650 miles in, still can't get above ~14MPG

So we picked up our '22 ORP about 2 weeks ago and have been loving it thus far. Only thing I'm noticing is I'm only getting 14-15 MPG at best. Not sure if this is me not having good throttle control because I'm coming back to the Gas world from a Tesla where you only drive with the gas pedal or what. I have the stock Nitto Terra Grapplers on it and the only added weight is the trail rails that came with the off-road upgrade package.

I don't really care about MPG at all, I just want to make sure the truck is healthy and something doesn't need to be addressed. Checked the brakes and they aren't rubbing at all but haven't taken a deep dive into the situation at all. Only other hypothesis I have is the dealer threw Nitrogen in the tires but wouldn't see that as an issue either. I try to keep that little "eco" light lit as much as possible when accelerating but that doesn't seem to make a difference either.


Any feedback is helpful, thanks!

 

It does tend to improve after a few thousand miles.

But, if you're going over 75, or stop and go driving a lot, they don't get great mileage. Actually, they don't get great mileage, regardless.

I try to keep it between 2,000 and 2500 rpm's while accelerating, unless I need to get to speed faster.

Cruising at 55-65 will give you the best economy, but that's not always an option.

 

4Runner fuel economy stinks!!!

You need to be going downhill with the wind to your back and doing less than 50 mph to get 15+ mpg

 

Something is wrong. My 2022 had a 3 inch lift with heavy 10 ply tires still got 17 mpg

 

Yeah I didn't specify highway or city because the speed limit on highways near me is 70-80 so it really doesn't make a difference. I'll just leave it alone and come back after the first oil change to see if anything different is going on.

 

the vehicle is fine. coming from no gas, you are taking this pretty well, congratulations
it will improve somewhat, but it will be at 19 on the highway, doing 60 on a perfect day
colder temp are not good for mpg
stop and go not good for the mpg
over 65ish not good for the mpg

 

Yeah, those higher speeds are a mileage killer in these. When mine was stock, I got around 17-18 at 80-85 MPH. But, I could get over 20 at 65. Now... Uhh, I just try not to think about it.

 

Yep. Once I throw a set of 285's on it, I'm just gonna look at how fast I'm going and call it a day.

 

I get 17-18 in the winter and 18-19 in the summer on 285’s LT rated.

 

I have a 2019 OR with stock Bridgestone Duelers (265/70R17) and no mods. It's near 85k miles, and the computer says 21.2MPG average (which I haven't reset in months, and which matches calculations). This is on 87 octane winter fuel (Ohio). It'll get right at 21.9 in the summer. I have a 45-mile commute to work each way, mostly 2-lane highway (60mph) and freeway (75mph). I drive with a light to normal foot. If the Nittos are larger than 265/70R17, that may be part of it. How you drive and the types of miles would also have an effect.

BUT, congratulations on the new 4Runner!

 

Since I work from home, I mostly run up to Home Depot and back or to grab food for now. Drove 200 miles home from DFW and averaged 85MPH. The setup of Texas highways definitely has some input to why I'm getting 14 I'd assume. So glad I got rid of the Tesla for this thing regardless.

 

People seem to rave about Teslas. What was wrong with yours?

 

Nothing was wrong with it at all. In fact, I loved it. I had the opportunity to profit almost 10 grand and hop in a brand new runner. There's a more in depth breakdown of my switch here: https://www.4runners.com/threads/what-a-wild-ride-she’s-finally-home.24652/#post-324338

After having the truck and getting adjusted, I really like the ride and how it drives. I also enjoy being in something I don't have to worry about every little bump in the road popping a tire. Lastly, we just moved from an apartment with chargers available to a house where I'd have to spend 2k to install a home charger. We're renting, so it didn't make sense to pay an electrician to come wire it up just to leave in a year or two when we build our house.

 

I stopped looking at the mpg screen in the dash. Lol. Made me cringe every time

 

If you’re commuting at 85 mph, then that explains the 14 mpg.

For those who are claiming 21+ mpg on 265’s, I believe your speedometer is off. My speedometer is nuts on with 285’s, per the electronic speed traps that I pass through all over my city.

 

Yep, that’ll do it. That’ll get you crappy gas mileage.

 

My 2020 ORP when new got a consistent 20 mpg. Then I added a roof rack...and lights...and went out West where the speed limit is a lot higher than on the East coast. Filled the 4Runner with camping equipment and food. And with a Thule box, RoadShower, and spare fuel can on the roof. My worst mileage day was 12 mpg on the highway. I was glad to have the spare fuel!

 

Yes, they all are.

But, nobody is going to correct their fuel economy for being off by 2-3%. And, most vehicles are like that, so it's still a fair comparison.

Besides, that would only lower 20 MPG down to ~19.4 or so. I have gotten 21.4, which would still be well over 20 if corrected for tire size.

 

100%. I drive like this, and do mostly highway driving, and I barely break 18.5 this time of year.

Also, how your calculating your mileage? 650 is barely two tanks of fuel. Are you just going by the digital readout, or are you doing hand calculated?

 

He said he's in Texas. I think it might be against the law in Texas to drive a Tesla, lol.

 

I’ve been doing it from the digital readout. We just moved 3 days after picking the truck up so haven’t had time or patience to really mess with it much and run numbers.

 

650 miles is too small a sample size.

Everyone on the forum gets mid teens in the city or at very high speeds.

I’m lucky to get more than 14/15 around town.

I’ve gotten 20 a few times on trips of a couple hundred to several hundred miles, but few of those miles involved speeds above 75-80.

I’ve gotten 21+ only on smooth trips at 50-55 mph.

This is on a stock 2020 Limited, which is full-time 4WD. Now with 14k miles on the odometer.

One would expect RWD mode to be a little better, but I don’t see how anyone can get 21+ consistently in anything less than ideal conditions.

I’m now running E Loads so expect my averages to drop a little.

 

All small town driving. Rare above 40mph and dash says 14. something. New tires soon and a road trip out west! I will hand calculate then.

 

Your MPG displays has three distinct MPG calculations/readouts
-average since engine start
-average since refuel
-average since reset (also displays engine hours since reset, because sampling conditions are defined by this cumulative time).

-and while not a readout, there is hand calculation after refueling. On stock tires, hand calculation is usually pretty dead nuts even compared to the computer “MPG since refuel”screen.

Each one of these screens defines how the MPG is calculated. Each method gives different numbers, because the parameters are different for each. All of these are accurate numbers, but each can be misleading if the sampling parameters aren't understood.

In these types of discussions, it’s best to start off with explaining the parameters of how the MPG number was obtained.

But to reiterate what’s been said, it’s normal to get low teens or high single digits when it’s driven like a taxi downtown. High teens to low 20s at 55-65mph in a clean aero setup, and “why bother asking” at 80+ mph lol.

For as bad as the 4runner MPG is made to sound, our 18 highlander with the 8speed gets only somewhat better gas mileage. And the improvements really mostly come at higher speeds, due to it’s clean, suppository-shaped body. But around town, the highlander’s MPG doesnt really look all that much better, to be honest.

 

Mine is older, a 2011, but I get 21and change as an average. Granted, it's almost all commute miles, but also from the Colorado High Country down to Denver and then back up the mountain And that's based on six years worth of data collection on gallons of gasoline (mostly Costco) purchased and miles driven between filling the tank.

 

Right. I only averaged about 18 mpg in mixed city and highway driving in my 2019 WRX. I often drove it like the sports car it is, but it's also way smaller than the 4R and had a 4 cylinder half the size of the 4R's V6, and with less horsepower. I didn't get much better in my BMW M235 either, even though that got a lot of highway use (though to be fair, a lot of too).

There certainly are small, traditional gasoline powered cars that get in the high 20s and even 30s around town, and can top 40 on the highway. But for vehicles the size of the 4R, it's far more common to see real-world MPGs that aren't a ton better -- espec around town. Better yes, but we're talking a few MPG. About 10 gallons a month for those who drive 12000 miles a year. Even at 24 mpg vs 19 on the highway, the difference is 11 gallons. That's not nothin, but it's also not a lot when compared to a typical car payment.

 

Well, Uncle Elon is almost done with his Tesla Factory so that will change soon lol.

What is forever against the law in Texas is the Prius

 

Don't even get me started on those. Since I'm in Austin, Tesla's are sprinkled everywhere. In my old apartment alone, 40 people drove one. Before I wrapped mine, I would always try to get into somebody else's on accident.
But the Prius.... Man I haven't met a single person that can drive that owns one around here.

 

4R gas mileage doesn't seem too bad. I had a 2019 F250 gas engine that sucked gas like a 60's muscle car. The best I could do driving like a grandma was 13 MPG.

 

I could be wrong but I notice my 2021 mpg per instrument cluster sucks, around 15mpg vs modified 2018 TRD ORP was around 18mpg with school / grocery runs and over 19mpg road trips with some trail runs. Not sure if new safety sense impacting the mpg or if the way mpg is calculated is different now. Sorry haven't checked mpg on paper (too lazy to do that). So far I have done 2 alignment check but no much improvement.

When 2018 TRD ORP was stock except for KO2 265/70R17 I see 400+ miles on range on long trips vs 2021 TRD Pro with GY Duratrac 265/70R17 show me about 300 miles range on long trips, which I'm very concerned now. If I lift and put big tires this would be no better than using to go to Costco.

Mods that could impact (may be) -
2021 TRD Pro (almost stock) - Goodyear Duratrac (but still 265/70R17), stock TRD skid + full aluminum skids, sliders.
2018 TRD ORP - 3in lift, BFG KO2 285/70R17 Load C, full aluminum skids, sliders.