Everything To Know About Toyota's 2TR-FE 4 Cylinder Engine

Toyota is no stranger to success. In fact, according to Kelley Blue Book, Toyota had five of the world's 10 best-selling passenger vehicles in 2022. This includes the indomitable Hilux pickup truck, which ranked sixth despite the Hilux not being sold in the truck-happy United States because of a 1964 import tariff known as the "Chicken Tax." In place of the Hilux, the United States has the Tacoma. These trucks have been powered by ultra-dependable engines like the 22RE 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and the 3.4 liter 5VZ-FE V6, an ideal engine for off-road vehicles. 

In between those two engines in terms of displacement sits the 2.7-liter, 4-cylinder 2TR-FE. It first appeared in 2003 and has since been used in SUVs, trucks, and vans like the Hilux, Hiace, Land Cruiser, and 4Runner. It followed the 3RZ-FE, another 2.7-liter four that took the baton from the 22RE in 1994 and handed it off to the 2TR-FE before bowing out of the lineup in 2004.    

[Featured image by Yones via Wikimedia Commons|Cropped and scaled|CC-By 3.0]

The 2TR-FE had the same cast iron block and aluminum head as its predecessor, and also carried over the 16-valve dual overhead cam system with variable valve timing on both banks of valves. Bore and stroke were equal at 95 millimeters (3.74 inches), giving the 2TR-FE a precise total displacement of 2,693 cc or 164.3 cubic inches (via MotorReviewer).

Output ranged from 160-164 horsepower and 178-181 lb-ft of torque depending on the application, and Toyota recommended that owners change the 6.1 quarts of 0W-20 or 5W-20 full synthetic oil every 6,000 miles or 12 months. As of this writing, the 2TR-FE is being phased out by Toyota. It was dropped from the lineup in Canadian vehicles in 2020, although commercial fleet customers can still buy trucks and SUVs that use this engine. American Land Cruiser and Highlander buyers are limited to a 2.4 liter I4, and the Tacoma now comes with a 3.5 liter V6 as standard equipment.