Quote:
Originally Posted by Clev
There's no reason why the 2.3L shouldn't be able to tow 4,000 pounds and get 30 mpg unloaded, but they specifically put in a lighter duty manual transmission with the 4-banger, as well as going light on the suspension parts, because they want to keep pushing the big trucks.
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Which is pretty much what my '88 Toyota does. 4 cyl, 2.3 liter engine, 3500 lb tow rating, averages 26-27 mpg - and that's with 4WD, and mostly driven with loads or on really rough dirt.
I agree that a lot of it is down to the manufacturers and their often-mistaken ideas of profit maximization. They can sell larger trucks (or big cars & SUVs) at a higher profit margin (plus avoiding all sorts of inconvenient regulations), so they think they can make more money overall by selling only big trucks. But what happens instead is that a lot of people who might be willing to buy a new small truck are instead buying the '80s Toyotas and the like. So in fact they've lost business.