Tacoma for a smaller Pre-Runner or truck of some other name. That said, most of the commentary on my recent Tacoma stories has been to the effect of "I want to tow more..." and quite a few have said they want more power. A 1988 compact truck did not need 350 hp and nobody considered them for towing 7,000 pound payloads. BTW, many other types of vehicle owners also write in lamenting their vehicles getting bigger. Everyone except the Miata fans pretty much.

Submitted by Dave (not verified) on September 6, 2015 - 6:48PM

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I hate how people complain about MPG's... really if your care so much about gas prices go buy a Prius if it matters to you so much.. and towing wise? If you want to tow over 7000lbs you go buy a full size pickup then.. like really?! who buys a small pickup to haul over 7000lbs? I'm not big on the Colorado either, they use numbers to lure in people.. what's the point of having over 300hp or having 28mpg if the truck isn't going to last? Oh and another thing.. at least the Tacoma doesn't look like a car with a bed. *cough Colorado.. To me the Tacoma is SOLID... its a real MAN'S truck.

Submitted by Mark (not verified) on September 11, 2015 - 12:19PM

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You gotta be joking. A Silverado and F150 blow the tacoma away in fuel efficiency. That is not right. And the colorado is rated at 27 gas and 30 diesel. The days of Tacoma are over. I am buying a Silverado - way way way nicer interior, more towing, tons more room, better gas mileage, awesome off roading, more bed space. Come on Toyota!! I cannot believe ANYONE would buy one of these. If you want smaller, get a diesel Colorado

If those numbers are right, what a disapointment :(
I'm also off to the ford dealership, bigger and cheaper on gas.
Toyota CEO is sleeping with the Oil CEO.
Shame on you toyota!

I am a Toyota man, but toyota is pussying around with these trucks, they would never outsell Ford for millage. It's ridiculous the Tacoma, tundra still gives 13 mpg.these cheap oil prices is a trick to kill fuel improvements .

If i want gas mileage and towing capacity. Ivd buy a ram eco diesel. Plenty of interior space over 31mpg and over 9000 lb towing. Winner all the way around. And a ride no one can beat.

I just bought the completely reengineered 2016 Tacoma double cab with 3.5 liter V6, short bed and tow package with a six speed manual transmission. I love this truck. Here in the northeast hills we needed something with 4WD that's selectable. In 2wd it has a limited slip rear plus ABS system that controls the ESC and traction control and brake assist to prevent all braking power to be lunged forward in a quick stop by diverting brake power back to the rear drum and rotor system. It handles smooth and quiet with plenty of power. As we also needed a car the double cab is larger than my last Hyundai Sonata. Since we only need a truck on occasion the short bed is adequate. I wouldn't expect to tow to the maximum 6800 pound maximum limit. After all it's a smaller truck compared to the big boys. Now to press a good point let me ask how many other manufacturers are still producing fun to drive manual transmissions???? This is a fun truck to drive. It suits all our needs. If I wanted 15 yards of stone I'd order it delivered anyway. But Home Depot runs, local lumber yard, town dump and recycling center stuff all works well with this Tacoma. Go online and watch videos of the reengineered 2016 Tacoma. You will be impressed. It's unlike any before. If you customize it with TRD cold air intake and TRD performance exhaust you can gain 4 mpg and maybe 22 hp. That puts it at 300 hp easily. Last but not least is the price. Where can you get a 4 WD vehicle like this for $32,500 new? The manual shift models fly off the floor and are often sold before they reach the dealer destination. This is the overall best vehicle I've ever owned and suits many like me who don't earn a living with a truck or expect to push the vehicle to its maximum towing limits then complain about mpg. All this and the reliability of a USA made Toyota. I'm sorry Chevy, ford and dodge. You missed the boat on this section of the market. And my biggest gripe about those big three is they no longer offer manual transmissions. They cater to women I guess. What real man wants to put it in D and go forward?? You think that's driving a truck??? Get with it America.... Real men who love or use trucks want manual transmissions again !!!!!!!

Well, you buy what you want I've got a 1998 Toyota Tacoma that I have literally beat the shit out of. It has 304,000 miles on it and it still starts on one turn the key and sounds just like it did when I pick it up at the dealership. I think that's money well spent personally. I am however pissed that any Company making cars nowadays with drum brakes in the rear is assinine, that's hundred-year-old technology disc brakes at the minimum folks you hear me Toyota.
Oh yeah one other thing Toyota unlike Dodge and GMC didn't borrow money from the federal government. In my eyes they should drop the price for American citizens since we payed for the goddamn bail out. Dicks!

My experience. 1982 Datsun 4x4, good truck until drunk totaled it in 1990. Purchased 1990 totyota 4x4, sold on 2006 with only changing front brake pads, wipers, one headlight just under 200,000 miles. 2006 bought new Chevrolet 4x4. Rode like a Cadillac, smooth. Constantly breaking down. New front end, water pump, 4c4 went in and out on its own. Sold 2014. 2014 Toyota 4x4, tides like a truck, no problems at 50,000 miles now.

Submitted by Carl (not verified) on September 20, 2015 - 8:13PM

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The only real disappointment out of all the truck manufactures is that not one of the engineers has figured out how to make a selector for towing/hauling or highway driving... which would give us the 24+ mpg on the highway when not hauling or towing. Maybe a gear inducer or reducer depending on gearing would fix this.

Submitted by Ike (not verified) on October 14, 2015 - 9:44PM

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I have own 5 Toyota trucks, tough trucks may not be perfect but they do very good. I tow a 4200 lb camper and it does great.The only thing is it only has 21 gal. Fuel tank. I drove Ford chev dodge when they were junk I know they have improved but I still have better taste in mouth. I'll take my Tacoma anyday!

As a person who sales for Chevy,Toyota,Chrysler,Dodge,Jeep, & Ram auto group. The guys that actual use a truck for its real purpose, buy a Chevy, Ram, then Toyota. The guys who buy the Toyota trucks are first time truck owners and don't know any better. If I was only about the money I could easily sawy customers to Toyota just off the name. But the truth is they can't compete with the big three with trucks. The auto group that I sale for averages about 800 cars across the complex. Which I have to admit about a third are Toyota's there truck sales are in the single digits. Chevy trucks and SUV's sale more than Chrysler group and Toyota combined. I know I said a lot to say the Colorado is the better truck. Don't believe me shake the bed of a Tacoma vs a Colorado. You will be surprised by how cheaply made the Tacoma is.

Thanks very much for offering this first-hand experience J-Wu. Feedback from actual sellers and buyers is more valuable than propaganda form the Mfgs (in my opinion). Here are some things that Toyota says about the buyers of the Tacoma based on its research: Youngest in segment, most affluent in segment, predominantly male, among the most active in mid-size segment, 40% buy TRD off-road Tacomas, and in surveys of actual owners towing ranked 22nd on a long list of priorities offered on the survey. Tacoma also outsells the next best model in the mid-size segment by more than 2 to 1 (both Tacoma and Colorado are at max factory capacity). The sales number comparison is not Toyota's analysis, but our own. There is no doubt that the other automakers sell more full size trucks than Toyota.

Submitted by Robert Todd (not verified) on December 18, 2015 - 6:36PM

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I've owned several silverados and the best milage I've ever got was 15 mpg city and 16.8 on highway front end want hold up trams, or rear end! I traded a Danali for my Tacoma and I'm 100 percent satisfied The Tundra is a better truck also I've owned one of those to got Tacoma this time because I don't have any heavy hauling to do now but I'm sure it will still pull what a Silverado will! As soon as u drive either one u can tell the way it drives and rides it's a better made truck by far!!

Submitted by TRD sport (not verified) on February 24, 2016 - 8:23AM

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Don't worry, when all you guys with Chevys are on the side of the road, My tacoma will be there to pick you up.

Submitted by Robert edwards (not verified) on April 25, 2016 - 10:47PM

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The 2016 Tacoma 4x2 is a great truck rides better than any Chevy full size. The 4 cylinder engine gets better gas mileage than they say I'm getting 24 to 25 miles per gallon

Submitted by Eric (not verified) on June 13, 2016 - 10:30PM

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Wow really! I just bought my second Toyota Tacoma this time a 2016 literally last weekend. I looked at all the big three models from gas to diesel in 4x4 crew cab long beds. Originally my thinking was that I needed to get the biggest baddest beast that I could find able to pull a fifth wheel. Figuring with what it would cost, it would be the last truck I ever bought, hoping that it would last well into retirement. Problem is Im not suppose to retire for another 20 years. Plus weighing in on the extra cost of buying and maintaining a diesel I checked out the gas engines. The big 6.4 only gets around 11 miles a gallon. Wow that would cost me roughly six gallons of gas a day just to drive back and fourth to work. An F150 nowadays cost as much as my first house but can achieve decent gas milage if you like those eco engines but I don't really care for the beer can and the only guy I knew who didn't have the 5 liter hated his eco engine.
I choose the Tacoma because in all actuality I only need to haul a pop up camper and a lawn mower from time to time. I can attest to Toyotas reliability having owned 5 of their products and never having any issues with them. Cant say that for the Dodge Ram or other Chrysler products that I've owned. Matter of fact, I just passed down my1999 4x4 tacoma that is working on 300,000 miles and still has the original clutch. Of course it has never let me down either.
So for all you guys that need to haul more why the heck are you looking at a small truck in the first place?

Submitted by trent (not verified) on September 5, 2016 - 12:51PM

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Some comments are comical to me. I feel over recent years the market has closed and it really boils down to preference and reliability. For me personally, the midsized trucks have reached the perfect size at this point.. just enough room inside to fit 4 adults comfortably, not so big you gotta climb in to get stuff out of the bed. as far as diesel comments. what is your yearly mileage? around 15k per year would require over 7 years (prices holding) to break even on the diesel upgrade. I have always been a chevy person myself but through the 90s and 00s they proved reliability to be a low priority.. not ready to roll the dice on their 4cyl diesel myself. ford has made great jumps. the ecoboost is something to talk about. and when the ranger breaks the market with their diesel and ecoboost options then that may be the truck to give Toyotas reputation a run for its money.. but time will tell. I personally bought the 2016 taco offroad and love it.. the tranny has that Asian economy feel moving through the gears but aside from that its solid and rides great. average over 20 mpg city (im light on the pedal). but all the trucks in its category are going with that twin overdrive six speed so..... and that squinty front end look chevy has taken on also pushes me away from them.. at least the gmc's have retained a truck look in this mass redesign everyone is going through. all being said, it really boils down to your preference and what you need it for, what brand do you trust to give that much money to, etc.. (and fyi, I get a gm discount that would have given me the diesel at no additional cost, still passed on that dice roll) just my preferences and should only be taken as such

Submitted by Yates (not verified) on January 9, 2017 - 11:09AM

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Not much in the way of engine choices. Recently test drove a four cylinder Tacoma and Colorado. Although both engines have similar torque numbers you certainly can't feel it in the Tacoma. I guess the Chevy's extra 40 horses carry the day because it certainly felt more powerful and acceleration was smoother. It just seems Chevy used overkill with ground clearance because it is a mile off the ground.