New TNGA-F Platform For the 4Runner - What Do You Think?

Personally (and this is just my dumb opinion) I think the 2GR was, at best, a step sideways in terms of development.

The downsizing and direct injection fueling helped with fuel efficiency, sure. But only by about 9% over the 1GR V6. Nine percent is not trivial by any means, but in order to realize that efficiency (while still avoiding the valve coking like you've mentioned), the engine now has two independent and complex fueling systems. Two fuel pumps, two supply manifolds, two sets of injectors, etc. One on low pressure (45 psi) and the other high (2000+ psi). It was probably the best approach, but those are still additional components that will wear and need replacement or rebuild as the miles add up.

Secondly, the 2GR was never a truck engine to begin with. It's entire development and production cycles were for FWD/transverse, car-based platforms like the Camry, Sienna, etc. They're fine engines to be sure- Toyota makes a great V6. But the powerband is way too peaky, with the bulk of power and torque arriving higher in the rev range. Pair that with the 6-speed automatic that was always upshifting to keep the RPMs low for maximizing fuel economy, and you get a vehicle that's constantly gear hunting and frustrating to drive. I don't know if they'd ever be able to fully tune that experience away, because the problems are fundamental to Toyota's hardware selection.

There are also reliability problems that crop up in off-road use- look up oil starvation for 3rd gen Tacomas. If the truck is climbing too steep of an incline for extended periods of time, the oil pools in the valve covers because the drains aren't designed for steep inclines. The truck starts smoking through the valves while the bottom end is starved of oil, which can cause a blown engine at any mileage.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/smoking-while-on-a-incline.511373/

The 1GR is a rock-solid, torquey truck engine, designed that way from the start. I think it's better than the Tacoma 2GR in nearly every way except for fuel economy.

 

What do I think?
Get back to me in 3 years.

 

I'm convinced the 3.5 was just a placeholder, Toyota knew the whole time where they were going with their powertrains, but they weren't ready in 2016. So they raided the parts bin for the 3.5, being confident that even though it was less than ideal, people would still buy simply because it says "Tacoma" on the tailgate. And they were 100% correct.

I also agree about the 1GR. While I'm not a big fan, I do recognize it's superior to the 3.5 in these applications. And honestly, it IS capable of decent economy. I drove 411 miles on my last tank before filling up, still had 50miles DTE. I hand calculated 22.0mpg that tank. It was all commuting, mostly highway at 70mph or less. But still, pretty damn good for what it is.

I also think the 1GR has proven it's long term reliability, I haven't really heard of any high mileage 3.5s yet.

 

The 1GR-FE continues to be available on the 300 series Land Cruiser in the Middle East which is the Land Cruiser's largest market. It is an excellent engine. Far exceeding the reliability of the 3.5 in the Tacoma, which is a car engine used in this pickup truck. All hail the 1GR-FE.

 

Yep, this mess and the CANBUS I do not need in my life at all. The 317 ft lbs of torque sounds cool, but I just installed a Magnuson on my new Runner giving me 378.

 

Where is the actual engine? Can’t even see it. Wow. Must be fun to clean dirt and mud off of that bag of pipes.

 

Oh yeah, all the new engine platforms are gonna love doing this. Reliability always gets better when you blast dirt and mud into the engine bay.