Toyota gives its Fortuner better looks, more power
While the handling has improved and the feeling is plush overall, the jacked up pricetag make the new SUV classleader on that front as well
Toyota’s big, burly Fortuner has been the de facto choice for premium SUV buyers ever since it was launched in 2009. The outgoing model remained a strong seller despite the onslaught of modern competition like the Ford Endeavour and the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Now, with the all-new Fortuner, launched this month, Toyota hopes to further cement its position over the upmarket SUV segment.
The new Fortuner retains the old model’s design DNA. You still get the massive grille, a tough-as-nails look and imposing road presence. However, there’s a nice modernity to the design that brings it up to date. It’s no longer square-jawed or upright like the old model was, and there is a certain sleekness to the lines that are more flowing and rakish. The slim, LED-equipped headlight units add to the futuristic look and plenty of chrome details that adorn the bodywork give the new Fortuner a more premium feel.
This Fortuner is based on Toyota’s latest Hilux pick-up truck, so there’s little to doubt about its toughness. Also, it iss longer, wider and heavier than the older version by a mile.
The interiors of the Fortuner too have received a much-required upgrade. The dashboard, unlike the earlier car, isn’t a copy-paste job from the Innova Crysta. It is considerably plusher than the earlier Fortuner, featuring leather-lined material all round and an attractive central console. But there are a few low-rent plastic bits used in the lower parts of the dash, so overall the quality is a bit of a mixed bag.
Up front, there’s more shoulder-room and headroom, and Toyota has managed to free up more space by using slimmer seats. The new leather seats however are still generous enough for large frames and come with good cushioning all round to hold you in place. Many owners will spend most of their time in the second row, where comfort is spot-on. The view out is nice, the seat base is quite wide and long and the reclining backrest adds to the comfort. You get an armrest too, which folds flush into the back rest so as to not compromise comfort for the middle passenger.
In fact, three abreast is quite comfortable in the new Fortuner’s middle row and even the central seat-belt not a typi- cal lap belt but a proper three-point harness.
Access to the third row is easy thanks to a briliiantly designed ‘one-touch’ function that flips and tumbles the seats at the pull of a lever. There’s a decent amount of space and comfort by third row standard which is usually best for kids. But, over short distances, adults won’t complain either. Importantly, last row passengers get three-point seatbelts and conveniences like dedicated AC vents, cupholders and power sockets. However, there’s only one USB socket for seven passengers, which, in today’s connected age, is just not enough.
There’s no stinting on safety features, though, and the Fortuner is equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), seven airbags and pedestrian protection.
The features list also includes cruise control, a reverse camera, park assist and electrically operated tail gate, to name a few. However, a few key features are missing. You don’t get parking sensors, for instance, nor dual-zone climate control and rather cruelly, even a sunroof, which is a popular feature in highend cars.
The new Fortuner’s 177hp 2.8-litre diesel engine is a quite responsive unit. It is punchy for regular driving and is impressively smooth when driven in a relaxed manner. The engine, however, does get noisy when you rev it hard and there’s a constant drone from the diesel unit, if you’re driving it in a hurry.
Like the Innova Crysta, with which the Fortuner shares its engine, you get the same three driving modes – Eco, Power and Normal (default). While the Power mode is best suited for spirited driving, the Normal mode is the one you want to slip into for a leisurely drive. The Eco mode, of course, lets you extract the best out of every litre of fuel, but here, you experience a significant drop in performance.
Toyota offers the diesel Fortuner with six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, and both versions perform quite impressively.
The automatic gears shift smoothly and there are paddle shifters change gears manually. In the ‘S’ mode, you can manually select the max gear that you’d like the car to drive in, and is useful while climbing up or down, for instance negotiating a ghat section, but there’s no doubt it saps a bit of performance compared to the manual mode.
The short-throw six-speed manual is clearly the one to go for if you enjoy driving. The clutch is fairly light, and shifting gears doesn’t require too much effort either. It even gets Toyota’s Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT) system that blips the throttle, rally-driver style, when you downshift to make changing gears smooth and enjoyable.
The 166hp 2.7-litre petrol engine (the same unit from the Innova Crysta) is the one to pick if you’re looking for refinement. It’s smooth at low speeds, and there’s good power when you accelerate. What you do miss is the sheer pulling power of the diesel and its frugality too.
In the official driving cycle, the Fortuner petrol manual returned a mileage of 10.01 kpl, which would translate to a gas-guzzling 5-6 kpl in the real world. The diesels are naturally more efficient with official figures of 14.24kpl and 12.9kpl for the manual and automatic models respectively, with the lower cost of diesel making it an even more attractive proposition.
Where the Fortuner has significantly improved is in the ride and handling department. The outgoing model had a crude and bumpy ride over bumps and potholes, but the new car feels much more stable and offers a flatter and more consistent ride. Yes, it still rolls and pitches when driven in a hurry but despite being considerably heavy, it feels more agile.
It excels on bad roads and its ability to glide over deep potholes and broken roads is truly impressive. What’s also nice is that the steering is well-sorted. It’s lighter than before and this makes parking and manouvering through traffic that much easier.
The big change with the new Fortuner is that unlike the older car’s permanent four-wheel drive, the new model gets Toyota’s Sigma 4 AWD system. This system lets you switch to two-wheel-drive mode and disconnects the drive to the front wheels. Theoretically, this reduces wear and tear and improves fue efficiency as there are fewer moving parts. It is also said to improve mileage, with the engine driving fewer wheels directly.
It is fairly obvious that the new Fortuner is a generation leap forward and a considerable improvement over the older car. It is bigger, better-equipped and far more comfortable. It’s much nicer to drive too.
However, priced at ₹25.92 - 27.61 lakh for the petrol and ₹27.52 - 31.12 lakh for the diesel (ex-showroom, Delhi), the new Fortuner is also considerably costlier than the outgoing vehicle, and becomes the most expensive in its class. It may not offer the best value but the legendary reliability of Toyota makes it an SUV with which you just cannot go wrong. For many car owners, that utter peace of mind only the Fortuner can offer is priceless, easily worth the price tag.
THERE’S NO STINTING ON SAFETY FEATURES, THOUGH, AND THE FORTUNER IS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL,
SEVEN AIRBAGS AND PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION. BUT A FEW KEY FEATURES ARE MISSING: PARKING SENSORS, DUALZONE CLIMATE CONTROL EVEN A SUNROOF