[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by dsinz

Test drove and wasn't impressed with the ride quality. Not sure if the tyre pressure was too high because of which every small imperfection on the road was felt in the cabin.

That is one major downside of the Fortuner and one of the primary reasons for me to choose the Endeavour over it, other one being mediocre interiors. Ride quality of the Endeavour is unparalleled, for a ladder frame SUV. Of course, Fortuner is way ahead in terms of engine power/performance.

[SuperFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by abhi1881

My car landed today in the showroom at around 7am, around 4 Fortuners and 4 Innovas, 7 parked outside in parking lot. Out of 4, 1 was super white , rest 3 were sparkling blue. All well until this, and I was curious to have a look at mine.

They have the Fortuner in blue now?

Then that might spark my interest...

[Technic90]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyBoy

They have the Fortuner in blue now?

Then that might spark my interest...

It's called Sparkling Black Crystal Shine. It's dark bluish black, the one they use on the brochure for standard Fortuner. It's not like the classic BMW blue or any standard blue for that matter but looks very badass in person. Would have chosen it but I was already fixated on Pearl White. Could have saved the extra 20000 or so which went for Pearl White.

[dsinz]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

If you are coming from monocoque, you might find body on frames a bit underwhelming.

Yes, I had a Duster and the ride quality was much better. Anyways would be taking another drive before i decide.

Thank you folks.

[getsurya]

History:

To begin with, I haven’t planned till 9th of December, 2020 that I will sell BOSS and buy the new Fortuner(henceforth called as, DON). The itch for changing to the new Fortuner was a sudden one and I paid the booking amount of Rs.50000 on 10th of December. It was as quick as that!

Then started the selling exercise of BOSS, which was an easy one. One of my good friend was always interested in my car and one phone call to him sealed the deal. I did post a write up about BOSS to him and few others, though! BOSS left my home on 21st December and it was very heavy to see a wonderful car leave my garage.

Any alternatives considered:

I haven’t considered any other SUV’s, as none could match the reliability and peace of mind that a Fortuner could offer to me! It was a foregone decision!

My expectations in short from the car:

-Peace of mind ownership(many thanks to Harsha Toyota for the awesome service support)
-Amazing road presence and go anywhere capability
-4x4 capability with automatic gearbox driving pleasure(used 4x4 Manual Fortuner earlier)
-7 seater for full family trips
-Ability to spruce up the car throughout the ownership journey, as car is sold in other countries for good accessories later
-Reliable and delightful ownership


Booking and (waiting for) delivery experience:

The wait for new facelift Fortuner that started on the 10th of December was becoming very over whelming as each day and each night passed with numerous views of the same review videos on Youtube from South Africa, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. I almost learnt “Thai’ and made a few friends over Youtube watching their videos repeatedly, much to the amusement of my wife and children at home. I haven’t ever waited for anything or anyone, as much as I waited for my new facelift Fortuner to arrive at home! Not to lose time, I started making a list and ordering some of the accessories that I need on the new Fortuner. On 15th December, 2020 I ordered Thule Foot packs 753 and kit 4071 which I required for mounting the Thule Evo black Wingbars(carry over from BOSS to DON), they were the first to arrive at home as an accessory for my new Fortuner. Blind spot mirrors, Sensairy internal 5 sensors TPMS, sourcing effort for BF Goodrich KO2 tires etc. to name a few were on the list. Most of my US & Philippines shopping list is still in abeyance due to travel restrictions of Covid.

Sleep was scarce, excitement was evident, anticipation was abundant! On 5th of January, 2021 Praveen(Harsha Toyota, Kondapur, Hyderabad sales person) called me up with an invite for an exclusive pre-launch meet with Toyota senior leaders that followed up with the India launch event. It was a good pre-launch meet and expect Toyota to do more of these Customer Connects in the future too. Apart from the pre-launch leaks and rumours that kept me occupied and weary eyed, on the 6th January, I was happy to see the list of features that made it to the Indian version of the facelift Fortuner! I was thoroughly impressed and feel happy that Toyota is actually giving us “the” Fortuner for our market(barring the price bump up). Post launch, the waiting started for the delivery date confirmations. Harsha Toyota kept the booking and the delivery process very transparent and I must appreciate them for that. What compounded the issue at this juncture was the ongoing labor strike at TKM plant, Bidadi, Bengaluru. I was reading vernacular Kannada news everyday twice to see if the labor strike was called off! By now the OTR price list was out and then I paid the full monies to Harsha Toyota on 10th of January, 2021. I must thank my friend, Anand(of Indian De’cars) and Naveen(GM Service, Harsha Toyota) for ensuring that my car’s allocation number was 1, from the dealer side. The expectation was that I should get my car delivered to me on 18th of January. Days weren’t falling off the calendar quickly, I must admit! 18th came and went, with no news.

On 19th, Praveen called me up and said my car rolled off the production line on 19th and is about to get loaded into the transport truck to Hyderabad and from then, it will take 3 clear days for the car to arrive at the stockyard of Harsha Toyota. My mobile phone was warm on 20th in anticipation and I could barely sleep that night! By this time, I have given the TBHP PDI list to Praveen for the right checklist. On 21st morning at around 10:30 am, Praveen called me to inform that my car arrived and is yet to be unloaded from the truck. Wow, it was such an amazing feeling just to know that the car was in Hyderabad and I could go and see it in person! It was a Thursday and my mother said the vehicle puja can only be done on 24th January, as that was the next good day in that month for me(18th was good, but car didn’t arrive then). I convinced my Mom that we shall get the car home and park it, instead of leaving it at the dealer, where it might end up becoming a display vehicle. I called up my friend Ecosport rules(Dr.Kumar) and he, being my partner in crime for our car passions, was so kind to come and pick me up to Harsha Toyota for the delivery of my all new Fortuner!! A big thanks to Dr.Kumar for all the help!

We started at 4:45 pm from my home and were at Harsha Toyota at 5:00 pm. I could barely hold myself to run to the new car which was in the holding area. We had to walk up to 4 floors and the first sight of my car made me forget the hardship of waiting and walking up, as well! There it stood, DON- majestic in white! As I walked close to my car, I could feel my heartbeat going up in excitement. The first thing I noticed was that the car rolled off the production line on 19th January at 7:10 and was in front of me on 21st January, that is as much ‘factory fresh’ as it could get, for a car! I walked to the driver’s side and slowly opened the door to see the car and smell the new car, in all its glory! I got some accessories installed and then the car was readied for the delivery ceremony. This was the first 4x4 AT facelift Fortuner being delivered by Harsha Toyota and they went on with their regular process. The delivery was quick and happy low key affair. It was exactly a month since BOSS made way to DON! This was how I got Fortune’d- again, with DON!

The delivery experience was 10/10(moved up from 8/10 from my earlier Fortuner by the same dealer, Harsha Toyota).


Price and discounts(eh, from a Toyota!) :

Model: Fortuner 2021 Sigma 4 BS VI, 2.8 L AT, Black interior, Super white colour
-Ex-Showroom Price - Rs 37,43,000.00
-Life tax@14% - Rs. 553274
-Car Insurance - Rs.148212
-2 Years extended warranty - Rs.29734
-Fast tag - Rs.600
-TCS @0.75% - Rs.28,072
TOTAL : Rs.45,02,892

I haven’t opted for the standard accessory package from the dealer but took the below items at Harsha Toyota, so far. I want to thank Badri and Prakash of Harsha Toyota accessories for all their help for the accessories at the dealer!

Accessories installed at Harsha Toyota:

-Door visors(black) : Rs.4,500
-Silencer garnish : Rs.1,800
-Body cover : Rs.5,400
-Parcel tray : Rs.2,200
-3D Mats : Rs.9,800
-Sun shades(NSV) : Rs.9,500
-Toyota leather key pouch : Rs 460 x 2 = Rs. 920
TOTAL : Rs.34,120

Accessories installed at Indian De’cars, Gachibowli store:

-Sonax Ceramic coating: Rs.40,000(with 3 years service)
-Sensairy TPMS : Rs.5,400
-Thule Footpacks + kit 4071 : Rs.17,000
-Thule Evo Wingbar black : carry over from earlier Fortuner
-Superguard Pro PPF : Rs.48,000 for both bumpers, bonnet, door sills, door handles & sides etc.
-VibroFiltr Damping material : Rs. 18,000 for all doors, triple layered
-Denso black wind tone horns : Rs.1,800
-Garware Alps protect SRC windshield film : Rs.4,500
-T10 Osram LEDs for interior lighting, rear license plate, puddle lamps : Rs.3,600
-Red T10 LEDs for door ajar lights : Rs. 1,500
-BFG KO2 tires : Rs.18,500 each for 4 tires (Rs.74,000) at Wheelocity
TOTAL : Rs. 2,13,800


I have just done 1400 kms on the odometer so far, my likes & dislikes are:

Likes:

-Awesome with 500 Nm torque and 204 PS power, loads of torque across the rpm band(even in Eco mode)
-Very minimal rolling and pitching(definitely better than the earlier model)
-Ventilated seats are a boon for our weather
-Paddle shifters are very slick to use
-AT gearbox is butter smooth, no lag and the gear shifts are slick. The manual mode is fun to drive for those times, when you need it most!
-11 speaker JBL audio system takes time to set in, but is amazing, for sure. Apart from damping material, nothing much needs to be done for the audio part
-Good braking power, inspires confidence on the highways
-Sport mode is wild, it can get our spirited driver come alive at the press of the button!
-Silent and comfortable cabin, compared to the earlier model, reduction of the in-cabin noise is easily noticeable
-Steering is weighted to my liking, and the VFC is evident above 60 kmph or in Sport mode
-Cruise control works, as desired
-Head lamps are decent and seems to have been improved


Dis-likes:

-Front indicator lamps positioning is not desirable, might not provide optimum visibility in certain scenarios
-Lack of direct control switch to operate the LED guide lights in the head lamp unit
-Paint quality needs improvement, c’mon Toyota!!
-Android auto or apple car play has to be wireless, convenience matters for the money being spent
-Biggest peeve is fog lamps being 6500 kelvin, this is not done- Toyota! Fog lamps have to be either switchback LED’s with dual colours or yellow colour for sure! White LED’s don’t help in rain, fog etc.
-Tie up with Carot of Minda for connected services, very bad application and disappointing to see that Toyota hasn’t done the due-diligence for the same. Most of the dealers aren’t even aware what to do for activation of this service

Engine & variant:

This is the BS VI uprated version of 2.8 litre DOHC diesel engine, mated to 6 speed CVT automatic, making 500 Nm @1600-2800 rpm, 204 PS@3400 rpm. The 4 cylinder engine has a displacement of 2755 cc. It has 80 litres of fuel tank capacity that should be good for long range touring, and has all discs with sharp stopping power. I have opted for all black interiors as they go well with grey combination, rather than the chamois(which looks out of place over grey roof and pillar shrouds, my personal opinion!).

Equipment levels:

Well, for the first time I liked the Toyota treating the Indian customers on par(almost!) with the global customers in this department. The interiors offer lots of comfort with:

-Well bolstered seats
-Front passenger seat also gets 8 way electronic setting options(memory function still a miss). Rear seats offer better under thigh support than my previous type 2 Fortuner
-Great auto AC is a plus, that chills the cabin quickly
-Front two seats are ventilated seats and that is a delight for our weather, thank you Toyota!
-VFC steering is well suited for my requirements as I personally don’t prefer light weighted steerings
-Drive modes of Eco, Norm & Sport offer great versatility for different types of driving situations
-New HU is more slick and pairs well with the JBL system. Wireless Android Auto and Apple car play still a miss.
-On the fly 4x4 modes of H2, H4 and L4 work, as expected from a Toyota. Looking forward to get into off-roading trips
-Cruise control is the standard Toyota kit and is a time tested one
-The roof lining does reek cheapness for the cost of the car
-The car has great visibility and offers great seating position for long drives, thereby increasing the comfort
-Boot space is good for short trips with duffel bags, with all seats being occupied. This is a tad wider and longer than the type 2 Fortuner, for sure
-Black interiors that I have opted are premium and difficult to maintain, as well
-In cabin comfort is awesome, especially when compared to type 2 Fortuner
-The electronic rear differential lock system provided for the first time to Indian Customers would be a great enabler, for the suitable scenarios along with L4 mode to pull us out of any difficult situations
-LED headlights, fog lights, light guides, DRL’s are nice and bright
-NVH levels are managed very well and offers a convenient drive due to a silent and plush cabin comfort


The overall build quality is good and is solid to last long, fit & finish is 9/10, paint quality is 7.5/10. The exterior styling is nice and is more butch than the earlier model. Nice tail lamps compliment the rear portion well. The wheel cladding looks little puny and feel can be better. The tyres on 4x4 are a joke with HT as an OEM offering. Car is awesome to drive on the highways, very stable and good return of mileage as well. With one road trip of 400 kms so far, it returned 11.8 kmpl mileage. In the city, I have seen the MID showing around 10 kmpl mileage. More to come on this front! My good old excel is at work for computing the same.

The suspension is well sorted and has a pliant drive. The drive is more on the firm side within the city but is improved over the earlier version and is very much sorted out without the better pitch and roll control. This is a body on ladder frame SUV and offers a better sorted drive for the platform.

Look forward to more updates and pictures, as I go through the ownership experience of DON! Thank you!

Some delivery pictures to top it up, for now:

[Technic90]

Originally Posted by getsurya

Engine & variant:

This is the BS VI uprated version of 2.8 litre DOHC diesel engine, mated to 6 speed CVT automatic, making 500 Nm @1600-2800 rpm, 204 PS@3400 rpm. The 4 cylinder engine has a displacement of 2755 cc.

Congrats on the new ride. Just a correction, the gearbox is Aisin's AC60F Torque converter, not a CVT.

One question, did you notice the audio quality before and after damping? How's the improvement especially the bass. I think the speakers lack bass. I was also planning to get damping done to see if it improves the bass. Thanks

[cnu]

Congrats Surya and that's a whole lot of kit that you have added . Please do share some pics of the DON with the additional kit.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Technic90

One question, did you notice the audio quality before and after damping? How's the improvement especially the bass. I think the speakers lack bass. I was also planning to get damping done to see if it improves the bass. Thanks

The bass is good, especially the front speakers and subwoofer. The rear door speakers are not that loud compared to front ones. The speakers have strong mid's. Endeavour's unit has slightly better bass especially at max volume but Fortuner's one pretty good too. I am not an audiophile but this is my opinion:
Fortuners units sounds better when listing to desi music,classical,jazz,pop,rock.
Endeavours unit suits trance,deep house, remixes etc. again the difference is not much between both.

[abhi1881]

Car is finally delivered. Feeling super rock solid, powerfull and smooth.

Thanks to Teambhp, and special thanks to PrideRed, CoolDube, Surya and all TBhpian, who really helped in this entire exciting course of the car selection.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by abhi1881

Car is finally delivered. Feeling super rock solid, powerfull and smooth.
Thanks to Teambhp, and special thanks to PrideRed, CoolDube, Surya and all TBhpian, who really helped in this entire exciting course of the car selection.

Congratulations and happy mile munching, do share your impressions about the car.

[getsurya]

Originally Posted by abhi1881

Car is finally delivered. Feeling super rock solid, powerfull and smooth.
Thanks to Teambhp, and special thanks to PrideRed, CoolDube, Surya and all TBhpian, who really helped in this entire exciting course of the car selection.

Attachment 2142021
[ATTACH=IMG_20210407_152106.jpg]Attachment 2142023[/ATTACH]

Awesome, Abhi. Many Congratulations and happy Motoring! Do keep us posted on the accessories and what you intend to decor your New Fortuner with!

Originally Posted by Technic90

Congrats on the new ride. Just a correction, the gearbox is Aisin's AC60F Torque converter, not a CVT.

One question, did you notice the audio quality before and after damping? How's the improvement especially the bass. I think the speakers lack bass. I was also planning to get damping done to see if it improves the bass. Thanks

Thank you for the correction, my bad!

Damping does improve the acoustics, as expected. If we are expecting bass like premium component speakers, then we have to upgrade these JBL speakers. For my usage and expectations, I started liking the JBL unit the more I started using it. Yes, as with all other modern cars, the audio system is front biased on the sound reproduction.

Originally Posted by cnu

Congrats Surya and that's a whole lot of kit that you have added . Please do share some pics of the DON with the additional kit.

Thank you cnu. More details are coming up soon in my car ownership thread. 😊

[cnu]

Originally Posted by abhi1881

Car is finally delivered.

Congrats, Abhi . How long was the wait in your case after the booking ?

[abhi1881]

Originally Posted by cnu

Congrats, Abhi . How long was the wait in your case after the booking ?

Thanks, committed was 1 month, however took 2 months from date of booking to delivery.

[abhi1881]

Originally Posted by getsurya

History:
-2 Years extended warranty - Rs.29734
:

Hi Surya, are you sure on 29k extended warranty cost. I have been told to pay Rs. 41,895. Below are the details in Haryana. Not sure if hiked from 1apr 2021
Thanks

[Technic90]

Originally Posted by abhi1881

Hi Surya, are you sure on 29k extended warranty cost. I have been told to pay Rs. 41,895. Below are the details in Haryana. Not sure if hiked from 1apr 2021
Thanks

Attachment 2142773

It was Rs 41,895 before as well for extra 2 years and no additional kms. Rs 29000 is for Innova Crysta AT. I verified the same on Toyota website as well earlier but I can't find the page again on its website