[nitinbose]

My temporary savior:

Until my Fortuner arrives, I had to rent an M800 from a friend of mine. Its a 15 years odd vehicle but in a somehow working condition. It has an aircon and music system! I am facing a couple of problems however, first one being the battery drains very fast, especially if I play the music system without the car running, secondly, the car used to heat up fast, upon examination, the coolant was leaking due to a crack on the top of the radiator. Had to repair this.

The car does stop on the way randomly and sometimes have to push! Things that you have to do for a Fortuner!

[nitinbose]

Hi Everyone,

Got a silly question or so it may seem. I'd really love to have electrically adjustable seats in the Fortuner. I am considering replacing the front seats with the seats from Corolla. Do you think this to be feasible, considering the fact the corolla seats are available?

I believe this to be a simple unscrew and screw back arrangement with the electrical connections which should be 2-4 wires.

Suggestions please... Would there be third-party kit to achieve this function? Just as you can put a sun/moon roof?

regards,

Nitin

[car_crazy1400]

I dont think replacing seats in a Fortuner with seats from a Corolla, as I the seats in the Fortuner are much higher up from the floor than in the Corolla/ Altis. Besides, fortuner seats are bigger dimensionally than corolla seats.

[nitinbose]

Hi Everyone!

My Fortuner has arrived!!! Went to the stock yard to inspect it. The showroom folks were trying to sell my some accessories such as the grill, mirror cover, skirts, bumper guard etc. Am wondering where to purchase from.

I loved the Prado alloys but the technician told me you cant install them on a Fortuner.

The pics are uploaded.

[n.devdath]

Congrats..!!!

Well, genuine Toyota accessories are certainly of a better quality than those available at JC Road and other places but would also be expensive. I ve heard people paying around 50k INR only for the cladding, front bumper and mats at the showrooms.

I would not recommend anything apart from mats (the new ones which are like a bowl in shape) from JC Road, fabric seat covers in case you want them, a car cover from the showroom, scuff plates from JC Road and a car perfume.

If you can afford it, go for the side cladding but nothing for the front and rear bumpers.

Do post a detailed delivery experience and initial ownership review. Happy Motoring.

[dkaile]

@nitinbose - Congrats mate. When did you book your Fortuner? From your posts I gather that you had only recently booked it. How did it come so soon? Do pass us the gyan...

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by dkaile

@nitinbose - Congrats mate. When did you book your Fortuner? From your posts I gather that you had only recently booked it. How did it come so soon? Do pass us the gyan...

Well, I'm from Bangalore and Toyota assembly plant is at Bangalore so there may be some preference to local customers. Furthermore, there were many customers who booked the Fortuner at close dates to my booking, like a bulk order, so Toyota might have supplied these at a single shot. In any case, I had to wait for about 50 days! Is that short?

[nitinbose]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Congrats..!!!

Well, genuine Toyota accessories are certainly of a better quality than those available at JC Road and other places but would also be expensive. I ve heard people paying around 50k INR only for the cladding, front bumper and mats at the showrooms.

I would not recommend anything apart from mats (the new ones which are like a bowl in shape) from JC Road, fabric seat covers in case you want them, a car cover from the showroom, scuff plates from JC Road and a car perfume.

If you can afford it, go for the side cladding but nothing for the front and rear bumpers.

Do post a detailed delivery experience and initial ownership review. Happy Motoring.

I'm definitely not buying from JC Road but there are reputed shops selling body kits which seem to have very good quality! I'm confused. I'm also thinking to replace the alloy wheels to a model similar to the Prado's, but worried about aftermarket alloys. Please advice me.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

In any case, I had to wait for about 50 days! Is that short?

Well, Its been about 40 days for my booking and they are still saying 3 months more, so you are mighty lucky to get it that quick.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

I'm definitely not buying from JC Road but there are reputed shops selling body kits which seem to have very good quality! I'm confused. I'm also thinking to replace the alloy wheels to a model similar to the Prado's, but worried about aftermarket alloys. Please advice me.

Are you interested in body kits for the Fortuner? If so, then please do not buy them from anywhere but the Toyota dealership since it is not only the kit but also its installation which matters a lot, unless you want to take the risk of unqualified people playing around with your brand new vehicle.

Rattles, once made, cannot be unmade, easily.

JC Road has a few distributors for highlander and carryboy who can give you a front crash guard at prices cheaper than the ASC so you can give them a try.
I recommend Nitin Automobiles since I ve been going there and sending people for a long time now.

Aftermarket alloys: You can try to find a Prado lookalike but overall, finding a 17" alloy of your choice is slightly difficult, unless you look it up online, then get it ordered from an importer/dealer.

I would not recommend a change. I think the OEM alloys on the T-Fort look great.

[SushilBajpai]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Hi Everyone!

My Fortuner has arrived!!! Went to the stock yard to inspect it. The showroom folks were trying to sell my some accessories such as the grill, mirror cover, skirts, bumper guard etc. Am wondering where to purchase from.

I loved the Prado alloys but the technician told me you cant install them on a Fortuner.

The pics are uploaded.

Congratulations Nitin. I look forward to your ownership report now.

[nitinbose]

Hi Everyone!

I finally took delivery of my fortuner today!

The delivery process was pretty smooth. Everything was kept ready and in order by Nandi Toyota. My special Thanks to Tharish, Sunny Deo and Santosh Joseph for making this sale and delivery a very pleasant experience.

The funny part was when a young lady brought me the keys in a plate with sweets in it and shouted, "Congratulations"! Everyone in the showroom shouted the same. I was almost shocked as it was just like someone firing and everyone falls to the ground!

I never had such an experience though I bought an Innova from them. My friend remarked its probably because its a Fortuner. So if someone buys a Liva, they'd probably ask the customer to take delivery from the gate and not bother come inside. The sad part was there was no discount, no freebies - not even mats! They placed newspapers instead!

Please find my pics uploaded.

I am not going to bore you with the regular fortuner pics or review but a brief on why pay 25.X lacs for it or is it worth it?

The first impression was the smoothness. The fortuner has a very smooth engine, more silent than the Innova, Yeti or X-trail. The pick-up is quite decent and you would not feel the speed until you glance at the speed-o-meter!

The steering seems Electric which is very smooth to handle and is very responsive when I compare it with my Honda city. The turning radius is pretty good for a vehicle of that size. All the internal guages are very easy to find and read. The visibility is also very good.

The cabin is pretty silent during the drives.

The gear has a very short throw and the clutch is extremely smooth! The brakes are also pretty well assisted. The seats are quite comfortable and hard such that you wont sink-in, which seems pretty good for me, especially for long drives. The switches and knobs are very smooth to operate as compared to the Innova.

Coming to the interiors, many feel its quite similar to the Innova. While this is true in most ways, the quality is much superior, i.e. the plastics, joining, finish etc. There are no vibrations or rattlings observed.

The seats and upholstery are made of thick leather which can withstand abuse.

The music system though identical to that in the Innova is a 6-CD changer and is of a much better sound quality.

I would visit Autofusion tomorrow to have the accessories installed.

More reviews would follow!

[mayankjha1806]

Congratulations Nitin, Fortuner is truly a wonderful car and worth every penny that you pay for. There is none which offers similar features, stability, ruggedness, space and wide service availability, and last but not the least Toyota reliability.

Do start an ownership thread and do post more pictures when you change the ICE.

[SushilBajpai]

@ Nitin. Congratulations. Fortuner is indeed a very capable vehicle. Wish you thousands of kilometers (make it lakhs) of happy and safe driving.

You'll love the high drying position and off-course the famed Toyota service.

The bit about the showroom employees' animated congratulations is precursor of the things to follow the Fortuner will definitely get enough attention.

Looking forward to ownership thread, where you'd record not just the initial experiences but also the escapades with the new friend that you just acquired.

Be safe.

[Guderian]

Hi Nitin,
Congratulations !
As ever the Fortuner looks great (and rather familiar if I may add !).
Wishing you many, many miles of delightful driving.
Do let us know of all the goodies you plan to load on it.
A quick tip - for the mats- get the Innova's rubber mats which are very practical.
Enjoy the vehicle and good luck.