4 banger ?
The v6 got much better in 96
This is what I would have said, without thinking. But Paul is actually correct, they switched motors when they changed to the Tacomas in 95 1/2. We always said the 3.0 v6 that came in the older (non-Tacoma) Toyotas was junk; but actually it was a pretty good motor, it was only junk compared to the bulletproof 22r and 22re motors. But I firmly believe that the 3.4 v6 that they came out with, when they came out with the Tacomas in 95 1/2 was the best motor Toyota ever made.
I've owned at least one Toyota pickup since I was 16 years old, currently I own a 89 with the 22re and a 09. While I love the older pre-Tacoma Toyotas, my personal opinion is their best trucks were 98-04 Tacomas, and retail value reflects that (why I don't own one currently, I'm with Angela, they are great, but overpriced). I regret selling my 2000 with the 3.4. By the time I put 350K on the older trucks they were usually using some oil and I was having to do fiddly work to the engine, not so with that truck, when I sold it to my dad (he lost a cylinder in his 05 (at 427K) and needed a hunting truck immediately) it had 400K on it and the only thing I had ever done to the motor was replace a fuel injector, plugs, timing belt, and change oil regular. Not sure how many miles it has on it now, but he still uses it as his local hunting truck, driven about five days a week and still hasn't touched the motor on it.