4WD Toyota Tacoma Gets Best Highway MPG in its Class
The Toyota Tacoma is getting its first full redesign in a decade. For 2024, Toyota is going all-in on fuel efficiency. It is tossing the old naturally-aspirated V6 in favor of a turbocharged I4. The top-trim powertrain option will be a hybrid version. While the U.S. EPA has yet to release official mpg, the Canadian numbers give the Tacoma the best highway mpg in its class.
| Make/Model | City | HIghway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Chevrolet Colorado (4WD) | 18 mpg | 22 mpg | 20 mpg |
| 2024 Nissan Frontier (4WD) | 18 mpg | 23 mpg | 20 mpg |
| 2024 Ford Ranger (4WD) | 20 mpg | 24 mpg | 22 mpg |
| 2024 Toyota Tacoma manual (4WD) | 18 mpg | 23 mpg | 20 mpg |
| 2024 Toyota Tacoma auto (4WD) | 19 mpg | 25 mpg | 21 mpg |
The above data is a compilation of the official U.S. EPA ratings for the latest Colorado, Frontier, and Ranger. (Because the Colorado is mechanically identical to GMC’s Canyon, the two midsize trucks share EPA ratings.) As well as Canada’s information on the Tacoma.
The winning Tacoma was labelled the “3-mode” automatic, which is presumably the hybrid configuration. The “2-mode” Tacoma automatic only got 23 mpg on the highway. Its intriguing to me that this is the only difference, because hybrid powertrains usually improve stop-and-go city mpg, but make less difference on the highway. But we know from the latest Tundra that Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain is unique in that it’s tuned more for power than fuel efficiency.
Obviously, the Ford Ranger will probably beat out every Tacoma in both city mpg and combined mpg. How is Ford doing it? This automaker has been fine-tuning turbocharged truck engines for nearly fifteen years. The latest Ranger also benefits from a ten-speed automatic transmission.
Truck owners know that opting for 4WD can kill a couple mpg, so these numbers are especially exciting. Heck, getting 25 mpg on the highway would be respectable in a used AWD Subaru. So way to go Toyota.
Next, read about how the i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain works, or see some pros and cons of the redesigned 2024 Toyota Tacoma in the video below:
