[winterfell]

Witnessed the Fortuner leader edition during my recent visit to the Toyota service centre for my Fortuner PMS 20K. They were installing a glossy black front and rear bumper element to the existing model, which has a black roof, a black-lettered Fortuner on the hood and on the rear door, a Leader badge on the rear, and seats similar to Legender.

[ViMo]

During a recent trip to Kerala a puncture resulted in side wall damage and the tyre is unusable now. Looking for a used tyre to be kept as stepney. Message me if anyone in Bangalore has a used tyre (265/60/R18 ) to spare with.

[channelv]

hi,

I need replace battery of my August 2021 4*4 AT. Any pointers which is the best one. Also, is there any disadvantage on going for a slightly larger battery than stock 80AH?

Thanks

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by channelv

hi,

I need replace battery of my August 2021 4*4 AT. Any pointers which is the best one. Also, is there any disadvantage on going for a slightly larger battery than stock 80AH?

Thanks

I went with Amaron same capacity as stock. You can check this or Exide.

[getsurya]

Originally Posted by channelv

hi,

I need replace battery of my August 2021 4*4 AT. Any pointers which is the best one. Also, is there any disadvantage on going for a slightly larger battery than stock 80AH?

Thanks

Hi, if your car has auto start stop system, you might want to go with Exide only. With Amaron battery, I have seen the auto start stop system error messages on the odometer display.

[channelv]

Originally Posted by getsurya

Hi, if your car has auto start stop system, you might want to go with Exide only. With Amaron battery, I have seen the auto start stop system error messages on the odometer display.

It does have start stop (but i always use the mode where it doesn't shut off on signals)

Thanks for all the guidance here. I have been a fan of yours and PrideRed's reviews and they were helpful in my buying decision in 2021. I also ended up installing Rallye 470 per your feedback from Indian Decars at Hyderabad.

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by getsurya

Hi, if your car has auto start stop system, you might want to go with Exide only. With Amaron battery, I have seen the auto start stop system error messages on the odometer display.

Caught this few months late. I moved to Amaron 3 months back for my Fortuner with start stop and can only hope it doesn't fail now

[Nib_on_Wheels]

Car Buying

We were trying to upgrade from a 2006 Honda City and finally zeroed in on the Fortuner 4x2 Diesel MT. It was actually a complex decision as the City is a difficult car to upgrade, it has served us for 17+ years with no issues, clocking over 1.3L km. Both for city driving as well as on the highway it is comfortable, reliable and gives good mileage. However, as the kids grew up, the back seat started feeling uncomfortable for them. As the car aged, it appeared to be tiring when pushed to higher speeds on the highways. Besides, the lower ground clearance meant that each speed-breaker was a torture to cross. These days, however good the highways, once you exit them for any local travel, you have to cross huge speed breakers right at the exit.

The decision took over a year, with browsing sites like Team BHP and suggestions from friends and relatives. Our budget was 40-50L and key requirements were SUV (ground clearance), Japanese (reliability), IC engine (frequent 600+km trips) and Manual Transmission (for “better” satisfaction while driving). Also on our list were larger engine and more cabin room than the City. Eventually we picked the diesel Fortuner in bronze colour (this gave us about 6 months wait time, because Toyota seems to prefer shipping only white automatics on the Fortuner).

It is three months since the vehicle reached home, so am penning the experiences of local driving and one outstation trip.

Hyderabad Local Driving

The steering is heavy for city roads. The higher seating took some getting used to, but driving and parking are similar to the previous car as the length and width are almost the same. Driving on narrow roads, taking u-turns are more difficult, and so is the luggage space (City’s trunk is a huge boon). On the Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) the upgrade was clearly visible, the engine power, when the accelerator is floored, is humungous. It is easy to keep to the speed limit of 120, there is no significant body roll as the tyres are big/wide and the vehicle is heavy. Getting in and off is a bother, even with the footrest.

Hyderabad-Tirupati-Bengaluru-Hyderabad

Barely a month after delivery, we had to make a trip to Tirupati & Bengaluru to meet extended family during the kids’ summer holidays. It was a short trip but even then, the luggage space was wanting. We folded in the third seat for extra space.

Hyderabad-Tirupati

We could start only after 12 noon due to office commitments but the traffic exiting Hyderabad was a breeze. The Shilpa flyover onto ORR and the ORR itself make pleasant driving. Hyderabad to Kurnool on the NH 44 is quite standard and issue-free. After Kurnool the new bypass towards Nandyal/Kadapa makes life easier (than before). We stopped overnight near Kadapa. at the Ontimitta Haritha resort and had good darshan at the nearby temple. Next morning we continued onto Tirupati. This stretch (Kadapa-Tirupati) is a divider-less state highway that has speeding vehicles frequently overtaking the slower trucks and makes it very hazardous. We kept to our side, minimized overtaking and drove defensively. The road is hilly with several sharp turns, even passing through some towns/villages with sudden speed breakers, am sure it must be very accident-prone.

Tirupati-Bengaluru

The first part (Tirupati to Chittoor) is an excellent new road and we could keep to 100+ even in heavy rain. Around Chittoor we had to do an unplanned off-roading where the SUV part of our car-upgrade-decision proved itself.

The older road from Chittoor to Bengaluru is ageing with several cracks, bumps and craters. Hopefully the Bengaluru-Chennai-Expressway will be an option in this segment once it is ready. Entry into Bengaluru is always a strain, Hosakote to south Bengaluru took us about two hours on a Saturday afternoon. We were a bit apprehensive in the bumper-to-bumper traffic with new car, but somehow managed.

Bengaluru-Hyderabad

This is the best segment in the overall trip, the road is fast and predictable. It has actually improved over the last dozen years that we have been driving on it. Exiting Bengaluru (that too from south extreme onto the Hyderabad highway) meant passing through the entire city-length, so we started early on a Sunday and could avoid the gridlocks. Riding over the big speed breakers on the outskirts (Nandi hills junction etc) was enjoyable as these were certain chassis-hitters with our older car. The highway is good, except for some new (not there last year) instances of rumble strips being replaced with harsher speed-breakers at some junctions. We reached Hyd by evening before the toll booth queues piled up.

In summary, the trip was good, we could save a few hours due to the higher power, comfort was better- daylong driving on the City used to make us all tired. One feature that is really helpful is that touching the turn indicator gives three blinks, very useful for lane changing. The higher seating makes getting into the vehicle like getting into a bus, and also makes us miss the road-hugging safety of the sedan.

Thanks for reading, will write again as we drive and discover more…

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by Nib_on_Wheels

Tirupati-Bengaluru

The first part (Tirupati to Chittoor) is an excellent new road and we could keep to 100+ even in heavy rain.

While I appreciate your driving experience with the fortuner, I can't help myself from not responding to this. Driving in heavy rains, with a Fortuner at 100+ speeds is asking for trouble. No matter how well engineered a car is, you must drive carefully and cautiously in rains. It is equally bad for the car since the front components such as headlamps take the brunt of the rain droplets hitting it at high speeds. Just try running fast in rains

Here's an article from our forum on how to drive safely during monsoons and when it is raining

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/how-dr...if%20necessary.

[4wheeldrive]

Congrats on the new Fortuner!

By coincidence, I made the exact same upgrade 3 years ago - from a 2014 Honda City to a Fortuner 4x2 (albeit AT unlike your MT).

The luggage space comparison is a bit unfair! Equate the number of seats to the Honda by folding the third row and you can fit a lot in the Fortuner, despite the bulky side folding third row seats.

I noted your comment about lack of body roll - is this with a full load of 5+ passengers and luggage? Asking because my car sways and leans all over the place with 2 adults and 2 kids on board. The back seat ride, at least on Mumbai roads is a tad short of rubbish.

This purchase was meant to be an upgrade for my wife's daily commuter, that would also serve as a kids' carpooler and weekend car for the family - while it handles the latter duties with aplomb, I actually ended up buying another Honda City for the missus to ride to work.

The Kodiaq was off the market when we bought the Fortuner and in hindsight should have waited for it - the ride is far superior.

Must add though that the Fortuner is mighty fun to drive on the highway. Liveable even in Mumbai traffic (thanks to the AT) but you must have a BEST-bus-driver complex and shouldn't mind creeping close to people trying to cut you off in traffic.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by sudeepg

While I appreciate your driving experience with the fortuner, I can't help myself from not responding to this. Driving in heavy rains, with a Fortuner at 100+ speeds is asking for trouble.

Absolutely valid point!

Read up about aquaplaning/hydroplaning as well. You don't want your 2 tonne SUV to break traction with the road and go into a spin at 100+ kmph.

Please go through this informative thread from TeamBHP as well.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/road-...ing-rains.html (Safe Driving in the Rains)

[Boomerang]

Congratulations on your new car. Love the color! - Wish many happy miles and memories.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by ballfry

Hello,

• What tyres? - I have not seen the car or done PDI, but I'm expecting it to be the Bridgestone Duelers. If they're okay, I'll stick with them else change to the best recommended tyre at delivery so that the cost of upgrade is offset by trading in the stock tyres. Priority is puncture resistance and road noise.
• What mods? - Any mods that are recommended(strictly no chrome)? Primarily focussed towards comfort.
• Any discounts that can be expected? - I see fortuners selling like hot cakes, but in terms of discounts is that something I can expect?

You can go for premium touring tyres such as Michelin Primacy SUV or similar. I had never realised how much road noise was just from our own tyres till I started using premium tyres that were designed to be silent. As an added bonus, it's also great in terms of wet grip and handling compared to the stock tyres that we get.

In terms of mods, I don't even like dealership accessories so maybe some decent horns? I would rather save the money for a clear glass tint that rejects heat (ceramic tint) and a decent ceramic coating if a competent person is washing the car regularly with proper techniques. Maybe some PPF only on areas where scratches are common in your other cars.

[ballfry]

Originally Posted by Cresterk

You can go for premium touring tyres such as Michelin Primacy SUV or similar.

would rather save the money for a clear glass tint that rejects heat (ceramic tint) and a decent ceramic coating if a competent person is washing the car regularly with proper techniques. Maybe some PPF only on areas where scratches are common in your other cars.

Totally Agree.
We decided to stick to stock tyres for now since they seemed pretty good. No complaints so far.

I am considering a clear glass tint, any recommendations?

Skipping PPF and Ceramic since the car will be a work horse/beater and don't see value in re-PPF-ing often as it'll scrape through thorns and bushes in rural areas.

Patina, I guess.

[sudeep.pandya]

Originally Posted by ballfry

Totally Agree.
We decided to stick to stock tyres for now since they seemed pretty good. No complaints so far.

I am considering a clear glass tint, any recommendations?

Skipping PPF and Ceramic since the car will be a work horse/beater and don't see value in re-PPF-ing often as it'll scrape through thorns and bushes in rural areas.

Patina, I guess.

You can go for 3M CR70 for the windshield and Garware Eco Lite for the rest of the glasses. The Garware Eco Lite is one of the best VFM double ply sun film. its thickness also aids in insulation to some little extent.

This is my go to setup in all my cars.

However, Fortuner was the only car in my garage which didn't scream to get all these done. The glasses are UV cut and the stock heat rejection is good enough.