Quote:
Originally Posted by Sutripta ^^^
Any comments on
A) Ride quality
B) Dipped beam
C) Scuttle shake (I know, I know)
D) Brakes to be discussed in a separate post all by itself.
Regards
Sutripta
PS. BTW, which is the largest vessel in the J. Navy now? |
Hi Su - The largest ship today of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces is possibly the JDS Hyuga - a helicopter carrier/destroyer.
To anwer your Q's:
A) Ride quality
To me - after today's run of twisties and compared to the Scorpio - Superb !
B) Dipped beam
Low beam is truly average. Very pedestrian but I guess does the job as mentioned earlier.
C) Scuttle shake (I know, I know)
Haven't felt that happening.
D) Brakes to be discussed in a separate post all by itself.
My current experience states that it is rather adequate on the Admiral. Possibly because of my driving style. And the couple of times where I have had to jam it seemed OK and the vehicle behaved well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vinaydas Congrats on the new ride. Excellent writeup by the way .
I have extensively driven the fortuner and found the engine rather adequate as opposed to being a scorcher. |
Never driven an engine which could be called a scorcher. However the TF engine to me now is very, very capable. Pulling strength on highways, spurts, bursts, chases all done with great pizzazz. I thought the Scorpio CRDe engine was a delight - so is this, though the behaviours are quite different. This is a steady performer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SumitBahl Fantastic writeup. Enjoyed every bit of it.
Congrats on your new acquisition!!
You can get a custom leather stitched on the steering wheel. I chose a thick stanley leather which was stitched around the steering wheel on my swift. It feels much better and chunky now. |
Thanks for the compliments Sumit.
Thanks for the tip on the chunky steering wheel.
But fortunately I have now really gotten used to the Admiral's wheel. Wonder how people feel like driving vehicles with chunky steering wheels ! Must be a truly primordial human need to hold a thick club in one's hands.....tch, tch,tch......truly not refined tastes in today's world ! Ooops ! What have I started ?!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Liner I test drove the T-Fort last week-end, and:
1. Ride quality: Fantastic. Really soaked the bumps. No judder. The car had about 27k on the odo.
2. Scuttle shake - I guess this is the rear getting out of hand on hard braking. Does not happen. ABS does its job.
3. Brakes: No fuss braking. I did 100 and came to an absolute stand-still without a screech. The brakes were very reassuring.
Toyota has done its job of fixing the niggles rather quickly. If an upgrade from the Scorp or the Safari - its the T-Fort all the way. I just wish they gave some more goodies in the interior - would have really completed the package. |
Hi Venky, Sure, almost a reflection of my experiences.
Quote:
Originally Posted by suman Thanks for reinforcing what I felt during my Test Drive
Nobody believed me when I said this, although I probably didn't express myself as well |
Hi Suman, This must be one of the quirks of the T Fort. But luckily the brakes have vastly improved,I presume, from the first releases. Though it sort of 'sinks' on you - it does a super job as of now for me. And far less scarier than the Scorpio overall - the basic brakes, the whole shake, ratlle and roll experience etc.
Wonder whether the 'sinking' feeling has got to do something with the type of break liners/pads or just simply shifting hydraulics. Would be interesting to know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by n.devdath Thats a nice update Guderian, or shall I call you Admiral now??!!!
You pretty much echo my feelings after a few extended drives with the T Fort to Ooty, Mysore and a few other places. It somehow doesn't feel as comfortable from a driver's angle when compared to the Scorpio due to its thin steering wheel, low seating position, and that diesel roar intruding into the cabin at most times, at least in the city.
What are your observations on the headlights, again compared to the Scorpio and otherwise?
But then, there is no other SUV at this price range which can come close to it when it comes to reliability, low TCO and most of all, longevity.
Sighh...I wish I could buy the completely "Made in Japan" Prado. |
Hi Dev,
Thanks.
I am of course Guderian and the companion Admiral Togo !
I find the headlights over all better than the Scorpio. The other observations - I sure am getting used to the various points and don't really find them bothersome. I guess that happens when you realise that there is not much you can do about some of the things. But the engine noise seems to be reducing as the engine settles down. Psychological ? May be not truly so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM Guderian congrats, superb write up, loved your narration style and attention to detail.
The photographs seen here are the most detailed and unique views and angles of the insides of a vehicle.
Wish you a lot of happy (s)miles. And do keep the updates coming. |
Hi ACM - Thanks a million !
Quote:
Originally Posted by n.devdath You know, it is things like this and a few other things mentioned by Guderian that make me feel that our own Scorpios and Safaris are actually very very close to the T-Fort in most areas. Wot say? |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sutripta Hi,
Thanks. But would also like to hear from people who use it on a daily basis.
Scuttle Shake:- Result of insufficient torsional rigidity.
Regards
Sutripta |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Manuuj Hi Guderian!
First things first..have rated your thread a full 5 Stars. It is a wonderfully written and superbly witty peice with very well taken pictures.
Ricky would have guessed that you are a Yoga Teacher instead of an Advertising Executive or Lawyer if he had seen the angles from which you have clicked the Admirals innards.
My absolute favorite is the one in which 'the Admiral' is growling at the Captiva from across the road.
Congratulations on the acquisition of the Fortuner. I am very confident that you will have many years of Happy Milecrunching and be prepared to be surprised by the low mainatainence costs. (Though parts like wing mirrors are horridly expensive as i found out recently much to my disdain)
Silver was the right color choice as i feel it is harder and less prone to scratches and swirl marks than the Mica White of my Fortuner.
I will suggest you upgrade your music system to the Pioneer P4250 or any equivalent full screentype system and have a rear view camera installed. It really is a boon and makes reversing a breeze. Its also very useful in seeing small animals behind the car or as in my case once a tiny child frolicking in my intended trajectory.
Do also get used to the looks from PYT's! They somehow still keep coming and now i am harboring the delusion that it may have something to do with me rather than my beast.
I have had mine since December 2009 and it makes me smile whenever im driving it. Even the FE figures are a revelation with the Fortuner once returning upward of 14.3 kmpl on a particularly lazy 380 km drive.
My Thread is "White Toyota Fortuner TRD..25,000 Wonderful Kilometers"
though i must warn you i had no hand in making my Fortuner look like a Punjabi Lala meets Bihari Politician meets LA Pimp.
I wish you many miles of happy motoring ahead, do keep the posts coming!
I look forward to seeing more pictures and updates of the Admiral. |
Hi Manuuj, Many thanks for the warm words. Warms the cockles of me heart ! To be frank your white TFort was among the first of them that started my lust and longing for a change. And did read your write up about the T Fort and the RRover etc and getting into some nasty corners etc. But I wasn't even remotely tempted by the RRover - I had eyes only for the TFort. Possibly due the factor of attainability. And so my friend, your write up and snaps among others did serve as a catalyst !
About the various upgrades - after what I have spent on the Admiral - what I am planning to do is to offer pay rides to the office chaps who Q me about the particulars of the growler, just to recoup ! And Sunday pay rides for the colony kids and folks. Something akin to the barn stormers of the 1920s who offered Dollar rides to popularise flying in those early days.
Upgrades ? The only upgrade I am currently looking at is a salary upgrade !
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbeast Congratulations for the lovely Fort. My Last 30 min were interesting, thanks to those five pages and elaborated driving experience.
One question though, Do you really feel Fort is worth twice the money you put on scorpio/safari. I do know that few things like premium image, Awd cannot be measured here. But from a practical stand point, do you feel your money is well spent ?
I'm advising someone in my family to book a vento and wait for 2011 safari which would workout the same price. |
Hi Blackbeast, Thanks for reading through.
To mind very clearly because of various factors I do feel that it is money well spent. I could list a few hundred points here - but all I can say is thank God I spent the money on T Fort and nothing else. (Aside - Can I say anything else ?!! From where I find myself now !).
No, but seriously speaking, somethings truly can't be measured - like delights of discovering a good FE (an FE of 13.53 KMPL on a behemoth with AWD like this, is too good to be true !), some of the features that really help you on the road - that AWD being oneetc etc. What more can I say ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by creative420 I wanted to write more, but my boss just shouted at me for spending too much time on TBHP.
Awesome car. Awesome review. Awesome writing. 5 stars (wish there were 7). |
Hi Creative 420, Thanks for the super thumbs up !
Oh - BTW - my boss encourages me to spend more time on TBHP. That way he reckons I'll be less damaging to the organisation elsewhere ! God knows I have had to work hard to attain this status !