Team-BHP - Toyota Fortuner : Official Review

Brilliant review. Inputs from Samurai & Karan are icing on cake.

I do agree that the cabin is not luxurious but is functional & practical. Would have been good if few soft-touch plastics were added.

I like this Fortuner but few things could have been better. My 4WD Scorpio has auto wash-wipe and auto struts to lift up the bonnet. While one won't miss the bonnet lifting mechanism, one is sure to miss the auto wash-wipe.

Omission of full time 4WD and adding HT in 4X4 variant. Really Toyota...?

Worth the wait. To put it in a simple way this is a sales man's manual. Very comprehensive and informative. When I went to the showroom SA mentioned that rear windshield is not having any washer as it has got a spoiler. Couldn't answer when i asked the need for a rear wiper.

Definitely this thread deserves a 5 star. Entire Republic day was spent reading the official review.

I had seen the Fortuner in a Toyota showroom. It is huge, just massive and really very impressive looking. To get in and out was like 'mounting' a horse. The wheels were really large. Build quality was nothing short of 'solid', no wonder they call it 'the truck'. Fantastic review covering so much details large & small. Next time I am at a Toyota showroom, this review will really help make connections to all the feature that are available on this impressive SUV.

Phew!! Just reading this was tiring and needed the entire Republic Day. Cant imagine the effort that has gone in to put all this together. Rating the thread a well deserved five stars. I am one of those guys who promptly gets out of the way when this beast appears in the Rear View Mirror. :uncontrol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya (Post 4134008)

Spare is mounted under the vehicle. All variants get a full-size alloy spare. That chain is loose, but you don't hear it banging against the wheel inside:

Why is this chain left hanging? Couldn't they have tucked this somewhere. Although it doesn't bang against wheel, are there any chances of this getting entangled with debris, etc?

Kudos to Toyota for providing 8 airbags as standard across all trims.
While the core values that make this Toyota a success, I think Toyota should really make steps to increase the service interval. 5000 km is too short.

A few missing features like TPMS is irritating, these should be standard at the price segment.

I think some production constraints and fear of waiting periods will push the launch of the Fortuner with the 2.4 diesel. I read somewhere that it can produce upto 400 Nm of torque.

Bingo. Too many corners cut by Toyota.

Feature list, that unclad bottom above the wheels, ice, interior plastics, below average ride with noise filtering in etc.

Except for legendary reliability, Ford has Toyota's number on this one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4134076)

[b]I never liked the new Fortuner's styling from the pictures; however, I will admit that the SUV looks handsome in person. Has a killer street presence. That it has much improved over the old truck, there is no doubt. The interiors are better, as is the ride quality, equipment & safety kit. That said:

• If I were looking for an AT, my pick is still the outstanding Endeavour 3.2. I prefer its more classic styling, the cabin is nicer than the Fortuner's, the Ford’s 3.2L is sweeeet (sounds amazing too), its steering is easier in the city and the equipment list runs longer (panoramic sunroof, punchier ICE etc.). In terms of offroadability too, the Endeavour is strong and will do everything the Fortuner can. The Fortuner might be more reliable in the longer term, yet the Endeavour is quite durable too. Not like it's a troublesome European SUV.

Finally!!

The most sought after review of 2017 is finally here, couldn't have come on a better day than republic day holiday. I was all engrossed into the thread and finished reading it in one go, a holiday well spent tucked into quilt and reading what i love the most.

Some pretty bad omissions by Toyota in this version too like mismatching tyres among 4x2 and AWD versions but overall an awesome package. Will help me and other prospective SUV buyers in making the tough decision between choosing Fortuner and Endy.

I personally wanted beige interiors as beige gives a different look and feel in the overall finish, hope Toyota reads this review and add this as an option atleast.

Kudos to mods and team.

Man what a detailed review. I went through it from day before and yet to finish all sections.

Overall the Fortuner has covered all bases on paper. They have all the features needed for this segment and have made the Fortuner look better as well as improved the interior design and quality. The Fortuner is destined to succeed for sure thanks to the Toyota badge.

Toyota has covered all bases when it comes to variants as well. 2WD AT/MT, 4x4 AT/MT as well as petrol AT/MT.

In comparison Ford have missed out on the 3.2 MT option as well as the 2.2 4WD AT. You either have to settle for a smaller engine if you want MT or lose 4x4 if you don't need the 3.2 engine.

But looking at the pics itself as well as sitting in both SUV's, I can confidently say the Endeavour is a much nicer cabin to be in. The Fortuner has tried to cover up with leather cladding and stitches and use of different shades and materials but you can't escape from the underlying utilitarian plastics.

It's more apparent when you drive both SUV's. The Fortuner again does nothing wrong but it's not a massive step up from the earlier one. The Endeavour on the other hand has upped the game to another level.

For someone who is risk averse and wants the clinical perfection that the Toyota offers, the Fortuner is a no brainer which is why we see close to 2000 copies being sold monthly in first 2 months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vvnagan (Post 4134626)

Why is this chain left hanging? Couldn't they have tucked this somewhere. Although it doesn't bang against wheel, are there any chances of this getting entangled with debris, etc?

Is part of the winch/pulley which lowers and raises the tyre and holds it up. Common in Toyotas across the globe with similar spare tyre placement.

Awesome Review !. Aditya achieves perfection in his reviews and details with which he views the car under his microscope !

I always feel so happy when someone appreciates Toyota. And I never find any fault with any small design in Toyota vehicles (Not sure why !!)

Thanks to Aditya for writing such a wonderful review ! ! Rated 5 stars for review of a 7 stars rated Car !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar (Post 4135073)

Is part of the winch/pulley which lowers and raises the tyre and holds it up. Common in Toyotas across the globe with similar spare tyre placement.

In Toyota Qualis, there is Cable and pulley mechanism wherein, the Cable will get wound on the pulley when Spare wheel is in top position. Toyota could have planned similar design for Fortuner. It would have been ideal design.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gkveda (Post 4135101)

Maybe they moved to chain type for the robustness and reliability? Now Tundra, Tacoma, Hilux all are chain type. Cable type were used in older Toyota models including older Tundra.

If dangling chain is an issue then mount the spare ulta, that way the valve stem will also be accessible to fill air.

Amazing review of the Fortuner. I guess it was long due. Although I find it inexcusable to see a whole lot of features missing in such a premium vehicle.

1. No auto-dim IRVMs
2. No rear fog lamp
3. No Adroid auto/apple car play:Frustrati
4. Poor quality reverse cam
5. No tyre pressure monitor system (even XUV500 has one!)

Apart from these some of the things that stand out and will be missed:
1. No cladding in wheel well
2. No gas struts to open the bonnet

Again going by the review, the AT doesnt seem to be a very enthusiastic one.

I have seen the vehicle in flesh and it does look aggressive even quite dominant on the road. As most of the people have pointed out I too have a strong feeling that Innova will cannibalise a lot of the sales.

"Quite silly that the yellow 'passenger airbag on' light is permanently activated. Instead, only the 'airbag off' light should come on (whenever it's deactivated)"

Actually there is a very good reason why it is always on ! I read it in a Fiat car's manual.
For infants between 0-3 years, the child seat must be placed in the opposite direction (baby not facing the road, see the image). In case you have to place the baby on the front seat like this, you need to de-activate the passenger side airbag as an exploding airbag will hit the baby from behind which can be fatal.
Now there is no other way to remind this other than keeping the light on as the car wont detect if it is an infant sitting in the front :)

Mad review! clap:

The improvement in the interiors of both the Fortuner and the Innova Crysta will definitely widen their appeal. Earlier, one had to choose similarly priced sedans/monocoque SUVs for cabin equipment, luxury & refinement but now you can pretty much have the best of both worlds. I rode in one recently and was really impressed. It was a little bumpy but other gripes would just be me nitpicking.

At that price though, Ford's Endeavour would still be my pick (If I had the money of course). The powertrain, looks and feature list are just too good to resist and as mentioned earlier, body on frame UVs with big engines are generally decently reliable. Dad had the old Endeavour and he didn't have anything to complain about in that respect.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar (Post 4134118)

ECU sits inside the cabin behind the glovebox. The component you see in the picture is the injector driver, not ECU.

Sir, that's the glow plug control unit :)