[Khushrav]

I may be the odd one, but I do not like the styling at all. It looks like the designer has gone overboard and moved away from the DNA. The Endeavour or even the face lifted Trailblazer looks much more butch and imposing. It feels as if the competition to this was the Santa Fe which is really a shame.

I'm guessing that this will increase the Ford footfalls despite the winner still being Toyota. As for Chevvy, they really need to pull out a rabbit from their hat.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Khushrav

I may be the odd one, but I do not like the styling at all. It looks like the designer has gone overboard and moved away from the DNA.

I wholeheartedly agree. Don't like the new Fortuner's clothes, nor the new Pajero's. Much prefer the styling of the older Fortuner to this. I like clean, proportionate & butch designs - the Endeavour is perhaps the best example of that from the current crop of premium SUVs.

[Tanmay K]

This trend of making the headlamps smaller and smaller is what I specifically don't like.

Used to love the old Pajero and the old Fortuners. The new Pajero disappointed a bit. And now this. SUV styling has gone downhill in the past 5 years or so. Heck, the dated Safari Dicor looks the best among the one's mentioned IMHO.

I'm really hoping this design philosophy is not further pushed on the Land Cruisers going forward.

[earthian]

Well, it is heartening to know that i am not the odd one out. I too did not like the front, side or back. Liked the old one. The new one seems suspiciously like the Innova Crysta from the sides. The interiors are just ok. In fact, i feel that except for the display unit, my 6 year old Santa Fe has better interiors. i may be wrong, but i feel that the Santa Fe seems to be more spacier inside. Probably due to the light colour upholstery. i was waiting for the Fortuner to decide on what SUV to buy. Yesterday i test drove the 220 D GLC and the 250 GLE. Liked the GLE, but not the price. Seems like the Endevour is a serious contender.

[naveen.raju]

Fortuner review - Autoportal (desi version of Mat Watson )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thVTorAvVs4

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by GTO

I wholeheartedly agree. Don't like the new Fortuner's clothes, nor the new Pajero's. Much prefer the styling of the older Fortuner to this. I like clean, proportionate & butch designs - the Endeavour is perhaps the best example of that from the current crop of premium SUVs.

Zeitgeist.

A pity.

With the worldwide trend towards self and national assertion (India, Japan, Russia, UK et al), a butch design would do rather well, IMO.

But given Japanese decision making and culture, they are 2 years behind, and would never risk being a trailblazer.

They make the Innova more manly, and make the Fortuner more feminine. #regression_towards_the_mean. Which is neither here nor there. But given the market dynamics, Toyota can perhaps get away with it in India. Riding on the reputation (well earned) of past Fortuners.

The biggest markets for the Fortuner are South Africa, India, Thailand, Australia. At least 3 out of 4 markets would appreciate an old school design.

My Classic 4x4 Fortuner is 6 yrs/120K down. Old faithful, no difference re the basics from a 6 months old vehicle. I plan to keep it for 2-3 years more, perhaps till 200K. The interiors and ride quality + disc brakes of the new Fortuner do tempt me. But the look is a turn off.

[anumod]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

(being a prospective buyer who had almost signed up for the Ford Endeavour, I decided to wait for the Fortuner's price announcement).

What is your take after the drive, still are you sticking to Fortuner, or moving Back to Endy ? Can you please share your thoughts on this?

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

In competition, proper diff-lock on rear axle is being offered on Ford. For those looking for more comfortable ride, Innova Crysta is better bet. For those looking for a 4x4 SUV, top end Ford Endeavour is better bet.\

And that awesome terrain response system! how can we disregard the edge that will bring to the 4x4 capability. Being an offroader at heart I just can't discount that.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Also, the diesel MT has 6 forward speeds right?
Pricing is interesting, especially considering that there's no lower variant. Only differences between the models are the engines and drive train options.

Yes it is a manual 6 speed box and except the tough to slot reverse and the gyrating lever, it was awesome. There are some features that comes only for 4x4 models like hill decent control etc, but otherwise general feature wise it's pretty much same.

Originally Posted by Khushrav

I may be the odd one, but I do not like the styling at all.

You are not alone! after a month I just opened the ford website and saw the endy pics and man that is a proper SUV! Though the fortuner might appeal to women folks more, by the way they seem to like the Crv's of the world.

ps: Not talking about the enthusiastic women folks in TBHP so please no offence please.

Originally Posted by Axe77

@Jaggu: You being a prospective customer, I'd be interested to hear your take on which car you'd pick if you had to choose one of the 4x4 A/T options. (I suspect you might totally sold on the 4x4 MT of course but as a moot point if you had to pick one of the A/Ts, which one would it be?)[/b]

Originally Posted by anumod

What is your take after the drive, still are you sticking to Fortuner, or moving Back to Endy ? Can you please share your thoughts on this?

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

So the three million rupee question is- would you buy this or the endeavour @Jaggu?

Will have to wait for another week or two, there are few other stake holders in this decision. But if it is fortuner probability is that we would prefer a manual 4x2, no point is spending more money though we might miss out on some minor feature lists.

My take was already fixed on the Endy, the only reason I was waiting for the Toyota was the edge it has on resale and cheapest service in India. But I just realised the resale might not matter since the vehicle will be bought on a lease and will be returned after the lease period, very less chance we would keep this one for long. So might as well as get what your heart says right?

[anumod]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

My take was already fixed on the Endy, the only reason I was waiting for the Toyota was the edge it has on resale and cheapest service in India. But I just realised the resale might not matter since the vehicle will be bought on a lease and will be returned after the lease period, very less chance we would keep this one for long. So might as well as get what your heart says right?

What are the Pros and Cons when you compare both. Especially the MT (. Here I am talking mainly with the Engine and transmission).

[Turbanator]

Fortuner review - Autoportal

Thank God we have such a nice forum

Check out at around 6:50

6 Speed Auto Gearbox comes with Paddle shifters behind steering wheel, which means you can shift gears manually and you get some sense of what its is to drive a F1 Car

[earthian]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

But if it is fortuner probability is that we would prefer a manual 4x2,

Since you are a serious off roader, i would have thought that a 4x4 was mandatory?

So might as well as get what your heart says right?

Not only the heart, but it seems also the VFM.
I too am sitting on the fence. Fortuner wins over the Endevour in Brand equity, and in perceived higher reliability. In the rest the Endevour wins. Except maybe the looks of the rear.

[Vid6639]

Well the battle has truly begun. Endeavour vs Fortuner. The outcome in sales is anyways one sided. The Fortuner will walk all over in sheer numbers over the Ford like earlier.

But lets look at what each offers.

Manual Transmission:

Firstly if you need a manual transmission and aren't considering an Auto box walk up to the Toyota showroom and put down the money for the Fortuner 4x4 or 4x2 2.8 diesel. Don't even bother going to the Ford showroom. They don't offer an MT option with the 3.2L engine and you have to opt for the 2.2L which is nowhere near as good as the Toyota's 2.8L engine. Yes the Toyota is expensive.

Automatic Transmission:

If you want the Automatic things get interesting.

The cheapest AT is the Ford 2.2 4x2 AT. Only if you are on a tight budget.

If you don't need 4x4 then the Fortuner ticks all the right boxes as it has a 4x2 AT option which is perfect for urban yuppies who want the SUV image and show but won't take the car out of office commute and occasional family trips. But want to show to everyone they bought a big bad expensive SUV.

If you want 4x4 AT then you have 3 excellent options:

1. Ford Endeavour Trend 3.2 AT. The best VFM option. For 32-33 on road depending on the city this one is a great deal for someone who doesn't want to cross 35 lakhs. It's a good 5-7 lakhs cheaper than the top end Endeavour 3.2 and Fortuner 4x4 AT.

2. Fortuner 4x4 AT. It's the priciest of the lot, nearly touching 40 lakhs in Bangalore. Reliability and pretty much all the features one could need. The one to go for if you want the Toyota brand more than anything and don't mind paying the premium. For me there's no standout wow factor in this one vs the Endeavour.


3. Ford Endeavour 3.2 AT Titanium. My pick of the lot. Loads of features like semi park assist, panoramic sunroof, massive engine, good dynamics and priced nearly 2 lakhs lesser than the Fortuner. Hard pressed to find a good reason to get a Fortuner 4x4 AT over this one.

So pick your poison. IMO the Fortuner has much more wider appeal due to the manual box and the option of a 4x2 AT. The Endeavour is more for the enthusiasts and people who seek exclusivity vs the Fortuner which is more mass market if you can call a 35L SUV mass market.

[arit.mondal]

Originally Posted by GTO

I wholeheartedly agree. Don't like the new Fortuner's clothes, nor the new Pajero's. Much prefer the styling of the older Fortuner to this. I like clean, proportionate & butch designs - the Endeavour is perhaps the best example of that from the current crop of premium SUVs.

Not only the new Fortuner, but even the new Pajero Sport has gone overboard with sleek curves on an SUV. Definitely these two look odder, compared to existing SUVs.

[kimianks]

The Live Facebook Video of Overdrive says the Straps for the 3rd Row seats are not great. The Flip to the Side Seats get undone under hard braking or cornering, something that Toyota needs to improve.

The 2nd Row seats in the Fortuner don't lie flat either. The Flip Forward seems funny when you need that extra boot space. The Endeavour becomes like a flat bed

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I must be amongst First one to book and then cancel, even without waiting for prices. Requested for a cancellation today, when I booked, was kind of assured delivery from the first lot and the sales guy didn't bother to even ask for any documents or payment till today. Looks they have reasonable success already. Wonder how much profitable is this business and how easy will be the life of sales guys working in Toyota.

Sad to know you have cancelled your booking.

Which variant had you booked ?

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Looks Karan is busy with Media drive

Nope, i wasnt a part of the media drive.

So here's the explanation on A-TRAC

The Active Traction Control (A-TRC) offers superior Limited Slip Differential (LSD) performance. What you get is acceleration and performance on slippery surfaces and escape capability when driving through terrains with low traction.

Thanks