[v12]

Excellent review Karan!! Loved the lightning effect transforming the old Fortuner into the new one. Your videos keep getting better and better seriously keep it up.

Mods - I think it would be a good idea to add this video to the upcoming Official Fortuner review.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by karan561

Likes;

- Engine Performance
- Looks
- Gear Shift Quality & iMT
- Interiors & Features
- Stress Free Reliability & Service Advantage.....

Congrats on the new ride!! It is truly a shame that Toyota missed out on lounge lighting in the Fortuner. I always assumed that the Fortuner had it as standard considering the price and the fact that the Innova had it too.

Are you looking to change the tyres?

An unbiased and a comprehensive review indeed. How does the fortuner stack up against the Endeavour when it comes to off-roading?

Are the gear lever vibrations reduced as compared to the previous gen fortunes?

On a sidenote, mods please do add this video on the official review thread!

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Sahil

Great review as always Karan! I see your video effect skills are getting better too, I like the lighting effect you got done in the start of the video.

Thanks so much Sahil.

Most magazine review claim the ride quality has improved but not dramatically, it yet seems to be bumpy due to the ladder on frame. The only way Toyota would get me back as a returning customer would be if they dramatically changed the ride quality.

They are right, the ride quality has improved only marginally.

I am more keen to replace by Fortuner with the Innova Crysta. Have always been tempted to get a DC upgrade, might consider it this time. My Fortuner is 99% chauffeur driven, I rather save that huge chunk and get the DC upgrade than pay the steep price tag of the Fortuner.

My Fortuner is only driven by me mostly. Like the previous gen has covered 75k, out of which it would have been chauffeur driven for hardly 5k kms.
For your case definitely the Innova is a better better pick considering your car will be 99% chauffeur driven.

By the way, what offers are you currently getting for your Fortuner?

Not yet got any offers yet, but im expecting around mid 13L mark.

Originally Posted by PraNeel

Hi Karan. Many congrats for the new Fortuner. I saw your delivery experience on YouTube much before this review. Great videos man. Keep them coming. Wishing you many happy and stress-free kms of ownership.

Thanks PraNeel for your wishes.

Originally Posted by getsurya

Karan- you just nailed it!! Awesome reviews and many congratulations!!
I liked the indepth review and makes complete sense with the technical aspects highlighted by you. Some skill dude!!

Hey Get, Thanks again mate

Originally Posted by v12

Excellent review Karan!! Loved the lightning effect transforming the old Fortuner into the new one. Your videos keep getting better and better seriously keep it up.

Hello v12 its been a long time, hope you have been doing well.
Thanks for your appreciation man.

Originally Posted by vishy76

Congrats on the new ride!! It is truly a shame that Toyota missed out on lounge lighting in the Fortuner. I always assumed that the Fortuner had it as standard considering the price and the fact that the Innova had it too.

Thanks Vishy, yes the ambient lighting would have added an extra flair to the Fortuners cabin & is indeed unfair that a segment below the Innova is being offered and not the Fortuner.

Are you looking to change the tyres?

I wanted to but no good A/T tyre options in 265/60 R18 size. The only available were Yokohama Geolander A/T which i did not want. Hence will live with the Dueler H/T for a while.

An unbiased and a comprehensive review indeed. How does the fortuner stack up against the Endeavour when it comes to off-roading?

Should be equally good as both are very capable.

Are the gear lever vibrations reduced as compared to the previous gen fortunes?

Yes, but reduced now. Overall some vibrations & lack of refinement are a part of the Fortuners TRUCK like experience

[Venku2015]

Originally Posted by karan561

Other Observations;


- The exterior mirror puddle lamps & boot lamp is yellow in colour but all other interior lights are white, WHY ?

Excellent job there Karan, it's really well laid out and your video review covers all the key changes the new Fortuner boasts of. There's only one conclusion here with the new Fortuner, it does misses a few features which the competition( New Endeavour) does offer, but if you scratch that thing from your list, the Fortuner shines pretty well and as always Toyota is well known for taking huge advantage of their positive aspects by pricing their products sky high.

BTW, Its really a relaxed and powerful experience driving my A/T Fortuner and yes, the power mode is more lively which is definitely the most enjoyable setting to drive this monster.

[Hayek]

A truly incredible video review - far better than any of the so called professional TV shows that probably have 10x your budget per episode. Have liked your other video reviews too - but this one sets a new benchmark.

Am surprised you went in for a manual given you self drive so much - presume the gear box has improved but a diesel will still have a hard clutch that is painful in city traffic. Have fun with the car.

[RAHS]

Hello Karan - First of all, heartily congratulations on your new Truck! simply amazing & looks smoking hot!
Regarding Videos - AWESOME! For a moment, I thought I am going through some media reviews pre-launch OR post-launch
Looking forward to your ownership reviews & wish you loadz of happy miles ahead

[asit.kulkarni93]

Brilliant Review Karan

You have pointed out a few things which no journalists have done till now. Congratulations on the new Fortuner. Good to see that you have picked up the 4x4 MT.

I still am unable to decide whether I like the new design of the Fortuner. The classic Fortuner still has the best design. It looks masculine.

It's good to see Toyota "right sizing" their engines. As far as I know the D-4D's (barring the Altis Diesel) have amazing drivability. How much improvement do you find in the ride and handling department on the highways?

Asit

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Venku2015

Excellent job there Karan, it's really well laid out and your video review covers all the key changes the new Fortuner boasts of.

Thanks Venku.

BTW, Its really a relaxed and powerful experience driving my A/T Fortuner and yes, the power mode is more lively which is definitely the most enjoyable setting to drive this monster.

Hope to see your Fortuners ownership review soon as well.

Originally Posted by Hayek

A truly incredible video review - far better than any of the so called professional TV shows that probably have 10x your budget per episode. Have liked your other video reviews too - but this one sets a new benchmark.

Hayek, Thanks for your motivating comments

Am surprised you went in for a manual given you self drive so much - presume the gear box has improved but a diesel will still have a hard clutch that is painful in city traffic. Have fun with the car.

The Manual 4x4 was indeed the performance / enthusiasts choice & after driving the A/T i truly believe the M/T was truly a great pick as it completes the Fortuner experience for me, with better control in off road situations too. Also my driving in city traffic with this car will be very less to be honest.

Originally Posted by RAHS

Hello Karan - First of all, heartily congratulations on your new Truck! simply amazing & looks smoking hot!
Regarding Videos - AWESOME! For a moment, I thought I am going through some media reviews pre-launch OR post-launch
Looking forward to your ownership reviews & wish you loadz of happy miles ahead

Thanks RAHS for your wishes & inspiring comments.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Brilliant Review Karan

You have pointed out a few things which no journalists have done till now. Congratulations on the new Fortuner. Good to see that you have picked up the 4x4 MT.

Thanks Asit for your compliments.

It's good to see Toyota "right sizing" their engines. As far as I know the D-4D's (barring the Altis Diesel) have amazing drivability. How much improvement do you find in the ride and handling department on the highways?

The suspension has been tweaked (softer springs & more absorbent dampers) which has made the ride quality slightly better. Another contributor is lesser recommended tyre pressure which aids in better ride & handling.

[espraveen]

Superb review Karan!!
I am fan of the new Endeavor, but your review has certainly shaken things up here. Do let us know if any comparo between the Fortuner and the Endeavor is in the pipeline. Can't wait for the big match-up

[Sheel]

Marking this thread.

How many kilometers done yet?

Differences between both when pushed hard [soft earth] since this is not a full time 4WD?

Can't wait for you to take it to a proper long drive and some off-road driving.

Originally Posted by karan561

265/60 R18 size.

60 aspect ratio for a SUV...what next, 55 aspect ratio?

Manufacturers are all out to ruin the SUV/trucking experience. The new Scorpio has 65 aspect ratio, the older Scorpio had 70 and I can vouch that at places, despite having better suspension, the taller tire does provide better cushioning at rough roads.

And less said about the looks, the better. Make them truck like, no need to think about aerodynamics and efficiency.

[Turbanator]

Differences between both when pushed hard [soft earth] since this is not a full time 4WD?

No Rear Diff Locks for Indian version

Also the previous gen in India did not have rear diff lock. Hence may be Toyota though of continuing that trend.

well, I don't think it should be a big concern. I was checking rear locks on my son's Sahara Jeep here in Calgary and could not find one. Only Rubicons are fitted with lockers from the factory unless you order specifically. Standard drive mode is Rear wheel drive and you have to manually shift to 4x4.

All variants of Jeep comes with Command-Trac which is probably similar to A-Trac of Toyota. Even the Unlimited model that Jeep has launched in India @70 Lac+ and is considered amongst best 4x4 vehicles, does not have locking differentials.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxHQeO-Y7GU

http://www.jeep-india.com/wrangler-unlimited/

[vb-saan]

Excellent review there Karan! Wonderful effort and thanks for sharing
As a few others suggested, it will be great to have a comparison with the Endeavour; if not a video review, at least a write-up will be nice.

[shree_shell]

A review stuffed with amazing facts and details to the brim! Loved the contents of the review, also more critical and concise, contrary to the absolute cheesy rhetoric of most of our Indian video reviewers.

One thing that I wanted to point out, you could improve the video by uncoupling the conversation/commentary and the actual video(in some parts). What I mean is, do the videography with some pre-recorded shots- the slow moving (based on the context of commentry) video shots and perhaps slo-mos, and then add the commentary later in the background. I guess that's the way Chris Harris used to do. Save the real-time driving-commentry video for some interesting points and insights.

Currently, there is a sense of lapse in concentration while doing two things at the same time - driving and commenting, leading to unevenness and a sense of urgency in the flow of commentary.

PS. This is just my candid suggestion, I am no videographer so I don't know the respective jargon. I just wish you all the best and with exponential improvements in your video reviews!

[kisharchit]

Wow congrats for the car Karan and an absolutely fabulous review to top it off!

I had a go in the new Fortuner in the boot camp Toyota had organized and I am still not sure if it is the one I would have over the Endeavour. It is really a tough call.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by karan561

They are right, the ride quality has improved only marginally.

Congrats on the new acquisition. While many here do not like the new design, I quite like the new age design of the Fortuner. As you mentioned, the headlamps are very bright and I believe they are brighter than your bimmer.
What surprises me is that even in the all new model Toyota has failed to improve the ride quality. Does it still feel like a pogo stick in the middle row?