My friend was yet to decide on the replacement to his Innova and he being an avidly loyal Toyota user, Test Driving the Beast was just a matter of time and was planned for a Sunday.
I would like to say that the Team-BHP Review is Superb and covers most aspects of the New Toyota Fortuner from all dimensions. To add to it, can't thank Karan enough for the wonderful ownership review. I would like to share some bits from my Test Drive Experience of the Fortuner as under :
Date of Test Drive :
29th of January 2017, Sunday
Test Drive was provided by :
Saini Toyota
Vehicle Variant :
Toyota Fortuner 2.8L 4x4 MT
Colour of Vehicle :
Super White
No. of heads in the Vehicle while Test Driving : 5 Adults (including Dealership Personnel)
Kilometers traveled while Test Driving :
Approximately 15 Kms with some Soft Offroading as well
Note : Test Drive was done with the windows rolled up and the Climate Control On and the Infotainment Off (for most of the time)
My Take on the New Toyota Fortuner 2.8L MT 4x4: Designing : Excellent stance and a very commanding Road Presence. Looks modern and muscular.
Discovering the other SUVs to be Hatch Like (No Offenses) :
Ingress and Egress : Well it's a SUV and one should be prepared for the climb up
Instrumentation & Infotainment : The Touchscreen Infotainment System provides very good sound quality all around the Cabin and responses well to touch. The touch screen is also very responsive. Did not listen to much music though as the focus was on the vehicle. The Speedo & Tacho Dials are pretty snazzy to look at with the Blue effect.
Cabin, Comfort & Seating : Leather written all over in the inside of the vehicle which gives it a very premium feel indeed. The dashes of Rosewood just add to the grandeur. The All three rows of seat offer phenomenal comfort. The under thigh support on the driver's seat is also good and offer a very commanding driving position.
Impressive 2nd row legroom with the seats pushed front and the driver's seat in my driving position :
Boot Space : Pretty Average like all it's rivals in this segment.
Notice the solid hydraulic bars on the Boot which open and close with the press of a button :
NVH Levels : NVH Levels are minimal while on the move and extremely minimal while idling. The idling sound is pretty sweet instead.
Handling : The Steering is very responsive and efficient. The turning radius for a SUV of this size is indeed impressive. The vehicle overall handles pretty well.
Body Roll : Well the body roll is pretty evidently there but much lesser than the previous generation Fortuner. The Ford Endevour feels better in this regard.
Suspension & Ride Quality : The suspension is remarkable. It gulps in most of the undulated roads without passing on anything to the passengers inside. The overall ride quality is very smooth.
The Ground Clearance checked with a 1L Bottle :
H/T Tires on the 4x4 Variant; the wheels wells should have been covered :
Air Conditioning : It was fading winter time. We set the Climate Control @ 23 degrees and it was very comfortable within a few seconds.
Braking : Overall very good. However, hard braking with a nose down position invites a lot of body roll.
Driving Experience : The 2.8L Engine is indeed very smooth yet powerful to drive in the stock mode. What lies under the hood is very uncomplicated from Toyota which is usually the practice from their end. I would say that it is the
Simplicity that Delivers
There 3 Drive Mode Options which Toyota provides - ECO, POWER & STOCK :
The ECO Mode is the easy crawling mode which is good for crawling within city limits where traffic is high. This will deliver better fuel efficiency as well.
The POWER Mode delivered the real power and this SUV has no dearth of it to exhibit. I put in on this mode and let the Fortuner do the talking on Red Road which is apparently the provisional runway for the Army Fighter Jets in SOS War Situations. The rear wheel screeched and set of to touch the 3 figure mark in no time.
The (Soft) Off Roading Experience : Wanted to do some Off Roading but neither were my Team-BHP friends around nor was there any such place nearby to try our wits. However, I remembered a patch opposite the Eden Gardens Cricket Statium which is under the army's jurisdiction and was dug up for some work. I took due permission from the army guys and went
Off The Road with the Fortuner. I engaged 4H and drove through the sandy terrain over some rocks, bricks, light slush, through puddles of water, a couple of steep inclines and on undulated grasslands and the passengers did not feel any discomfort as the Fortuner just crawled through all of it with ease and grace. It was indeed pleasurable for me but unfortunately could not capture the moment in videos as we was too engrossed in enjoying the outing with the beast.
The 4x4 Shift on the Fly knob :
![Toyota Fortuner : Official Review-p_20170129_145742.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/official-new-car-reviews/1602905d1689694040t-toyota-fortuner-official-review-p_20170129_145742.jpg)
Note : To engage 4L, one has to push the knob inwards and twist it to the right. We engaged and disengaged it just to check and for the fun of it but did not put it to use as it was not required. My Bad !!
What more could Toyota had offered ?- It goes without saying that it definitely misses the Sunroof/ Moonroof in comparison to the Ford Endevour
- Needs a louder and a bolder set of horns for a vehicle of this size
- Considering the fact that there are never any discounts on Toyota products, some basic accessories which are a must at this price point should be included - Fender Mirror, Rear Bumper Step Guard, Mud Flaps, Leg Room Lamp to name a few
What I feel should be the buying option in this segment with a 4x4 :
If going in for an AT - Go for the Ford Endevour 3.2AT 4x4
If going in for a MT - Go for the Toyota Fortuner 2.8MT 4x4
The On Road Prices for Kolkata : ![Toyota Fortuner : Official Review-price-list.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/official-new-car-reviews/1602892d1689693999t-toyota-fortuner-official-review-price-list.jpg)
Note : The Crystal Pearl White commands a (premium) price if I may call it of Rs.15,000.00 over any other colour
Features and Specifications as provided in the Booklet given by them :
A pdf version of the Brochure which can be downloaded :
TFort Brochure.pdf
That's all from me and hope that I have done justice to the Test Drive of the Toyota Fortuner
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