> there's a big difference between a V8 in a car and one for
> a truck, if you take the engine straight out of a Lexxus and put it in a
> truck it isn't going to pull shit, because it is designed more for speed
> and doesn't have the low-end torque needed in a truck
When I was shopping for a truck in 1995, we took a long close look
at everything that was out there. The Toyota Tacoma was new that
year, and I gave it a shot just like I did for the Ranger, S-10/15,
and Dakota. Also looked at the T-100, but just long enough to find
out that the Tacoma line had the exact same engines.
There was a lot of press at the time about Toyota's great 190HP
V6, and what a marvel of engineering and efficiency it was. Well,
from what I could gather, it was pretty much straight out of the now
defunct 300ZX line. The torque curve was mighty peaky, and all up
in the upper RPM range. Basically, it was a detuned sports car
engine.
What with the outrageous prices the Toyota dealers charge around
here, we just kept on looking. The Tacoma was geared towards the
sports truck crowd, not towards people who actually wanted a truck
that would tow and haul.
Toyota might make great vehicles, but their whole quality mythos
makes the consumer fair game. The Dakota was twice the truck for the
money, and I don't regret purchasing it one bit.
Ron
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