[satan]

Nice review Tushar. For an ardent traveler visiting remote places the automatic 4x4 is ideal as a one time investment for reliability, peace of mind, low operating costs and robustness. This is vehicle that you can buy and keep for the next 20 years.

Very easy to compare and point out what the vehicle is missing and gizmos that the competition has but imho at this price there is simply no other vehicle that offers such a complete touring package.

One question I had was what is the max speed that the cruise control can be activated for? 115kmph?

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by turbopravs

A recent drive in december to forests of Kanha Kisli in a 2014 4x4 fortuner was interesting. We also had an XUV500 W8 AWD along for the trip. The XUV 500 was far more comfortable compared to the fortuner. The girls who came along all piled up in the fortuner expecting a more comfortable drive but were complaining after we reached the destination. Compared to that the XUV was more comfortable with noticeably less bumps making their presence felt and it felt less tiring in the 5 hours in the XUV compared to 2 and a half hours spent in the fortuner.

Not only XUV, even Safari Storme which has higher seating than Fortuner has better ride than Fortuner. So is Endeavour. I heard even latest Scorpio rides better than Fortuner. But.... if looks are the criteria, nothing beats it. Of course Pajero S does (in my opnion) but we all know how well Mitsu is doing. New Endeavour would give it a tough fight provided Ford wakes up from its sleep.

[raj_5004]

I tend to agree that the Fortuner is overpriced. Forget the next to basic feature list -

• The interiors are utilitarian - Santa Fe is way more plush
• Safety features are way too less - Even the XUV5OO offers more safety
• The ride is bumpy
• The engine is not the most refined

To me, this does not, in any way look or feel like a 30 Lac vehicle. The aftermarket HU is the most ridiculous thing they could have installed on a vehicle which is this expensive.

If I was in the market for a 30 Lac vehicle, the Fortuner would not be in my list. And heck yes, I would pick the Santa Fe or even the XUV5OO which is think is actually superior in most areas when compared to the Fortuner.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Safari Storme which has higher seating than Fortuner has better ride than Fortuner. So is Endeavour. I heard even latest Scorpio rides better than Fortuner. But.... if looks are the criteria, nothing beats it. Of course Pajero S does (in my opnion) but we all know how well Mitsu is doing. New Endeavour would give it a tough fight provided Ford wakes up from its sleep.

Safari Storme has higher seating position than the Fortuner? I doubt. To my naked eye, new Scorpio & Fortuner are on par and Pajero SFX is slightly lower.

Sorry, but Endevour's (current gen) doesn't have very good ride or has good set of middle seats (angle & height wise) making you sit in foetal position.

New Scorpio has good ride? Heck, my 4WD has. I request those who do not agree to this statement should sample the W105 in its 4WD avatar. But, I do not wish to compare it to a product priced 2X more.

If Ford prices the new Endevour sensiblly and undercuts the Fortuner, I think it will have most bases covered wrt a Fortuner. Price corrections at a later stage do not help.

There are no options (you know the options, Pajero Sport/Endevour & that Isuzu, I had to edit my post to include it) in the 25-30L price bracket for a ladder on frame 4X4 SUV, hence it sells.

Individually, one may not find it VFM or may find it crude, but a 30L SUV selling much more than the competition combined should be working very good for its targeted customer base and still the competition has not woken up. You Sir, may not be on its radar at all.

[vinaydas]

excellent review.
We would have picked the 4x4 A/T if it was available during our purchase a year back.
We picked up the 4x4 MT instead.

The fortuner like its cousin innova, enjoys excellent resale value.
a 2010 Fortuner has an asking price of 20 lacs!

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Safari Storme has higher seating position than the Fortuner? I doubt. To my naked eye, new Scorpio & Fortuner are on par and Pajero SFX is slightly lower.

Yes Sir, Storme seating is higher than Fortuner. If you see overall height, Scorpio is tallest followed very closely by Storme and then Fortuner. But seating is highest in Storme. You feel like you are sitting on the roof of a low sedan. The view through the large windshield combined with that height is just superb. Coming to Fortuner, I can never digest the fact that a 30 L plus car does not have half of the features an 8-9 lakh hatch has.

Note from Mod : Please do not use acronyms like T-Fort or Fort as new members wont understand the same. Please use the full name of the brand/vehicle going forward. Thanks

[s_pphilip]

Originally Posted by abhargava75

Agree Hyundai scores well on reliability. Is it woth at that price, I am talking about Santa Fe? It's delicate and at the same time Fortuner 4x4AT is 31.2L and Santa Fe AT AWD is 33.8L. Santa Fe's resale value is also very low.

You are correct, and that is when it comes to the Fortuner being used in adverse conditions but the point is, it is rare someone India subjects a 30L car for such adventures, rock climbing, slush or rough terrains aren't really kind to vehicles, I don't want to deviate much on a thread dedicated to Fortuner, but for what the SUV will be used 90% times, the Santa Fe makes a compelling case with equal reliability and satisfying comfort.
I see Hyundai climbing the reliability charts around the world, a few years down I guess it too will have its own loyal followers.
I am not referring to the ones who genuinely picked a Fortuner for its strengths but there are some who just go around and pick a car just based on its hype and Fortuner has lots surrounding it.

[H_Dogg72]

Precisely.
Get euro like comfort in a Santa Fe versus pathetic innova crap in the fortuner. Hell my polo has illuminated power window buttons along with auto up down on all 4 windows.
Frankly, as it's being echoed here, 90% of the owners of a fortuner don't exploit the full utility of the vehicle and for them a Santa Fe or an equally compliant vehicle makes much more sense.
Edit: Santa Fe offers one 6 airbags along with a whole lot of electronic Aids. Barring the cheap IRVM. It's one hell of a package.

[dean5545]

Originally Posted by Tushar

What the earlier Fortuner Automatic was lacking:

The undercover protection plate for the centre differential was always present even the Classic Fortuner had it.

[adtalwar]

Hi, I may have missed if someone has already mentioned it but one important aspect is the need for 7 seats. If they are not top priority I feel Duster AWD offers seems to be a very good option at half the price for 4x4 capability, ride quality etc.

Regards
Anand

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

Precisely.
Get euro like comfort in a Santa Fe versus pathetic innova crap in the fortuner. Hell my polo has illuminated power window buttons along with auto up down on all 4 windows.

If you go by the sales numbers of both, looks like there are not many folks who will agree with you.

Hyundai has got an image problem. They have never been successful in any class beyond the Verna.

The illumnated power window buttons will not do any good when you are stranded somewhere and dealer cannot source parts on time.

People buy the fortuner or Toyota Innova for the matter for the reliability, cheap maintenance and spares and excellent resale value.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

The illumnated power window buttons will not do any good when you are stranded somewhere and dealer cannot source parts on time.

The fancy features could be useful to pass the time when I am stuck on a dark highway because I missed a big pothole (say I was blinded by a 8-eye truck on a highway somewhere in MP), and my vehicle wasn't tough enough to survive that encounter at 50kmph.

Or to distract an approaching elephant when I am driving on a trail somewhere in the Nilgiris (let's say I had dropped by at another place to spend an evening around the campfire, and am returning to my place of stay), 10 pm in the night, and can't scoot out of the way because my vehicle can't just handle the rocky and slushy trail faster than a crawling speed.



P.S. This is a 4x4 Fortuner thread folks, so champions of other vehicles, excuse the tongue in cheek comments

[humyum]

Originally Posted by GTO

When I drove the Fortuner in 2009, I called it the best 20 lakh SUV.

Ever since, the game has moved on. Sure, for someone needing a bulletproof SUV for the rough & tough, it remains a compelling choice. The engine, transmission & offroad capability are fantastic.

However, for 90% of the urban-type population (like me), there are better options. I'd pick the Santa Fe (or even the XUV500) over the Fortuner any which day. It is just so much more refined, comfortable, smooth & feature-loaded than the crude, bumpy Fortuner. To someone who lives & drives primarily on tarmac, buying a Fortuner is pointless. Its overkill...like wearing a bullet-proof vest to work every day because you are scared of terrorists. For all that rough road capability & abuse-friendly nature, you just give away too much. Especially if you aren't going to use that capability.

Even if I wanted a proper body-on-frame SUV, I'd wait for the promising next-generation Endeavour. The Fortuner impressed me 6 years back. But not today. It's time is up and the next-generation couldn't be coming too soon. After a highway drive, I actually got tired...its bumpy ride, heavy steering & the basic interiors wore me down. I can tell you that doesn't happen too often.

Great review, rating it a well-deserved 5 stars!

You know, when I looked at the picture of the Next Generation Endeavour, I was B.L.O.W.N away, it looked like a very good looking version of a bulky beast. If it comes with 4X4 and that 6 speed Automatic it is supposed to have with a powerful diesel motor, not to mention a SWEET 25 lakh price bracket, Fortuner will look like an spoilt expensive kid in comparison.

It should be super reliable as the Toyotas though.

[hondadude]

I bought my 4x4 Automatic Fortuner a week and a half back. I will share my perspective on why I bought that.

For additional context, I had Scorpio AT 4x4 before I got my Fortuner. I had my Scorpio for 5 years and it was time for upgrade.

My requirements for my new SUV (I was clear I didn't want a car) were as follows

1. Budget around 30L. Options were Pajero AT, Fortuner, Santa Fe
2. Reliability. All three are reliable so there is not much difference. If i have to rank here, i would rank in the order of Fortuner, Pajero, Santa Fe
3. Automatic Transmission. Available in all 3. Pajero on the third spot here has it didn't have 4x4 in Auto version.
4. A.S.S. Obvious rank would be Fortuner, Santa Fe and Pajero. This rank includes the availability of spares.
5. Space for occasional drives with extended family/friends. Rank would be Fortuner, Pajero, Santa Fe
6. Resale Value. Here again Rank would be Fortuner, Santa Fe and Pajero.
7. Safety. Santa Fe is number 1with its curtain airbags, Hillside assist and downhill break control here followed by Fortuner and Pajero. Fortuner nudges ahead of Pajero with full time 4wd, Traction Control and VSC.

As you can see, based on my requirements, Fortuner comes out tops so it was an easy choice. Even then, it was hard to not buy the Pajero because of its magic carpet ride. It was heart vs head thing and latter won. The whole A.S.S. situation with Pajero was a deal breaker for me. Santa Fe, frankly was never in the race. I don't care about gizmos although I appreciated its safety equipment.

I believe the combination of Reliability, Space, A.S.S. and Resale make Fortuner a no brainer. So when i comes to putting their hard earned 30 big ones on an SUV, majority of us Indians prefer Fortuner over others.

[Sheel]

Congratulations! The only vehicle you could upgrade to IMO.

Originally Posted by hondadude

I bought my 4x4 Automatic Fortuner a week and a half back.

Resale Value. Here again Rank would be Fortuner, Santa Fe and Pajero.

While I agree to all your points, I would like to disagree on this. Please check Pajero SFX's prices anywhere on any classified. While there is no direct product from Hyundai, but Tuscon or Terracan don't hold up that well.

And reliability. Been seeing a couple of SFX's and they all are aging amazingly well, I would say it should be evens.