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-   -   Toyota Fortuner : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/183668-toyota-fortuner-official-review-42.html)

I had contacted AIS guys over couple of years ago, but they never responded. My plan was to get only the side window panes replaced in my Punto Abarth. Now that you mentioned Windshield experts, I will contact my local dealer and check if they have the same.

My father in law took delivery of a 4x4 AT, white earlier this month. 41 lacs on-road and some 'chrome pack' freebie plus 7 year warranty thrown in. Unfortunately missed out on the upgrades. Any chance Toyota will retrofit due to goodwill?

Does anyone here have a Petrol Fortuner?I drive an XUV and was thinking of changing it in an year's time. Am now looking for a petrol SUV as I live in Delhi where Diesel engined cars are registered only for 10 years.

I test drove Tuscon and Crv, both are good "cars" but I didn't get the high (seating) feeling I get in my XUV. It might be my paranoia but I feel safer in XUV driving in Delhi. The only options that could match XUV's seating position are Fortuner or Endeavour I believe (am not a big fan of Tata cars). I wanted to TD a Fortuner Petrol but none of the vendors here in Delhi appear to have a petrol Fortuner. They say petrol version is not sold much and it may have poor resale also.

Is it not worth it?

I think you should check out MG Hector. The petrol Fortuner is a guzzler. Better to have it in diesel avatar. 10 years is enough life for a car, I don't see any good keeping a car beyond that. You can easily sell it in other states and it will fetch similar figures like a petrol as it has very poor resale.

Most SUV's in the US are petrol ones so it is high time it gets accepted in India. If you are going to keep the car for min 10 years I don't see why resale value will be issue for you. Petrol version may not be as fuel efficient as the diesel but if your monthly running is not much the petrol Fortuner will be worth it. No one can beat the Toyota reliability and peace of mind factor and also if you occasionally want to take the car offroad I am sure the Fortuner will not disappoint.

I do own 2 Petrol Innova and if I am in the market in this segment, will again pick a Petrol Innova. Even in the higher segment, I know a couple of persons who have privately arranged Petrol LC as TKM does not sell officially. The real world average in Delhi traffic in Innova can be 7-9 Km, Fortuner might be little less but not much I guess. There has been a short review by a member here. Please search.
Will be entirely up to you, if you plan to keep longer and have less running then can be considered definitely.

It will be tad smaller and in a segment lower. I am not expecting any great mileage on these cars either. Somewhere I read, people, getting 8-9 Kmpl on Nexon:Frustrati

Well thanks for giving me this confidence. I was feeling so odd one out.I love the Fortuner but wanted to be a bit of an environment conservationist as well and hence was considering a petrol. I am still trying to get hold of a Fortuner Petrol to TD but in vain so far.

Thanks Sumeet. I agree, it is high time petrol SUVS get accepted. If I buy a car as heavy (financially) as a T-Fort, I would keep it for 10 years(that's what I promised to my wife as well, who doesn't believe me so far:D). And I agree on your point that no one can beat a Toyota in terms of reliability and peace of mind factor. Have heard good stories from people who had a Toyota.

Thanks again all of you for instilling this confidence that people buying T-Fort petrol could be normal. I would keep on looking for one to TD.

It’s going to be almost 2 years since we got the Fortuner 4X4 AT home, the odometer stands at about 19000 Kilometres as on date with almost 75% of the driving done in the city.

2 years into the ownership, here is my take on its strengths, weaknesses & the stuff which is in between.

Let’s talk about the weaknesses first:

1-Noise: A lot of engine noise intrudes into the cabin during a cold startup & under certain conditions like hard acceleration and it doesn’t look like Toyota has made any effort to contain it, damping is just average & the wheel well cladding are missing
2-Lack of novelty features like the panoramic sun roof, apple car play etc, useful or not, these should have been offered (may be as optional) from the very beginning given the price point it was launched at.

Stuff that’s in between - strictly Average:

1-Rubber/Plastic quality: For the money Toyota is charging us the overall trim quality should have been a lot better, some parts like the rubber trim around the windshield look & feel absolutely cheap.
2-Paint quality: above average at best, chips easily (to tree sap & bird poop) as compared to my other cars parked in the same area.
3-Audibility (music) in the 3rd row, this is usually the only complaint from the 3rd row passenger on a long trip, surely need a pair of speakers in the last section.
4-Toyota service: I am happy to see neat & fully equipped workshops but the level of professionalism one associates with Toyota is still not there.

The stuff that makes it a formidable package – the strengths:

1-Space & comfort: Seats 5/6 in good comfort, everything is ergonomically designed inside, have done about half a dozen long trips with 6 adults on board & it has given us no reason to complain.
2-Drive ability: absolutely great! Feels as comfortable in the city as on the highway, delivers a solid 10+ Kmpl in the city & 15+ Kmpl on the highways consistently.
3-Ride & Handling: for me, the current suspension set up offers the perfect balance between Ride & handling, ride is slightly on the firmer side & the upside is the brilliant handling - offers total control over bad patches at any speed & has negligible body roll on the highways.
4-Engineering/Reliability: You simply don’t have to worry about the lug nuts, propeller shaft, cam sensor etc before every long drive, everything works as intended and following the preventive maintenance schedule I don’t see things changing in the next decade.
5-Fantastic warranty coverage: up to 7 years/280000 kms, reflects the kind of faith they have in their product.

Having thoroughly checked the competition before buying, there is no other car in the segment that offers this level of practicality/versatility & that too without any red flag, let’s take a brief look at the competition today:

1-Endeavour: looks to kill & loaded to the gills, drives beautifully BUT can’t even seat 5 comfortably and the gearbox is too lethargic to be driven comfortably in the city.
2-Alturas: Spacious & loaded BUT unproven and Mahindra’s competence in dealing with something this complex is suspect given what happened with the Rexton.
3-MU-X: Comfortable & tough BUT lacks the modern kit & the service network.
4-VW Tiguan: Solid car & solid performance BUT VW never seemed serious about selling it.
5-Kodiaq is a skoda! (No offence to the owners!)

If you still value the basics over the bling and can look beyond the online reviews, I don’t think there is anything else out there in our market which can even come close to the Toyota Fortuner as a package.

Update on My Fortuner...

My Fortuner is now 2 Years and 6 months Old. Apart from the long list of accessories I had installed when the car was bought new, I had also bought a few of the OE Accessories from Toyota Thailand and have fitted it at Lanson Toyota.

- Front LED Fog Lamps
- Rear Fog Lamps
- TRD Number Plates
- TRD Sportivo Logo for the Rear
- Trumpet Horn
- "Fortuner" Captioned Welcome Lamps for Front Doors
- Wheel Lock Nuts
- Heads Up Display
- Toyota Air Lumbar
- Cargo Net

The Front Fog Lamps are different from the ones that come with the Indian Fortuner. The pics below show the difference

My Fortuner with Fog Lamps from Toyota Thailand



Fog Lamps from the Fortuner in India



My Fortuner with Fog Lights on

The Fog Lamps are super bright and a nice upgrade from the old Halogen Fog Lamps. Also, the white beams look much better matching the LED headlights.


The following pictures have been taken from Toyota Thailand Website and have been given here for ease of understanding


- Rear Fog Lamps (Please excuse the insert of the rear sensors)

These lights have been installed to glow with the brake lights. Looks nice, especially at night.

- TRD Number Plates



- TRD Sportivo Logo for the Rear (Yet to be stuck!!)

I have decided against sticking this.


- Trumpet Horn

These sound sharper than Hella Chrome Trumpet. The OE Horn (sounding similar to the Innova) was very irritating. The horn upgrade is very much recommended.


- "Fortuner" Captioned Welcome Lamps for Front Doors

This is super cool and is much brighter than what is seen in the picture above.


- Wheel Lock Nuts

Peace of Mind when I park the car in odd places


- Head-Up Display (Yet to be installed)

The installation seems to be complicated. None of the Lanson Guys seem to understand how to have it installed. In Fact, the accessory guys were saying that they were seeing the HUD for the first time!!


- Toyota Air Lumbar

I haven't tried it yet, but it looks comfortable


- Cargo Net (Yet to be installed)

I am sure it is a DIY - Been lazy to work around this.


Pending Accessories (that will be bought in my next trip to Thailand)
- Dash Board Camera
- Auto Dim IRVM
- 360 Degree Camera (This is not yet available in Toyota Thailand and i may have it installed at Lanson Toyota)


Overall, I am loving the car and the decision to go with the Fortuner. The mileage is great (average for the 13K on the clock is 11.48 kmpl). Touch wood, everything works the way it is intended to.clap:

Hi MAS,
Could you please pick a dashcam for me on your next trip to Thailand? I have been wanting one since ages but every time some acquaintance goes there they don't have it in stock! As you have to preorder it a week before. It would be handy for your Fortuner too.

I am unable to upload the picture. But you can look it up on the Toyota Thailand accessory page.

Hey MAS,
What exactly is this toyota air lumbar? Is there a way to order this online (like from ebay or something)?
Thanks

Sure I will have it picked up for you. Any part has to be ordered 1 - 2 weeks in advance and I call my contact in Toyota Thailand Dealer and everything is kept ready to be picked up.

The picture of the Dash Board Camera from Toyota Thailand Accessory Page.



This is a kind of back support and helps reduce fatigue on long drives. I am quoting the description given on Toyota Thailand website.

You could also get more info on their website https://www.airlumba.com/.

You can also check the animated YouTube video (though the language is Thai)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DilZqxgdICI

I too noticed these things during the test drive. The Fortuner/Cryta 2.8 engine is loud under heavy acceleration.


They should also incorporate android auto/apple car play into the system.

Yes, That's exactly what I am looking for. Please let me know whenever you are going. So that I can pay you. Thank you.

Posting on behalf of a friend: Is there a 2.4 liter version of the Fortuner diesel? If not will it be launched in the near future?



My friend in Bangalore wants to buy a big body-on-frame UV, primarily for his dad for city driving. Since he wants hassle-free ownership, he's only looking at Toyota only. Annual usage is 8000 km and I've asked him to seriously consider an Innova or Fortuner petrol.