[blackwasp]

The Toyota Fortuner came to India back in 2009 & boy, has it been a runaway success! In '09, it was launched at Rs. 18.45 lakhs. The 2011 variants were priced at 19.99 - 20.99 lakhs, while the 2015 cars came with a sticker price of Rs. 26.59 lakhs. The SUV went from being a 20 lakh car to a 30+ lakh one. Its popularity is such that the Fortuner sells 1,500 copies in a good month!

The SUV was initially offered in the 4x4 MT guise only. Later, more variants were introduced (including a 4x2 and 4x4 AT). Powered by a 3.0-litre diesel, the SUV made 169 BHP & 343 Nm. It is a no-nonsense, rugged ladder-on-frame 4x4 that can take all the abuse you throw at it. It is said that Toyota body-on-frame diesels can outlast their owners if maintained well . No wonder this is the preferred vehicle of politicians, security personnel, 4x4 enthusiasts and just about anyone who wants a reliable, good-looking, 7-seater Toyota.

Positives

• Handsome looks & presence, even today
• Bulletproof reliability & durability. Built for abuse
• Powerful diesel engine with 169 BHP on tap
• User-friendly & spacious interiors
• Offroad capability with 4x4, low ratio transfer case, LSD & lockable diff
• Toyota's excellent after-sales service & cheap service costs
• Goodies: Vehicle stability control, reversing camera, electric driver's seat etc.

Negatives

• You'll only find high-mileage cars. Low odo Fortuners are as rare as white Ferraris
• Holds its value well (which means premium prices in the used car market)
• Firm suspension leads to bumpy ride quality. Pitches on the highway too
• Ordinary, utilitarian interiors are strikingly similar to the old Innova's
• Poor brakes. No rear discs! Inadequate stopping power from high speeds
• Many features missing (reach-adjustable steering, auto-dimming IRVM, flippy key etc.)
• Just two airbags in such an expensive vehicle

Related Threads

• The 2015 4x4 AT Review

• Official Review

• Ace F355's pre-worshipped Fortuner 4x4 MT

• ragh_bhushan's Fortuner

• varunraizada's pre-worshipped Fortuner 4x4 MT

• Manuuj's 200,000 km Obelix

Mod Potential:

If you want to offroad, the world is your playground. Lots & lots of mod potential. The appeal is in taking your Fortuner offroading on the weekend, and then driving the dirty car to office on Monday.


Source

Here are some examples on sale (2009 109,000 km diesel 4x4 MT, 2010 140,000 diesel 4x4 MT, 2011 67,000 km diesel 4x4 MT, 2016 152,000 km 4x4 AT).

Here are pictures of the 2011 vehicle - 67,000 km done, diesel 4x4 MT with an asking price of Rs. 12 lakhs.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

Voted for NO. Loved it in 2009, and considered it the best SUV then. Not anymore. Heck, even in 2015, I found the Fortuner quite tiring over a long distance journey due to the bumpy ride quality, firm steering, poor NVH etc. Would buy one only if I needed to offroad in an SUV (I don't - have the Jeep for that) or had to frequently drive on broken rural roads for work (say, a factory in rural MH).

The 1st-gen Fortuner makes a lot of sense only if you have a specific purpose for it, else there are more comfortable options in the used market.

[naveen.raju]

Voted No.

I did like the facelift model and have driven it a few times but I would never buy it today. I would pick the Ford Endeavour anyday over this.

[drmohitg]

The 1st generation Fortuner was love at first sight when it was launched. I still remember reading GTO's review more than 10 times. That Gray coloured car in the background of rain just looked drool worthy. More so since we were in the market for a new car at the time and finally brought the Altis home.

But a decade later, I guess this doesn't make sense to buy. It's a strict NO in Delhi where you anyways cannot run it. The market has seen the biggest growth in the SUV segment in this decade and the 1st generation Fortuner just feels crude now. Unrealistic resale values for a car that is 10 years old and run a lot of kms also do not help its case.

[padmrajravi]

Voted No. 10-year-old Fortuners with lakhs of kilometres in the ODO is listed in the range of 10 lakhs in my area. I will never understand the logic of such resale values; especially when 10-year-old diesel cars cannot be used in some states.

[ashis89]

Voted Yes. I will get one only if I was on a tight budget and there wasn't any restriction to drive old cars in my city (currently there isn't any).

A few years ago, my choice was the Pajero SFX which, I believe, is a superior vehicle (except for the engine). However today, Mitsubishi is history and getting service/support for a discontinued vehicle is difficult. Hence the next best choice, Fortuner - Tough, reliable, powerful, MT and decently comfortable. But I won't pay any more than a six-digit sum for it. Someone I know has got a 60k run and very well-maintained example for 8L and is very happy with it.

My obvious choice would have been the current gen Endeavor but that would cost almost thrice the cost of 1st gen Fortuner.

[arindambasu13]

Voted NO. I was never a fan of the Fortuner with its massive size and butch attitude. I prefer cars, even SUVs, which are a little more classy and have more sophisticated lines (probably, these would fall in the crossover genre). For instance, a VW T Roc or T Cross would be much more appealing to me than a Fortuner. This car is simply too big and unwieldy for me and I have no use for this class of vehicle really.

Plus, investing in a 10 year old diesel behemoth is too much of a risk given the attitude of the state machinery towards diesels in general.

[Reinhard]

Voted "NO". The compromises on ride quality, rear seat space & driving pleasure are too much of a price to pay just to be given way by scared hatchback/auto/bike riders on the road. And I'm never in rush on the road either - so don't mind being stuck in a line. The car has been generally very reliable I must accept (being a Toyota, no surprise). But still - I'd rather buy a Safari Storme VX4x4 for its royal ride quality & space over a used Fortuner. (Although finding a good specimen would be near impossible. Those without issues won't be sold by owners. Those on sale mostly would have some skeleton in the closet!)

[asit.kulkarni93]

Voted yes!

This car is built to last and the 4x4 + AT is a decent combo. I loved the design on the Facelift version of the 1st gen fortuner. It’s basically a true blue SUV which will keep munching miles without breaking a sweat. Talking about the ride quality, that can be enhanced with aftermarket suspension setups from old man EMU or ironman. It may not become plush like the Innova but definitely much better than the stock setup. The interior space is much better than the competition even today. I have seen fortuners done over 200k kms and if you hide the ODO reading then there is no way to tell the car’s age or the running. A true blue Toyota!

[iTNerd]

Voted YES. I bought a low mileage, pre-worshipped 2010 grey one in Delhi this Feb, for my use in the North East. I considered myself lucky to get a pristine one at just 46000 kms on the odo, with full service history, even on the original Dunlop GrandTrek tyres at around 7.3 lacs.

With further investment of less than 2 lakhs to swap with new continental AT tyres, internal TPMS, new paint, new touchscreen, Front Parking sensors and Rear Camera, new speakers, HIDs, Front, Rear & Sides bumper protectors, Philips DRL and few other accessories, it is as good as new! I guess this should easily run for another 10 years without major issues, if maintained well.

If one is looking for a rugged, no-nonsense, go anywhere SUV with extreme reliability, this is it. Obviously for folks in non-urban, non-metro cities.

Condition when it was bought this Feb 2020.


And now, after customizing it to my taste

[DicKy]

Voted Yes.

Though with the current used prices, should have been No.
Horrible short gearing for the highway aside, an Innova would be a better buy.

But, if you want an SUV per se, other than Safari/Scorpio there isn't any better option. An equivalent Endeavour is half the price, but even worse ride and low seating.
Pajero is a superior overall product, but the highway engine performance is poor. And less said about Mitsubishi A.S.S, or what is left of it, the better.

If the government doesn't decide to make the ill-advised draconian age limit/forced scrappage policy for private vehicles, the time for used Fortuners' is yet to come IMO.

Plenty of small business owners and tradesmen, who used to have Omnis, have started using Qualis. The six digit mileage not withstanding, prices are hovering around the 2 lakh mark for years.
When Fortuners start selling at 5-6lakhs, rest assured there is a huge population waiting to lap it up in the used market.

As a workhorse, what could possibly go wrong?

[lamborghini]

Despite driving and coming away impressed with an abused Fortuner on a Leh-Ladakh trip, I would still vote no.

- High resale value makes it relative non value for money
- most models have high mileage

Heck, the innova crysta is a better buy for the chauffeur driven, and there could be some equally capable vehicles available at similar prices - Pajero Sport, Endeavour, etc.

[Altocumulus]

Voted No as I stay in Delhi and cannot use a diesel car older than 10 years.

[jetsetgo08]

Voted No due to atrociously high resale value. It's almost impossible to find an accident free sample under 10L despite clocking 2-3L kms on the odometer.

[reignofchaos]

Bad car with terrible ride and woeful brakes, poor refinement with quite a lot of vibration, high resale value and generally very dated by today's standards. An emphatic no!