re: Review: 2015 Toyota Fortuner 4x4 Automatic Hi Everybody,
I bought the 4x4AT in October 2015 & have since driven about 17000 kms till date. The average fuel consumption with 75% highway & 25% city driving is 8.75 litres per km. The best I ever recorded was 9.71 while the worst was 6.24 kms per litre. Btw, I always fill tankful to tankful except maybe on 2 occasions where I was not sure of the quality of fuel so filled the bare minimum till I reached a COCO outlet. Do note that I drive with a heavy foot & rarely use the cruise control except when driving on Mumbai-Pune expressway. On the few occasions that I have driven with a light foot or used the cruise control set at 100kmph, the average fuel consumption improves to nearly 9.5 l/km.
Nevertheless, by no stretch of imagination is the Fortuner 4x4AT fuel efficient. I guess the permanent 4x4 drivetrain takes its toll on the fuel efficiency while the lack of aerodynamic body also contributes to increase the fuel consumption.
Regarding my purchase, I made a conscious decision to go for the current version of the fortuner 4x4AT rather than wait for the endeavour or the new fortuner. Without being critical of the above newer vehicles, I was and am more attracted by the simplicity of engineering, bullet proof reliability of the current version with lesser electronics particularly in areas related to 4x4 transmission. I also like the mechanical lever to move to 4x4 high/low locked rather than turn some dial to get the same effect. Maybe I am old fashioned but I like the feel of the vibrations of the transmission lever in my hand the the positive feedback it gives once engaged.
The current setup with permanent 4wheel drive also gives me immense confidence during high speed runs on the highway and I am particularly looking forward to driving during the monsoon on our rain soaked highways.
Enough has been said about Fortuner's bouncy ride & I will agree to most of the criticism. I did test the Pajero Sport before taking the plunge with the Fortuner & found the ride & handling decidedly superior to the Fortuner. What put me off the Pajero was poor service network & most importantly lack of 4x4 AT version.
A vehicle like Fortuner 4x4AT, I intend to keep for atleast 4-5 years after which I guess I will still get a decent resale value due to the fact that new fortuner will be launched at a price higher than the current version and see further upward price revision every 2-3 years or so, I will get the benefit of lesser depreciation over the years.
My other car is a Ford Ecosport AT & am quite happy with the vehicle as well as how it have performed since the 2 years that I have owned it. Nevertheless I feel less comfortable/confident with the ford service setup & abilities of the dealerships to handle complex problems, particularly those related to electronics & AT transmission etc., should they arise. I must admit though that I have no basis for making this statement as yet.
Relatively Toyota dealerships do give one the confidence of being able to address issues satisfactorily, should they arise. I owned the Innova for 6 years and my experiences bear this out.
I have read with interest various comments on this forum about relative lack of safety in the Fortuner (2 airbags vs 6/7 in competition) and while one can and should always demand better safety features, in my humble opinion, the most important safety feature is RELIABILITY. PERIOD.
What good would a vehicle with all bells and whistles in terms of safety features be, if one is stranded in the middle of nowhere with a breakdown. God forbid if this happens in the dead of night & with family in tow. As I do most of my driving solo, this was the most important factor for me to go for the Fortuner. While I am not deriding any competing brands, fact remains that only the Fortuner & Pajero have the bullet proof reliability that gives one peace of mind to take it anywhere & beyond.
Also the current Fortuner & Pajero to my mind, remain some of the last production 4x4 vehicles with old school of design that places greater emphasis on toughness, reliability, simplicity while making an average attempt at providing some comfort & luxury to the buyer/owner.
This philosophy appeals to me & hence I decided to take the plunge with the current version of Fortuner without waiting to check on the new Endeavour (which I knew was being launched) or the new Fortuner as and when it is launched in India sometime in the near future.
Cheers,
Anuj |