Toyota Fortuner : Test Drive & Review

[karpusv]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

As far as I know, not even 10 % of SUV buyers have ever taken their vehicle for proper off roading!! Most of these "off-roaders" have never ever been off the road.

.....

Some may say that its the space, its the torque its bla bla bla, but then space is what you enjoy in the back seat of a skoda superb, torque is something which you will definitely enjoy, but again try the superb...I know they are different league of cars, the only common factor being the price, but still.
I say buy a Civic if you want to arrive in style, and not miss the driving pleasure. With the change left over, buy a Force Gurkha for those off roading trips and just see what all this unknown car is capable of!!


But whatever you do, just ask yourself once...why are you buying the fortuner?!?!?

I guess it is "To each his own". Why shud someone buy the Dzire & not the Logan or the Ikon? Why should someone buy the swift and not the i10? Or for that matter, Why should someone buy the S-Class and not the superb when requirements are being met?

"To each his own".
Some ppl think fair girls are hot and other think dusky girls are hot.

Opinions are to give away. Not to enforce I guess.
And again, "To each, his own"

Originally Posted by 1-Testosterone

...Has Toyota milked us again? Is it worth paying steep price for reliability only?
......
As far as we are accepting, these companies will continue to milk us by offering decent yet ultra reliable products at exorbitant prices and add to that long waiting times.
Their dealers are suddenly arrogant; even after taking booking amount of 1 Lac, they don't care to listen to their customer who ask for a Test Drive. The entire fault is of Toyota; before launching a 18.5 Lac SUV, you gotta have atleast one TD vehicle at each of your dealers. Disgusting.

.......
Let's hope that Toyota provides Indians with value for money vehicles in the same way they do it for world.

Almost every company is out there to milk us. I am sure, if the safari were atleast 50% better in terms of quality, TATA's would have still priced it the same. And given the features they can throw in, would the new Endy not seem exhorbitantly priced.

All this competition is for the good as they juice out companies in providing more for the amount they charge.

And to speak of of the price of CR-V.... now somebody just mentioned side airbags on the endy...right

[srishiva]

Everyone milks the customer as much they want to and are capable of for their bread and butter. But I am planning to buy this since somehow I couldn't or didn't want to buy the competition in this segment!

[1-Testosterone]

There is nothing wrong with the price of CRV; infact there was never! Realize that it's a CBU and when the INR was around 40 against US$, CRV AT 4X4 w/sunroof was priced at 19 - unbeatable pricing for world class product. Strong US$ has spoiled the party for all CBU's including Captiva.

Let's get over it. I'm waiting for GTO to review Endy and Cruze. His reviews are better feature laden then these SUV launches as of now.

[Caramelo]

as always pictures speak louder than words!! and you are the best at this!!

nice review GTO

[Chat]

Originally Posted by inwester

GTO - thanks for the review.

The Fortuner might be priced lower/competitively in India when compared to other compact/mid-size SUVs. This is no excuse to sell a car worth 20 lakhs with drum brakes on the rear, no side/rear air bags, no esp, no traction control, no hill descent control, no power seats, no telescopic steering, etc. Also, folks don't forget that this is based on Hi-lux and Innova so lots of parts sharing. This is not a vehicle made for advanced western markets, but a cheap SUV made for developing markets. So please restrain yourself while comparing it to CRV, Captiva, Outlander etc. let alone X5, Prado, Land Cruiser etc.

14-16 lakhs is what this car should cost the max, including all the above options! Yeah, lot of people don't get it, including my uncle who has booked one for a delivery in January 2nd week!

What a bummer! People have become so used to shelling out top bucks for mediocre (or very pedestrian) cars in India that 18.45 for a SUV starts sounding cheap.So fan boys, please don't jump on me for this harsh comment.

Note - if you are comparing Fortuner to CR-V please keep in mind that CR-V is almost the same price (or more when compared with low end Fortuner models) as a Fortuner in many countries including, U. A. E, Indonesia, South Africa etc. CR-V is just selling at ridiculous prices in India because of the import duties, otherwise it would sell more or less at the same price as an Accord, i.e. more or less 18 lakhs ex-showroom.

Spot on my friend Inwester! I am also quite disappointed to see the interiors and the lack of goodies in a vehicle that costs close to 2 million. Even shocking was that a vehicle at this price is giving manual gear stick. This price deserves an auto box and so much more. Come on Toyota, this is raw deal. Just the perception of so called "Toyota reliability" is not good enough. Looks like you've dished out Innova in different bodyshell.

[vinaydas]

what ever discussion takes place over here,whether people like the fortuner or not the only thing that matters that it is Selling!!
the other day i had dropped of my camry for a brake pad replacement and was little shocked to see no fortuners visible anywhere so i asked my service adviser.
he said even the Display car was sold!!!
but when i came to pick up my car i saw 3-4 of em parked and 2 ready for delivery
i would definitely say Toyota has another Hit.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by vinaydas

what ever discussion takes place over here,whether people like the fortuner or not the only thing that matters that it is Selling!!

i would definitely say Toyota has another Hit.

Exactly !!

Nothing says more about the Fortuner and Toyota than the success of Qualis, Fortuner & Innova.

Time for nay-sayers to wake up, smell the coffee and quietly make their way to Ford/Mitsu/Tata/Mahindra showrooms.

[NIP]

Sorry for a little OT, but Toyota having all these successful models, did not drop a diesel engine in its corolla...strange but it would have been a smash hit too. Anyways, fortuner is a hit and that's the fact.

[GTO]

No one can argue that the Fortuner is well-priced. Heck, if anything, it makes some other SUVs - especially the Pajero - look overpriced. And the fact is, the Fortuner is the best all rounder from the segment. The Endeavour may be cheaper, but its also an older platform, has a backbreaking ride and cannot even touch the long-term reliability of a Toyota body-on-frame. The market response shows that the majority agree with this line of thinking.

Originally Posted by NIP

did not drop a diesel engine in its corolla

I do believe a 1.4 diesel is going to find its way to the Corolla soon.

[Chillout]

The king strikes again, another excellent review by GTO. Kudos...

The Fortuner definitely has the looks and style. However I think they have tough competition in hand as Ford has priced their automatic version much lesser than the Fortuner. But as GTO mentioned Ford will not be able to match the quality and finesse of a Toyato.

[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by samyakmodi

I know this will rouse a lot of comments and "gyaan"................

...................to be honest I am not really impressed by the fortuner....
But whatever you do, just ask yourself once...why are you buying the fortuner?!?!?

I would love to give you some "gyaan" my friend but i don't want to get banned from this forum that i love!

Ill tell you why i am buying the Fortuner even though i already own a 2008 Range Rover TDV8 and a 2009 Pajero SFX.

First of its a TOYOTA. Which translates to excellent build quality and reliability.

It looks great, imposing size, some interesting design cues that are well in proportion with the rest of the body..which also give it a great stance and presence.

About the interiors what is wrong with them..they are far better than my pajeros!?..Just because they are similar to the Innovas does not mean that they aren't any good?

We have been praising the Innovas well put together and solid interiors for a while now and now suddenly they are not up to the mark because they are in a different vehicle that costs 7 to 8 lacs more?

Did you forget that the Fortuner when compared to an Innova is a different animal altogether?

For one it has a larger more powerful engine (costs more), larger wheels and tyres (cost more), Leather Seats (costs more) Torque Sensing LSD and a "Genuine" 4X4 tranfer case (costs a whole lot more!) and a host of other smaller features!

..and forget all that. What about economies of scale? the market absorption of an Innova is much larger than the Fortuner, therefore lesser Fortuners are produced in the same factory and when you compare cost per piece it does justify the higher price.

Kindly desist therefore from saying that the Fortuner is overpriced when it offers a whole lot more at a lower price than the Petrol (gasp) CRV, Captiva and Dated Dated Dated Pajero, or the "ever reliable" American Ford?

You are getting a Prado sized and equally capable SUV from the same manufacturer for under half the price !! I don't understand your problem man!

Another little point..which of these cars do you think will hold their value better when it comes times to resell 5-8 years down the line?

I don't think you have owned a Toyota buddy..because if you had, you would have known the superb after sales service where your job card is opened by a smiling executive is under 5-7 minutes of you parking your car and your vehicle delivered on time, every time at a very respectable cost.

I also own a Scorpio, Innova and a Qualis and trust me when i tell you the work culture, in both workshops is vastly different along with Quality of the Vehicle and Parts.

My Qualis has done 1,55,256 kms and just had the clutch overhauled at 1,49,852 kms. it costed less than 8000/- (its ONLY major repair ever since 2003 when i got it!!)

My MHawk Scorpio with hardly 38,000 kms seems overdue for a new clutch already not to mention the horrible ergonomics, harsh engine, a gear with a mind of its own, bumpy ride and spongiest of spongy brakes.

The point i am trying to make is that its not just about the refined, good looking, reliable and extremely capable SUV called the Fortuner but also the Toyota name that comes before it and the Quality that represents.

Again it may not be perfect..but perfection costs a whole lot more.

We who have booked the Fortuner have made an informed and intelligent decision and are very satisfied with the choice we have made..please do not make us out to be gullible fools thank you!

I'm afraid to say but your post had the distinct air of "Sour Grapes"..

[1-Testosterone]

C'mon man, it's just a matter of opinion. Some guys need creature comforts and value for money proposition than "Brand Image" and "Re-Sale Values". After all it's his money and the critiques here are not fanboys of of GM/Ford/Honda either!

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

I'm afraid to say but your post had the distinct air of "Sour Grapes"..

Seriously mate. I don't understand why people who don't need a 4WD SUV are jumping on board criticizing the Fortuner for not being like a Luxury car. If a Skoda meets you need save the remainder of money to buy a tow truck for the Skoda and you are set.

Keep the criticism of Fortuner in the perspective of the India market? Before you keep hammering the Fortuner, please think about the following questiions?

1. Can you spend over 20 lakhs? If so, go for the Range Rover, Prado, Land Cruiser, etc etc.
2. Do you need Deisel? If No, then pick CRV, Outlander, GRand Vitara, etc.
3. Are you happy a deisel soft roader with 2WD? Then pick the captiva.
4. Do you need a body on frame 4x4 strong diesel and a full 4WD System for approx 20 laks? If so, then you have to pick between the Pajero 2.8 and Ford Endeavour 3.0.

Comparing to Innova, Xylo, Skoda superb etc is absolutely pointless.

[Ricky_63]

At long last got my hands on the Fortuner. My friend's car NOT mine.

Drives like a dream, makes no rattles, does what it is meant to very effectively. A bit of a plain jane I'd say.

Returned 12.39 on the highway & 10.3 kmpl in the city in crawling traffic jams. With Airconditioner on all the time.

The brakes are very "spongy" - something I did not like on bit. everything else has pretty much been covered in the reviews above, so point repeating any of that.

The gear lever & the smaller lever for engaging 4L & 4H shudders on idle & most at start up, something that could have been looked at.

Overall - nice & imposing.




Cheers

[riteshritesh]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Ill tell you why i am buying the Fortuner even though i already own a 2008 Range Rover TDV8 and a 2009 Pajero SFX.

I know the real answer. Because you have loads of money ;-) and maybe a big family

Seriously. If I had not bought a big office with loan to take care of ,for the next 5-7 years, I would have gone ahead and purchased the car too.
And not being comfortable to buy , I am trying to find reasons to pep myself up.
Sour Grapes for me for sure.

But whatever happens ,happens for the best