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One point to bring out with the Tacoma. If you compare the fuel economy
specs between a 4 cyl. extra cab 4x4, manual transmission. The older design
2004 model was 18 city, 21 highway. The newer upsized '06 model is rated at
19 city, 23 highway. I heard this was achieved by cutting weight, such as
with the composite bed. Strangely enough, the new model's max payload
dropped from 1630 lbs. to 1480 lbs.


"Ed Warner" <KMMzosLm7k@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1159897680.360103.319630@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> The Tacoma is no longer a compact truck and now the Tundra is getting a
> size boost and a 5.7L V8. It's unlikely gas mileage will improve vs the
> "underpowered?" 4.7L V8. I think this is a run at the Nissan Titan for
> size and showmanship, not pragmatism. Shallow buyers think they need to
> have a bigger engine than the next guy. Why can't intelligence prevail
> in truck marketing instead of insecurity?
>
> I'm tired of ads showing grease-blackened laborers among steam clouds
> who supposedly can't do their job without "extreme" capacity. How did
> they manage last year or ten years ago? Trucks in decades past were
> downright rickety. Somehow, things got done without a 10,000 lb. towing
> capacity in the average work vehicle. Most big material drops at
> construction sites are brought in on commercial flatbeds. The current
> Tundra is fine for most buyers and has been so since 2000. Most of this
> power hype is marketing. Many trucks are bought for style, with pimped
> wheels and pristine paint. You don't need 300+ HP to visit the local
> steakhouse. A rack increases bulk capacity of any truck. You can rent a
> trailer for rare, extreme loads.
>
> Gas prices will continue to rise (with ups and downs) due to peaking of
> global oil production. Global warming is real and serious, despite "Man
> can do no wrong" propaganda that rewrites evidence. Lower gas mileage
> means more CO2 emissions and is a step in the wrong direction. EPA
> figures are overstated and the 2007 Tundra may get about 15 MPG
> average. The Nissan Titan (5.9L) only gets about 14 MPG per
> [url]www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/105503/article.html[/url].
>
> Americans are finally seeing that it doesn't make sense (on many
> levels) to waste fuel. Toyota, creator of the Prius, seems at odds with
> itself in the truck line. They should at least offer a diesel in the
> Tundra. The practical demographic for super-sized trucks is overstated
> and the ego demographic should shrink as fuel prices rise. Please wise
> up, Toyota, and all truck buyers who feed this trend. Many of us would
> like a quality truck that isn't a gas hog, but our options keep getting
> limited. Maybe they will _downsize_ the fat-ass Tacoma next time
> around. It would be an industry first!
>
> Ed
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