[paras211]

Your tires gave up and you went in too slow. Good to see you using the "chota" gear often.
Dont sell this one when it gets old , rip off those plastic bumpers slap on some M/T tires and it'll be a blast.
It is truly a highway monster.

Was in the same situation with my gypsy once, middle of the night,no tools, no other vehicle to tow it out , we pushed , fell , dug with our bare hands and sacrificed a friends new pair of jeans to get out.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by paras211

Your tires gave up and you went in too slow. Good to see you using the "chota" gear often.
Dont sell this one when it gets old , rip off those plastic bumpers slap on some M/T tires and it'll be a blast.
It is truly a highway monster.

May be you're right about gathering the pace before going in I agree

& yes i can already visualize my car with Metal Bumpers, bigger M/T Tyres etc

Originally Posted by Manuuj

Great review and pics Karan561. You seem to have really enjoyed your Fortuner as is evident by the pics. I have done almost 75,000 kms in my Fortuner and without anything untoward to report.

Thanks !!!

Originally Posted by Manuuj

I will suggest that when the time comes to change tyres, not to experiment and go in for the same Dunlop Grandtreks that your car came with. Do make sure they are the Made in Japan ones though. I recently have burnt my hands on Yokohama Geolanders that I replaced my Dunlops with at the 72,000 kms mark.

Frankly i was excited about getting The Yokhama Geolanders as a replacement as soon as my tyres lose steam. But after your incident i think i may not go in for this brand at-least on my T-Fort.

I have used Yokohamas on my Punto ( es 100's ) & on my Cruze too (dB Series ) & the performance has been supreme was always praising about them, i am shocked & surprised after what happened in your case.

I may mostly stick to the stock Dunlops when it comes to replacement or may look at Michelins or Continentals

Originally Posted by Manuuj

I am really surprised as to why your brake pads were changed at 17K kms!? Mine were only changed at the 70,000 kms service recently.

As you know the brake pad life is subjective to driving style.

In fact it is surprising that your set lasted 70k kms

[karan561]

Got the car under-body power washed at a local service station. The muck/slush had dried up & was hard to remove from the wheel arches & other critical areas so the service center person had to manually remove using his bare hands to reach out & get it out;



& out ;



PS - KAMYO super detail coming up

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by karan561

Got the car under-body power washed at a local service station. The muck/slush had dried up & was hard to remove from the wheel arches & other critical areas so the service center person had to manually remove using his bare hands to reach out & get it out;

Great to see you enjoying your vehicle.

I try to avoid deep mud or water if possible (translation: if I have to go through mud and water on my way to someplace, I do. But I don't actively go looking for mud/water to play in it , since one needs to clean and grease asap after that. And that is not always possible).

Toyota ASCs in Bangalore don't know much about post-offroading checks and measures.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Great to see you enjoying your vehicle.

I try to avoid deep mud or water if possible (translation: if I have to go through mud and water on my way to someplace, I do. But I don't actively go looking for mud/water to play in it , since one needs to clean and grease asap after that. And that is not always possible).

Toyota ASCs in Bangalore don't know much about post-offroading checks and measures.

Thanks !

Well regarding the post off-roading checks & measures IMO none of the Toyota ASC across India would be trained for this.

Regarding the post off roading cleaning, the best is to plan to go for off roading before your service interval

Originally Posted by karan561

PS - KAMYO super detail coming up

Finally it was time to get my BRUTE-FORT Super detailed ( Exterior + Interior )

Here are some WIP pics;











A clean engine bay



Sun & Shade captured & WHITE cant look any better



This was the first time i had called for KAMYO detailers & they did not disappoint, my BRUTE FORT now looks showroom fresh & well deserved


Kamyo Team Strength : 4 people

Total Time taken : 6 hrz 30 mins

Total Cost : Rs 7500/-

PS - Great job in the interiors as well, haven't taken photos yet , will upload shortly

[karan561]

Recently my Brute Fort was all decked up for an event, some pics id like to share;





The view from the cockpit

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by karan561

Recently my Brute Fort was all decked up for an event, some pics id like to share...

Let me guess - a wedding in the family ?!! That's intelligent of me eh ?
Now I could be wrong of course...these days there is no telling for events I guess.
Anyway your Brute- Fort in this livery reminds me of Attila the Hun in a bride's trousseau.
Shake it off and it deserves an OTR event.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Let me guess - a wedding in the family ?!! That's intelligent of me eh ?

Yupp ! My cousins marriage

Originally Posted by Guderian

Shake it off and it deserves an OTR event.

Yup, its off & im in

[karan561]

Update : 30k Service done;

Engine Oil change, Oil Filter, Air Filter (1st change), brakes cleaned, & other checks & top ups
Also prop shaft greasing, tire rotation etc

A/C Filter wasnt changed as had replaced in mid 20s (Had rat droppings in the A/C Filter so put a new 1 that time)

Total cost Rs 7823/- (Incl. of taxes etc)

[karan561]

Last Sunday 7 BHPian Fortuner owners had gone for an expedition to Pawna Dam, Lonavla

& What a sight it was to see the 7 butch SUVs conquer the beautiful landscape around Lonavla, few pics from the drive;

Brothers in Arms : Grouping before hitting the Expressway



@ Expressway : En - Route Lonavla



@ Pawna Dam



The Line up





The BHPians from L to R : VenkatIyer, Bhp, myself, Monaro CV8, Kedarwalke, Guderian(taking the snap), & Ahmed(Missing - probably setting up the tripod)



The upcrawl, do note my rear view mirror



My BRUTE-FORT



Goodbyes & Already planning the next drive

[Murugan]

Originally Posted by karan561

Last Sunday 7 BHPian Fortuner owners had gone for an expedition to Pawna Dam, Lonavla

& What a sight it was to see the 7 butch SUVs conquer the beautiful landscape around Lonavla, few pics from the drive;

The Line up

Attachment 1054526

See 3 current versions of the Fortuners. Did any of those have automatic transmission? Please share your experience, if any, with the Automatic transmission versions of the Toyota Fortuner.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Murugan

See 3 current versions of the Fortuners. Did any of those have automatic transmission? Please share your experience, if any, with the Automatic transmission versions of the Toyota Fortuner.

Hi Murugan,

There were no A/T Fortuners in this drive, all were 4x4 M/T.

Have not driven the latest 5 speed A/T but im sure the new 5 A/T is far more responsive, refined & fuel efficient than the previous 4 A/T.

Sadly no 4x4 A/T on offer

[karan561]

Had have a couple of road trips to Pune, but this recent trip was a quickie covered about 380 kms on the Trip meter by running around within Pune, outskirts & back to Mumbai;



One of the lowest figures for a Pune trip, but also one of the fastest too

[karan561]

Last Sunday (21/4/13) Team Fortuner Owners group did a drive to Deer Park, Silvasa;

Some pics from the drive;

6 Fortuners all BHPians turned up for the drive;





The first Deers spotted in herds;



The Elegant Antler;



The dry & dusty reserve;





(From L to R) - Myself, Guderian, MonaroCV8







The antler charging;



The line up;



My BRUTE FORT;



Had stopped for breakfast @ Kamats before entering the Deer reserve;



Group Discussions, table courtesy Manish (bhp!)



Exploring Countryside;



Empty NH8 on return



Trip log;

Total Distance covered: 300 Km (Aprox)

FE : 10.7 Km/l

You can read the entire report here;

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...to-jungle.html

Thanks

[getsurya]

6 Fortuners all BHPians turned up for the drive

Good pictures, Karan! Thanks for sharing.

More details about your ride and experiences will help the future buyers