Driving Dynamics of the Turbo V6 vs Hybrid

Hey guys. I had the chance to finally test drive a standard turbo V6 in the Limited trim today. Interior is great, massive step up from my old 2nd Gen.

I was underwhelmed by the engine. Some definite turbo lag even in sport mode. The dealer refused to let me test drive a Hybrid unless I bought the truck. I’m looking for a Hybrid Max 1794 but obviously want to drive one first. New dealership for me!

That being said, how much “better” is the hybrid power plant over the standard turbo V6? (Throttle lag, et al) Thanks all in advance! Worth it to find/wait for a 1794 Hybrid?

 

Not worth the wait, the Hybrid isn't better in any way other than low end power delivery. Does not boost fuel economy, hardly supplements acceleration, and takes up a ton of back seat space.

That said, I'd still find a new dealer if they won't let you test drive a vehicle you'd like to purchase.

 

Thanks for the insight - great point with underseat storage. To clarify - the turbo blows my Tacoma out of the water. My wife has an X7 and in my head I was comparing to how the Bimmer drove which is unfairly smooth.

 

The X7 is just light years ahead of the Tundra. Just need to set your expectations accordingly, still a pretty great truck for me so far. Just little quirky things, and the hybrid motor is a waste in my opinion.

 

Appreciate the insight. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing a big step up in throttle response/acceleration with the Hybrid.

 

After the engine warms up there is very little, if any, lag. The only time I ever notice it is after I back out of my driveway and then put it in forward.

 

The only true statement you've made is about taking up rear seat space. The rest is patently false. It DOES improve fuel economy (whether you think it's enough or not doesn't matter, because it does and you stated it doesn't), and it gives a good boost to acceleration. The only time you'll see it looking like it doesn't is when some youtuber who doesn't know how to pull off a 0-60 run tries dragging a TRD Pro, which doesn't accelerate as fast as the other trims.

 

Well thanks for your anecdotes, not sure why they are more valuable than mine. I too am an owner of an iForce Max, so I speak from real world experience, as do you. However, feel free to put forth your acceleration numbers, accelerometer data, fuel economy vs your non hybrid engine (Not EPA data) which has proven very unreliable if you compare to your actual fuel economy driving daily.

Your opinion doesn't de-value mine, nor is the opposite true. This person asked for real world experience and input, so I provided that. I'm averaging 17.2 mpg as of my last fill up, which sucks. Many non hybrid users are reporting 20+ mpg in the fuel economy thread so how do you determine fact from fiction there? What is the actual improvement in acceleration?

 

Why does everyone expect to achieve EPA fuel economy numbers? The EPA fuel economy test loop doesn’t resemble anyone’s actually usage. They don’t test at typical highway speeds outside of the ridiculously low speeds you might find on the eastern seaboard states that are barely larger than counties in states out west. Where I live the speed limit on the interstate is 80 MPH, there is no way any truck is likely to achieve EPA numbers that were generated at only 60 MPH. Adding 33% over the EPA test speed adds way more extra air resistance than 33%.

 

Why even publish them then? Don't blame the consumers for assuming there is ANY correlation between the EPA fuel test and their real world expectations. I know I am not going to get anywhere near EPA rating, but that doesn't diminish the fact that my hybrid does worse on fuel than my friends non-hybrid, which also correlates well with the findings on this forum. That's all anecdotal, but not completely irrelevant either.

 

They Hybrid is patently better. They engineered this drivetrain as a hybrid knowing they could strip it out for cost savings. You cant pretend that adding extra horsepower throughout the entire RPM range (the whole curve is shifted up) "doesnt supplement acceleration". Thats incorrect. It does and it is very noticeable especially at low RPM.
One thing people dont talk about is fuel savings at idle. If you work in your truck and idle a lot you will save a lot of gas.

 

There are a ton of variables that would need to be accounted for between your results and anyone else’s results.

Not that I’m defending or advocating for the iForceMax or the regular iForce, in fact at this point I’m not terribly impressed with either of them based on reviews and testing, but it is still tough to make an apples to apples comparison. We would need nearly identical trucks outside of engines, and the same driver on the same day same conditions and same route to conclude whether the hybrid saved fuel or used more. Then we would need to be able to control traffic too.

I am also going to guess that since the iForceMax trucks are just starting to hit the ground, that most of them aren’t broken in yet. That seems to be a thing with the V35A-FTS, as the standard Tundra iForce owners usually reported atrocious mileage the first 5K miles or more.

Now to make things worse we’re on winter blend fuel, and that usually hurts fuel efficiency along with idling to warm up etc.

 

Not to knock the taco, of which I currently am in a 2020 trd pro tacoma, but its definitely not hard to blow it out of the water. I just reserved a tundra with the ifmax, so will see how she goes.

 

I’m pleased with my TT as far as power goes, I don’t understand the fuss about turbo lag it’s really not that bad

 

I drove both. I like hybrid better. Just feels better on low end. I do get decent mileage with hybrid model. I prefer it over non hybrid.

 

Why buy a hybrid if it doesn't improve fuel economy? Isn't that the main purpose plus maybe some acceleration which you shouldn't care about in a truck.
I'm thinking hybrid will have a much better mpg maybe Toyota is working on it or tweaking stuff ...

 

no, this isn’t a Prius , the main purpose is torque for towing, it has way more

that said , I’m going with the no hybrid since the loss of storage is unacceptable as is the price difference for what you get .

the regular one is fine for me, my boat is smaller though and I’m not racing

 

I thought TT V6 had a better torque than NA V8 which was already good enough ...

Toyota maybe facing a very limited market if the main reason for hybrid is the low end torque.

But good to know, didn't know torque was the main reason. I'll make sure to keep my V8 or maybe even the TT-V6 but never a hybrid for me.

 

I drive a 2020 tundra TRD off road daily to work and "occasionally " get to drive the wife's 23 sequioa and it is by far better at accelerating, passing, stop and go traffic. Not mind blowing better in MPG than my tundra but knew that going in... sorry, my 2 cents. I will admit I have never test driven a non hybrid tundra and don't plan too...

 

more low end torque is never a bad thing , so they aren’t limiting the market , imo.

its the fact that it not executed well enough as an entire package to me. You lose the storage , get no increased power anywhere in the truck (400watts ) is still the max , and there is no other benefit.

If you tow everyday heavy then maybe that’s another story.

if they added other nice things like on board power gen like ford and didn’t lose the storage , that would be different for me

 

Do you have to pay $10K for the "hybrid battery" after 10 years when warranty is out.

 

i don’t think it’s anywhere near that anymore especially since they didn’t go with lithium

 

https://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/tundra/2022/swb/1155769/fuelchart

Reason for low gas mileage in spots was because I was towing.

 

I have driven both and own the hybrid. The non hybrid I drove was an SR5 rental. I got the hybrid because I did not like the turbo lag in the non hybrid. To me, the hybrid was worth it as I believe it is a smoother power train - I don’t care about MPG etc. Everyone will make their own decisions and squabble over this or that, so I would wait to drive both and see what you like. A bunch of random voices on the internet aren’t going to help you.

 

the market demand for hybrids is much stronger than the regulars, just look…. Probably doesn’t they’ll that they don’t build as many though

 

Some people’s feet are heavier than others. People just drive differently. I mean, we all have driven behind someone slow as heck in the fast lane. I’m damn sure they got some bad ass mileage in anything those slow mofo’s drive.

I love my hybrid. Its smooth and shit ton of power. I was averaging 20-21 before my lift and E load Mt’s. I’m consistently getting 18-19 now. Calculated by hand and dash and both numbers line up for me.

More power, better resale, and I guess no lag since I have never driven a non-hybrid.

I will never talk down on a non-hybrid. I have never driven one and surely don’t own one. I don’t have the right to do so.

Aloha…

 

Hybrid hands down is worth the extra coin if your even considering a limited trim or above. I have a modded RCSB that is raw with its 5.7 but enjoy the smooth power delivery of this Hybrid. The non hybrid is nice if you have a budget but hybrid is where it's at. I picked up my fully loaded Limited Hybrid off the showroom floor for right at 4k under sticker. This is my 6th Tundra and by far the best yet 

 

I'm happy with my hybrid. driving through my neighborhood trying to make it all the way home on only electric power is my favorite mini game. you also get the full digital display instead of analog gauges which i really like. losing some backseat space is a bummer though.

 

So let's assume that I'm planning on keeping my non hybrid truck for 15 years...

Because I don't have a hybrid, my truck will be more reliable throughout the ownership, cheaper to maintain, easier to fix, less things can break, and no batteries to worry about?

Are my assumptions correct?

 

the hybrid system is an addition to the truck, not sure if the truck is undriveable with a HV motor failure, but i would guess that toyota would've designed it to drive like a normal truck if the hybrid portion failed? EV's don't really need any maintenance except an oil change, right? doesn't seem all that spooky to me