Toyota Fortuner : Official Review

[prateekvidya]

I have been following the Endy and Fortuner threads closely for sometime - Endy is way past its 2000th post, while Fortuner is yet to cross 500. Considering the fact that Endy was launched earlier, it still seems that Fortuner group is way less active - which is surprising because the sales figures seem to indicate otherwise.

My guess is that Fortuner owners are neither facing any issues, nor a great deal of pleasure from the new Fortuner whereas Endy users have a mix of both. Either that, or Endy is the 'underdog' trying its hand at the adult table, and hence being more talked about.

Which one do you think it is ?

[mayjay]

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

I have been following the Endy and Fortuner threads closely for sometime - Endy is way past its 2000th post, while Fortuner is yet to cross 500. Considering the fact that Endy was launched earlier, it still seems that Fortuner group is way less active - which is surprising because the sales figures seem to indicate otherwise.

My guess is that Fortuner owners are neither facing any issues, nor a great deal of pleasure from the new Fortuner whereas Endy users have a mix of both. Either that, or Endy is the 'underdog' trying its hand at the adult table, and hence being more talked about.

Which one do you think it is ?

My own take is Endy is more interesting of the two as a product. Also there is more uncertainty around it and potential buyers need more assurance from existing owners.
Whereas the Fortuner is a safe bet so less discussion is required.

Also it's interesting that the posts are inversely proportional to each others monthly sales.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

Which one do you think it is ?

Neither if you ask me.

Hard fact Toyotas are boring and will sell no matter what, an average Indian buyer would not blink and go buy them no matter what thanks to brand recall. Atleast for the 1st year, then we will see a downward spiral of sales. Usual for most of new well known brands in the market, this is the case.

Team BHP being a car enthusiast forum, Endy will get more limelight. Since there is something to discuss about, features to explore, moments to get WOW'ed with.

Hard fact if you like cars and driving you will choose the latter no matter what.

[DwarkaDelhiWala]

Endeavor will be all discussions, Fortuner will be all driving pleasure.

Superb handling even on congested west Delhi 'roads'. Absolutely no issues.

With Yokos, the real butch, 100% head-turner. Enjoy Fortuner. What is there to discuss? App based/blue tooth four color floor lighting or the power of the 'Eco' mode ......

Then who knows when americans decide to wind up. Today its GM, tomorrow could be Ford.

[mayjay]

Originally Posted by DwarkaDelhiWala

Endeavor will be all discussions, Fortuner will be all driving pleasure.

Superb handling even on congested west Delhi 'roads'. Absolutely no issues.

With Yokos, the real butch, 100% head-turner. Enjoy Fortuner. What is there to discuss? App based/blue tooth four color floor lighting or the power of the 'Eco' mode ......

It's a case of PC vs. MAC!

[MAS]

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

Which one do you think it is ?

That's an interesting question.

The Fortuner is really a no nonsense vehicle and most of the cars are "Fill it, Shut it, Forget it" type. Owners like me just enjoy the drive, peace of mind and the attention on the road. There is really nothing much to report and this is really very satisfying.

As i owned the previous generation Endeavour before upgrading to the Fortuner, my long drives are now, much faster, more fuel efficient, much more comfortable and more importantly without any anxiety.

One of the other reasons for the lower number of posts, is that the New Fortuner was launched on 7th November 2016 but this official (wonderful, in-depth) test drive report was live only on 25th January 2017, just over two-and-a-half months later.

In these two-and-a-half months, this thread was going very active... http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...page-14-a.html. Many of us had already taken delivery of our cars and had reported our initial experiences in the older thread. The old thread has 559 posts.

[roby_dk]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Hard fact if you like cars and driving you will choose the latter no matter what.

One of the reason I went for Endeavour over Fortuner.

The only reason why people are buying Fortuner is the Toyota badge associated with it. Just interchange their badges and Endeavour will win hands down.

[sgmuser]

I used to wonder same as why there is not much activity here but Endy's thread lots of discussions. One pattern there with Endy's, which is obvious if you follow it enough to notice is that, the anxious buyers are keen to get hooked in a common place and understand to handle issues/niggles. Fortuner is a rock and very seldom a buyer has these type of moments and even if there are some rare issues, the solid confidence customers have on Toyota's ability to resolve them is impeccable.

[Turbanator]

Endeavor will be all discussions, Fortuner will be all driving pleasure.

Not really Sir, I have personally bought twice. Maybe FORD did blunder by keeping the same name Endeavour as people still recollect old model immediately. Perhaps they should have negotiated something with Everest spices guys and named it Everest in India. I am not sure if you have driven new Endeavour and still believe that Fortuner gives more driving pleasure. Of course, Toyota gives more peace of mind and should be pocket-friendly in longer run but FORD is no Skoda or VW.

Then who knows when americans decide to wind up. Today its GM, tomorrow could be Ford.

If we see one accident, do we stop driving? GM Dealers were a mess since many Years and it was very clear something is seriously wrong. We have seen Daewoo existing market but look at Hyundai? Did we stop buying Koreans?

Now coming to Toyota niggles, many goes unreported. It always happens with such a brand as we the customer who carry such a high image for the company will try to find a fault within if we own such a product but the same thing happening with a lower image brand always get a different opinion. There are some reported cases of issues on new Endeavour but if we see how Ford has responded and worked to satisfaction.

Endeavour is a better Product, Fortuner - gives better peace of mind and should be cheaper to run and maintain, both will find customers.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

Which one do you think it is ?

Interesting one. My take on it is that

1) An Endy owner/potential owner is one who will be an enthusiast and ready to try out things for what it is.

2) The above said point leads to potential Endy owners wanting to clarify doubts about the purchase and trying to make a strong case for the purchase either for themselves or to present the case to the family. You wouldn't need that when buying a Fortuner.

3) A potential buyer for Fortuner will have eyes for it only, while the potential Endy buyer will have his options open right from the Hexa to the Germans. So more discussion on that.

4) Ford's confusing pricing strategy that changes every 6 months. Dedicate a couple of pages discussion for that.

5) Endy has more variants and engine options and tranny option.
The Fortuner has options for the transmission and drivetrain only, with a single engine option and a single variant. Makes things easier for the buyer and again less discussions for that.

6) Slight niggles reported by owners have a ripple effect on the Endy pages, until the problem is solved and everyone goes 'PHEW' in relief.

a minor one
Add a few pages for the SYNC 2/3/4.... discussion.
And like MAS said, most of the discussions and initial impressions of the new Fortuner were done on the old page.

My views

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by pjegadeesh

I have an issue with my new Toyota fortuner the "LED Headlights are not adequate in opposite traffic scenario" ]

The headlight beam can be manually adjusted manually via a screw located on top of the head light.

DIY Process
1)Park against a srtaight painted wall.

2)Switch on the low beam,autolevelling will stop at a point

3)Open the hood and adjust the screw on top of LED light to the desired position(It has a healthy range)

4)You are now done

Enjoy your ride

Hope that helps

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by prateekvidya

I have been following the Endy and Fortuner threads closely for sometime - Endy is way past its 2000th post, while Fortuner is yet to cross 500. Considering the fact that Endy was launched earlier, it still seems that Fortuner group is way less active - which is surprising because the sales figures seem to indicate otherwise.

My guess is that Fortuner owners are neither facing any issues, nor a great deal of pleasure from the new Fortuner whereas Endy users have a mix of both. Either that, or Endy is the 'underdog' trying its hand at the adult table, and hence being more talked about.

Which one do you think it is ?

Fortuner is a no nonsense SUV for sure,as you rightly said no issues either.

The bigger concern for me is that the CEO of Ford said they might shut shop in India.

"Ford might need to shed some unprofitable business units or drop out of global markets like India, where it is struggling to maintain a foothold "— an unwinding similar to the way G.M. is repositioning its business under its chief executive,*Mary Barra.

These kind of statements will further effect sales.

By the way, what are the sales figures of the Fortuner vs The Endeavour?

[DwarkaDelhiWala]

Reg. TPMS:
I regret recommending Blaupunkt TPMS earlier in this thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post4183301

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ml#post4206415

[AAD]

On the subject of TPMS, I belong to an Old school of thought

As a matter of routine practice, every day before getting into my car, I take a walk around to inspect the tyre pressure visually and during each tankful, usually on Weekends, I always check the tyre pressure, that too from the same Petrol Pump air station.

While a lot of informative gadgets are available and some of them are indeed useful ( e.g I have a digital voltmeter permanently connected to my charger socket + Addl bank of 4 charger sockets made available to charge various gizmos of the occupants), I am of the opinion that a TPMS can lull the driver into a false sense of security in case of a malfunction and lead them to drive on when the need is to actually inflate or deflate the tyres.

As a driver it is important to get a seat of the pants feel of the various parameters of our vehicle and only rely on the gadgets to reinforce our conclusions rather than draw conclusions based on the data given by the gadgets

Mind over Matter anyone

[DwarkaDelhiWala]

Originally Posted by AAD

.....matter of routine practice, every day before getting into my car, I take a walk around to inspect the tyre pressure visually and during each tankful, usually on Weekends, I always check the tyre pressure, that too from the same Petrol Pump air station.......Mind over Matter anyone

I agree with the old school.

But times have changed now, perhaps for the worse. Roads are full of scammers. I've been 'informed' many times on crowded roads that there is partially flat tire at the back. I never check, just drive on. Except for once, at the Prembari Flyover, all these turned out to be false. A TPMS helps.

Then, when i'm on a long lonely wretched stretch of a 'highway', late at night, with family sprawled on back seats, a constant reading on TPMS is dynamic and most confidence inspiring (e.g., Alwar to Bhiwadi, Sarahan to Shimla, HanumanChatti to Badrinath, Haridwar to Roorkee......). No sir, i do need a TPMS.

And, i never fill tires at fuel bunks, especially at night. These are potential 'recce' points for criminals waiting further down the highway - modern day highway 'Thugs - The Murderous Tribe of India'.

SUV grade double piston air-pump and a nozzle valve tightening spanner never give me a reason to visit fuel bunk 'air-stations'.

It has been my experience that the transducers converting mechanical pressure into digital signal in TPMS sensors are pretty accurate, perhaps better than those 'never calibrated' at petrol pumps.

I don't believe in the exact reading on TPMS (have a Michelin meter for that), its always relative reading. And that is exactly what you do when you visit same fuel pump for air.