Hey folks,
Me and my dad were fortunate enough to experience this beast yesterday for over 500 kms. So, I planned put down my list of likes and dislikes abut this beast.
PRELUDE :
The car was bought by my uncle so that his dad can use it. This particular Fortuner is replacing the aging Innova what his dad owns. BTW, my uncle also has a Porsche Cayenne and a Mercedes Benz S-Class. This is the top-end 4x2 Diesel (2.8) AT which I'm going to talk about. We got to experience this beast yesterday because we all were going to our farm which is 250 kms away from our city. Though for 90-95% of the time, the chauffeur drove this car, my dad drove it for other 5-10% which included undivided section of roads and a 6-lane expressway.
EXTERIORS :
The styling of the new Fortuner is much talked on all the forums and my take on the styling is no different from those. The front end looks like a
Chinese Warrior and the front-end is a bit overdone IMO. Though this grows on you overtime, it didn't grow on for us atleast. I feel that the ol' Fortuner looked butch and timeless at the same time whereas the new one looks butch but looks a bit too flashy and futuristic to my liking. I'm a guy who likes a blend of understated looks plus a pinch of futuristic design ( Jeep Compass and Tata Hexa does this rightly for me atleast ). The front-end is loaded with lots of chrome which is not to my liking. The headlamps are so thin and are swept back and look a bit too flashy again.
The side profile looks handsome with the new alloy-design and the wheels fill the wheel arches well and I've got no complaints here as well.
The rear-end is what I like the most in this beast. I'm a sucker for those LED lights which look sick when in action and the rear end has a perfect blend of understated looks plus a pinch of futuristic design which cannot be said for the front-end.
Coming to the paint quality, the paint quality has orange-peel effect which is glaringly obvious. Not a
good sign Toyota. Small things like this spoil the feel of owning an expensive Toyota. The panel-gaps are consistent and I've got no complaints in this regard.
INTERIORS :
The interiors was something about which I always had a complaint with the old Fortuner. The new one does rectify my complaint in this regard. The dashboard up-front is leather wrapped and the quality feels top-notch and good to touch. The plastics are also of good quality and my dad's in love with the interiors of the new beast. The touchscreen is of the correct size (unlike my Hexa) and is good to use for most of the time.
The old fortuner was a perfect blend of a family mover and a proper 4x4. Unfortunately, the new one has forgotten the first trait of its predecessor. The comfort levels in the cabin is nothing home to talk about. The first row of seats (i.e the driver and co-driver) offer adequate comfort, the second and third row comes as a surprise to use. Due to the higher floor and lower placement of the seat, under-thigh support was a miss even for average-height adults and my dad was ever complaining sitting in the middle of the second row, Here, at this particular point, the under-thigh support as well as the headroom was a concern. Add to that the ride quality of the truck made sure that my dad would suffer from a back pain at the end of the trip (which did happen). My grandpa (my uncles dad) was also complaining about the middle-row seat comfort and he usually occupies the co-driver's seat. The third row is just about adequate and I personally felt that my Hexa's third row was better.
The ride-quality though improved over the predecessor is way too far from plush. I was feeling this especially after experiencing the mind-blowing ride quality of my Hexa. I could feel every bump on the road and almost each and every thing was filtered into the cabin. Though, the expressway ride-quality is better than before and is good enough. The overall NVH levels were also great. No complaints in this regard.
So, the Pro's and Con's of this beast for me.
Pro's : - Tough built-quality. Toyota's Body-On-frame UV's are known to last the distance.
- The 2.8 ltr Diesel powertrain is very refined and is perfectly mated to the AT gearbox.
- Safety Features such as 7-Airbags, ABS, ESP, TC, Hill assist,...etc.
- Toyota's reliability and after-sales service are top-notch and assures peace of mind.
- Interiors are practical and user friendly and everything is easily accessible.
Con's : - Pricey. The new Fortuner is pricey for what it has on offer. It's not a VFM 'et all. The chief competitor i.e the Ford endeavour is priced a lot less for what it has on offer.
- Missing equipment vis-a-vis the competition such as a sunroof, auto-dimming IRVM, lumbar adjustment, front parking sensors,...etc.
- Ride-Quality is a miss.
- Cost-cutting in a few areas such as the ICE quality, camera display,..etc.
- No cheaper/smaller diesel variant available like the Endy 2.2 for the mass market.
Thanks for reading,
Varun