[Dhar's]

Good review GTO

Our fellow tbhpian v1kram has a Fortuner as his daily drive (but ofcourse in Dubai). I had a short ride in his Fortuner during our last meet. May be he can also give some of his observations.

[Abbas]

Superb review, very detailed. Loved the pics too. Only if you would have elaborated more on the 4X4 section with more pics of offroading and a little bit of review on its offroading capabilities. Anywayz superb review as always . Thank you.

[recshenoy]

Great review GTO.
Just saw a new white Fortuner being driven on Hosur road Bangalore.
To be frank, first i thought its new version of TATA 207 from front, just to realize its fortuner by Toyota badge.

For me white Fortuner looks cheap. I have seen Fortuner in other colors and they look great.

Also, noticed that the new vehilce appeared as if its overloaded at rear. The rear suspension had gone down considerably compared to front.(which i some times see in old Safaris).
I saw people sitting in 3rd row, but i dont think that will cause such problems. Any possible reasons ?

[Dippy]

Toyota has made us wait almost five years for the Fortuner but in the end it has arrived and how. The number of bookings so far and Toyota stopping accepting them now speaks a lot for what the Fortuner is set to do in the Indian SUV market. Here are some of my obervations from the extensive Test Drive.

It feels like a high perched Innova at first when you get into the seat. Front seats are superbly comfortable and offer tremendous support.The overall view from the driver's seat is pretty good for short drivers like me if compared to other SUVs.

Gear shift is good but I too did not like the long throw. Even more annoying is that the gear lever vibrates even when you are idling in neutral, something I have also observed in the few Innovas I have driven earlier. Toyota needs to look at this.

The Fortuner fantastic as a long distance cruiser. I did not realize when I touched the 150 kph mark until I saw the speedo needle. At this point however I must mention that the ride gets very bumpy and the car bounces quite a bit giving you a complete feel of the uneven road thanks to the firm suspension.

The best thing I loved about the Fortuner is its torque. I drove it quite extensively in the third and fourth gears and the way she pulls in these gears from low speeds is phenomenal. Driving in third is like driving an AT and it will happily potter around town without crying out loud. Overtaking is a breeze and you can easily do so without downshifting even if you are in fifth.

Handling is good for an SUV, but you can feel bodyroll when taking turns at high speeds. As GTO mentioned earlier, being tall doesnt help. Braking a is a huge disappointment and you need to brake earlier than you would expect. The Fortuner needs rear discs and fast.

Interiors are very roomy and spacious. The dashboard seems lifted from the Innova with some changes. I did not like the audio HU controls and buttons, they seemed to have come out of a Japanese sedan of the yesteryears and really feel dated. The CD changer is of the front loading type. Sound quality is decent but it definately wont satisfy the ICE maniacs around.

To put it in a summary, the Fortuner is a well put together SUV but could have been better. For the price itas a great package which none of the others can match. It doesnt have the luxury feel of the CRV but then it doesnt even cost as much as the CRV does and plus its a diesel.

Toyota have a sure winner on its hands.

[1-Testosterone]

Good review GTO, let us know when you'll be doing a review of CRUZE LTZ?

[nandishpal]

no sunroof???biggest disappointment.20 lakhs is a loot.lets get it calculated.

[anilkalvani]

Trust GTO to come up with yet another gem of an unbiased review! Excellent and detailed report giving all the positives and negatives. Man i would like to stretch my budget and get this beauty in Automatic, whenever its out. Great going GTO!

[Turbo Head]

Amazing review of a wonderful car, with that pricing Toyota surely has a winner in its hands. CRV/Pajero/Endy/Captiva run for cover

[Ricky_63]

@ GTO

Great review, thanks for covering pretty much everything. Toyota seems to have a winner on it's hands. The carrot dangling for 4 odd years has finally been launched at a price which many find reasonable.

I feel the vehicle could have been better equipped (electric seats) being one thing which ought to have been on the list. One thing that worries me is the puny rotors on the front & drums on the rear wheels. They could surely have done better than that.

I have ridden in the Innova a number of times & find it's ride acceptable for my bad back, do you rate the ride quality here better than the Innova ? I am sure looking at driving this SUV for daily use. I just want to be sure how it rides. Is it better than the Pajero on Tarmac ?

Thanks again for the great pictures & write up.



Cheers

[PatienceWins]

Great review!!

I think the vehicle could have been better equipped, especially disc brakes and electric seats. A better ride quality is expected for a vehicle of this class.

[Guna]

Excellent review

Originally Posted by GTO

• I’m willing to bet that a spare tyre on the tail-gate is going to be a popular modification. I like the current looks, but a spare tyre mounted SUV-style will take it to another level.

But this SUV has top-hinged tail gate. Not sure it would have the required strength to take the spare wheel and operating the tailgate would be dificult.

[amit]

Nice report.

It took me some time to warm up to the Fortuner but now, I really like the way it looks. Interiors are a disappointment as is the shivering gear lever (Qualis, Innova and Fortuner - Why do all Toyota UV / SUV / MUV's gear lever's shiver?!) but it is a great SUV to buy.

If I had 20 lakhs to splurge on a vehicle today, this is what I would buy. To hell with the Accord's and Superb's. A premium hatchback for city and occasional highway's and a Fortuner for long distance highway cruises and the garage is complete. Even better would be a A/T Fortuner.

But this SUV has top-hinged tail gate.

Considering the high dimensions of this SUV, wouldn't it difficult to pull down the tail gate to close it? What if women are operating the gate?

[Ym-enjn]

Thanks for the detailed review GTO, really appriciate the way you have mentioned/covered each point with supporting photographs.

Its good to know that speeds of 150 is a breeze.

[Sahil]

GTO - brilliant review! One of my fav on the board yet. You managed to cover the minutist details that I would have otherwise missed. After this, I am convinced ! Now only if you can ask your friends at Toyota for a quick delivery for me !? and yes I'll be going with your so called "politican look"

[GTO]

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by AshOnTheRocks

Where was this test drive done?

Total test was a little less than 500 kms and covered each type of road condition (expressway, city traffic, rough roads, rains, night driving etc.). Did it earlier this week, but took time to compile all the data . Highway test was between Mumbai & Pune, urban part in Mumbai

Really like the landscape

Thanks, but to be honest, I don't focus that much on the location or background. In the sense, I don't really go looking out for something scenic. If its close by and I know the place, fine. Rather focus on the car and, of course, the actual review.

How's the driving experience

I am a fan of the Fortuner. Not only because of that awesome engine and the good stuff that comes with Toyota ownership, but also that it appeals to be in a very utilitarian manner. I love cars that WORK.

Originally Posted by sj_koova

Looks like a perfect SUV for its price.

You bet.

How does it compare with Outlander?

Originally Posted by nandishpal

my personal opinion would be an outlander

The Outlander & CRV are not only more expensive, but petrol, smaller and based on sedan platforms. I like the CRV for its road manners and refinement, and don't think too much of the Outlander (CVT, petrol, no USP). They aren't work horses like the Fortuner is. That said, women will definitely prefer driving the CRV / Outlander (softer, more refined).

Originally Posted by Rehaan

i especially like this shade of grey!

I do remember you wishing for exactly this colour while I was hoping for a black test car.

Originally Posted by f1fan

Saw a black one at Powai a couple of days back and it really look tall and menacing.

From my previous line, yes, I love how the Fortuner looks in black.

Originally Posted by Dhar's

Our fellow tbhpian v1kram has a Fortuner as his daily drive (but ofcourse in Dubai). I had a short ride in his Fortuner during our last meet. May be he can also give some of his observations.

Great suggestion. Sending a PM to v1kram. Thanks

Originally Posted by Abbas

Only if you would have elaborated more on the 4X4 section with more pics of offroading and a little bit of review on its offroading capabilities.

You've seen the kind of stuff we do on Mumbai OTRs right? I wouldn't want to take a car that I dont own through that terrain. Plus, we didn't have a support car (4x4) and the last thing we wanted was to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Maybe sometime in the future. The Fortuner should be able to handle medium level stuff well (muck, slush, slippery climbs due to its power etc.), though I'd never go rock climbing in one.

Originally Posted by 1-Testosterone

Good review GTO, let us know when you'll be doing a review of CRUZE LTZ?

Hopefully, soon!

Originally Posted by anilkalvani

Man i would like to stretch my budget and get this beauty in Automatic, whenever its out. Great going GTO!

AT's coming next year, I believe.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

a price which many find reasonable.

The price is really what makes the Fortuner a killer buy! No one expected it to be priced at 18.45 lakhs, its sheer value, good thing Toyota didn't go overboard as Honda did with the otherwise excellent Jazz. Look at the situation, the 8 lakh Jazz sold only 1,600 + 1,000 in two months, while the Fortuner has 5,000 confirmed bookings!

I feel the vehicle could have been better equipped (electric seats) being one thing which ought to have been on the list. One thing that worries me is the puny rotors on the front & drums on the rear wheels.

Absolutely agreed.

I have ridden in the Innova a number of times & find it's ride acceptable for my bad back, do you rate the ride quality here better than the Innova ?

Strange as it may sound, the Innova is a better bet for the middle row (captain seats variant). And no, I don't remember the Innova pitching the way that the Fortuner does at speed.

Is it better than the Pajero on Tarmac ?

According to Byram (look up his email on the 1st page) - a current Pajero owner - it is.

Originally Posted by amit

Considering the high dimensions of this SUV, wouldn't it difficult to pull down the tail gate to close it? What if women are operating the gate?

I opened & shut the tail gate atleast a dozen times and don't remember making a note of any difficulty at all.

Originally Posted by Sahil

After this, I am convinced ! Now only if you can ask your friends at Toyota for a quick delivery for me !? and yes I'll be going with your so called "politican look"

Congrats! I hope you plan to use it for atleast 2 lakh kms. It's the perfect upgrade to your Endeavour. Have you driven the Fortuner? Will be great to hear on your comments as well (as an ex-Endy'ite).