According to sources placed within Toyota Motor Company, the Japanese automaker has decided to remove the four-cylinder engine from the 2011 4Runner, leaving just the 4.0-liter V6 engine.
This new information comes from Truck Trend, who say the sources pointed to an incredibly low take rate for the four-cylinder powerplant, likely due to the fact that the six-cylinder engine only averages about one less mile per gallon mixed compared to the less powerful four-cylinder offering.
The 4Runner’s 4.0-liter V6 boasts 270 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque, and in two-wheel drive trim is good for 17 city, 23 highway mpg, with a mixed EPA rating of 19 mpg. By contrast, the 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine only pumps out 157 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque – a massive disparity, particularly when considering the vehicle’s weight is in the realm of 4,750 lbs. Despite its anemic power rating, the four-cylinder is only rated at 18 city, 23 highway, with a mixed rating of 20 mpg.
The difference in price between the two engines is $1,675 MSRP, which explains why the automaker is believed to have sold fewer than a thousand models equipped with the four-cylinder engine.
Toyota has not announced the move officially, however, but if the sources are true this will mark the second time an engine has been removed from the 4Runner’s option list in so many years. Toyota removed its V8 engine from the 4Runner in 2010.
References
1.’Exclusive: Toyota says good bye…’ view
