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Old 24th January 2012, 17:17   #196
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Re: Fortuner vs. Santa Fe vs. Freelander 2

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Originally Posted by Aroy View Post
The new Pajero is the "Montero". It has great body, good engine but horrible price, as it is a CBU. Personally I prefer the looks and handling of the Pajero sold here to modern looking SUV. Modern diesels are great for high speed highway travel, but are not that great at low speed high torque situations.

All said and done, Toyota Fortuner is the best option for you, as you want it primarily for highway and not off roads.
How is the ride quality of the Fortuner on the highway?

Tonight I'll be getting to see the Santa Fe, FL2 and Montero side by side. I'll post my impressions.
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Old 24th January 2012, 19:25   #197
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Re: Fortuner vs. Santa Fe vs. Freelander 2

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Originally Posted by avneeshj View Post
How is the ride quality of the Fortuner on the highway?

Tonight I'll be getting to see the Santa Fe, FL2 and Montero side by side. I'll post my impressions.
I have not experienced the ride, but from reviews it is a little bumpy. On a smooth highway any car will have a comfortable ride, but on bumpy or broken surface the stiff suspension will jump a bit. That said it is OK (but please take a TD on broken surface, say the Nagpur Seoni route), but others are better. Again Pajero is the smoothest on rough roads.
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Old 24th January 2012, 21:39   #198
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
My choice would be the Sante Fe A/T. Its got an extremely power engine, a 6 speed autobox, 4 wheel drive, and many other features. Its reliability would not be questioned and its ride is reasonably good.

The only area where the Fortuner wins is road presence.
+1 to that. Though yet to prove its reliability in India this is a proven global vehicle that also gives you a good mix of practicality, power, saftey, good road manners and relatively low cost of ownership. But nothing beats Fortuner for the presence (despite these being so common these days) and of-course if off-roading is required.

Disclaimer: I do own Santa-Fe 4x4 MT but sometimes wish if had got AT instead.
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Old 24th January 2012, 21:44   #199
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Re: Fortuner vs. Santa Fe vs. Freelander 2

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Originally Posted by avneeshj View Post
I felt the ride of the Fortuner wasn't that great when I spent a few days with one last year. Has anything changed in that regard in this new version?

Santa Fe TD is scheduled for today evening. Lets see how that turns out to be.
They have no altered the mechanicals at all. The Fortuner A/T could be a contender if you don't need 4x4 but then its still a 4 speed A/T which could be irritating to drive on highways.

Another option is the Prado, though it might be a bit above your budget it would be well worth it, since it has the Toyota reliability and will last decades, and also has much better ride than the Fortuner, and it also is much better specced features wise. This is a very good option and worth checking out IMO.

Do update on your TDs.
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Old 25th January 2012, 08:49   #200
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Re: Fortuner vs. Santa Fe vs. Freelander 2

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Originally Posted by avneeshj View Post
How is the ride quality of the Fortuner on the highway?
The ride quality of the Fortuner is super smooth on the highways and its so called 'bumpy' ride on bad surfaces is a much over hyped comment by many as there is very little else to find fault with the vehicle. It is a perfect vehicle for Indian road/social conditions.
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Old 25th January 2012, 11:21   #201
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Re: Fortuner vs. Santa Fe vs. Freelander 2

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Originally Posted by Aroy View Post
I have not experienced the ride, but from reviews it is a little bumpy. On a smooth highway any car will have a comfortable ride, but on bumpy or broken surface the stiff suspension will jump a bit. That said it is OK (but please take a TD on broken surface, say the Nagpur Seoni route), but others are better. Again Pajero is the smoothest on rough roads.
The Nagpur-Seoni road has to be the worst of the worst. Not very long ago I burst the RFT on my 525 there.

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Originally Posted by entropy View Post
+1 to that. Though yet to prove its reliability in India this is a proven global vehicle that also gives you a good mix of practicality, power, saftey, good road manners and relatively low cost of ownership. But nothing beats Fortuner for the presence (despite these being so common these days) and of-course if off-roading is required.

Disclaimer: I do own Santa-Fe 4x4 MT but sometimes wish if had got AT instead.
I test drove the Santa Fe yesterday. It was a short spin mainly because by the time I was driving it I had already decided against it in my head. The reason was because of the rear seats and seating position. The seats lacked adequate support and my knees were pointing towards the sky. Everyone is tall in my family and hence this is a problem we'd all face. To be honest, the seats in my Captiva seem to be more comfortable. So now the Santa Fe is ruled out.

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Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
They have no altered the mechanicals at all. The Fortuner A/T could be a contender if you don't need 4x4 but then its still a 4 speed A/T which could be irritating to drive on highways.

Another option is the Prado, though it might be a bit above your budget it would be well worth it, since it has the Toyota reliability and will last decades, and also has much better ride than the Fortuner, and it also is much better specced features wise. This is a very good option and worth checking out IMO.

Do update on your TDs.
The Fortuner if I get one will be 4X4 since on the highways it'll be chauffeur driven and plus I can have a bit of fun out in the farm and such.

Prado seems ridiculously overpriced for the package. I also got to TD the Mitsubishi Montero yesterday and it blew me away with its off-road ability. The SA took us through terrain that I wouldn't have dared to put a car in. I drove it myself and it was all a cakewalk for the car. Also I drove it for about 10-15 kms on city roads and highway and quite liked the ride quality. It seemed comfortable. People sitting on the rear bench even went on to say that it seems more comfortable than our Q7. The parts that I did not like about the Montero were its exterior looks which is OK according to me and the engine. The engine lacked any sort of refinement and felt like a tractor. The NVH levels also seemed to be much more than other modern diesels. The AT tires added to the noise levels. However the sound system is excellent and should keep most people happy and drown out whatever clatter the engine tries to make.

The FL2 hasn't been test driven yet so waiting on that. I'll also try and drive a Fortuner owned by one of our family friends to see how we like it.

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Originally Posted by dkaile View Post
The ride quality of the Fortuner is super smooth on the highways and its so called 'bumpy' ride on bad surfaces is a much over hyped comment by many as there is very little else to find fault with the vehicle. It is a perfect vehicle for Indian road/social conditions.
As I have mentioned above, I'll drive the Fortuner around on a mix of surfaces and then decide if it is right for me. I think its still the best VFM equation out there when buying a SUV.
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Old 25th January 2012, 12:04   #202
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Re: Fortuner vs. Santa Fe vs. Freelander 2

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Originally Posted by avneeshj View Post
The Nagpur-Seoni road has to be the worst of the worst. Not very long ago I burst the RFT on my 525 there.

The Fortuner if I get one will be 4X4 since on the highways it'll be chauffeur driven and plus I can have a bit of fun out in the farm and such.
I did Nagpur- Seoni without any trouble whatsoever in my Fortuner, driving pretty fast. Once in the dark, once during daytime. This was in June so roads might have changed since then.

Went over a few horrendous potholes in the dark, but the vehicle could take it.

Fortuner is not a good vehicle for folks sitting in the middle seat - pretty bumpy.
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Old 30th January 2012, 18:20   #203
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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On this part, I guess the Fortuner is the best fit. Or maybe the Ford Endeavour is another option.
Try the Endy - have had one for almost 1.5 years, done 33K, all sorts of terrain and roads, and havent had one whimper from her or from my passengers. Yes, any SUV will torment the last seat passenger if you do jumps, but then, you shouldn't be trying jumps with 5+ folks in the vehicle anyway!
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Old 1st February 2012, 16:15   #204
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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Originally Posted by siddheshb View Post
Try the Endy - have had one for almost 1.5 years, done 33K, all sorts of terrain and roads, and havent had one whimper from her or from my passengers. Yes, any SUV will torment the last seat passenger if you do jumps, but then, you shouldn't be trying jumps with 5+ folks in the vehicle anyway!
+1 to that Siddesh. I drove a 2011 AT Endy some 2200kms last weekend and was surprised by the way she drove, on the highways, broken roads, winding roads and the like.
I feel it beats the Fortuner when it comes to ride quality in the first and middle rows and in the AT dept with its 5 speed AT Vs the Fortuner's 4 speed.
Definitely worth considering.

@ Avneesh- I did Seoni-Nagpur around a week ago and know the road condition pretty well.

Last edited by n.devdath : 1st February 2012 at 16:17.
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Old 1st February 2012, 18:42   #205
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

@vb-san & others looking at Fortuner / Endeavour as one of the choices

My opinion: if you are looking at seating comfort in all three rows as the primary requirement, don't even look at the Endy and Fortuner. These workhorses' primary function and capability are different. They are built tough, can tackle toughest of roads and can reliably get you into and out of places, long destinations etc. A driver's SUV basically. Look no further than the Innova or Xylo if comfort is your primary concern.

I am an Endeavour owner thrilled by my purchase as it virtually gives me a passport to plan ANY kind of travel with minimum focus on the 'mode of travel' part. We just pick up our things and we are on our way. With a 10K service interval, this feeling of comfort is only further enhanced. Read up my initial ownership review (am feeling guilty for not updating it recently, but I will) for more details. I have also read comments on this forum from a repeat Endeavour customer on him having spent nothing towards maintenance apart from the regular servicing stuff. Spend some more on replacement air filter + synthetic oil and you have an amazing machine on your hands. You can also read up Paco's trip to the Final Frontier (Leh) on his Endeavour. If the ride comfort is a deal breaker, try upgrading to higher profile tyres (I did) and you'll be just fine. The AT rocks (for it's size and power). As mentioned in my review, drive it like a HUGE SUV (forget sedans and hatchbacks) and you'll be just fine.

Last edited by ssh1979 : 1st February 2012 at 18:44.
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Old 1st February 2012, 19:37   #206
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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@vb-san & others looking at Fortuner / Endeavour as one of the choices
Thanks ssh! I am not in the market for an SUV, as my preferences are always towards regular cars, or at the max, cross-overs like the Yeti. My comment was specific to the quoted part in my post, and that too more than 6 months old. Siddhesh being a satisfied Endy customer responded in defense of the car
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Old 1st February 2012, 20:00   #207
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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I am an Endeavour owner thrilled by my purchase as it virtually gives me a passport to plan ANY kind of travel with minimum focus on the 'mode of travel' part. We just pick up our things and we are on our way.
One more satisfied, nay, delighted Endy owner on TBHP. Where are you guys all the time when it is only the Fortuner's reviews that take up all the limelight? Please share your ownership experiences on the forum regularly for the benefit of all.
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You can also read up Paco's trip to the Final Frontier (Leh) on his Endeavour. If the ride comfort is a deal breaker, try upgrading to higher profile tyres (I did) and you'll be just fine. The AT rocks (for it's size and power). As mentioned in my review, drive it like a HUGE SUV (forget sedans and hatchbacks) and you'll be just fine.
I didn't know there was an Endy Leh travelogue here. Can you post the link please?
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Old 1st February 2012, 22:09   #208
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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One more satisfied, nay, delighted Endy owner on TBHP. Where are you guys all the time when it is only the Fortuner's reviews that take up all the limelight? Please share your ownership experiences on the forum regularly for the benefit of all.
Quite true; I can only blame my lazy behind for not updating my thread regularly. In fact it was one of my new year resolutions. I will do so soon.

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I didn't know there was an Endy Leh travelogue here. Can you post the link please?
Here you go: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ne-driver.html
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Old 15th February 2012, 22:55   #209
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

Guys between the Koleos and the Santa Fe what would be your choice? Any owners of either of these two here?
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Old 10th April 2012, 09:19   #210
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Re: Which 7 Seater SUV for 17-25L? Endeavour vs Fortuner vs Captiva vs Pajero vs Sant

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Guys between the Koleos and the Santa Fe what would be your choice? Any owners of either of these two here?
I dont think there are any owners of Koleos and Santa Fe in here, and I havent read any ownership reviews of them.

You can read about the Koleos in here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...pressions.html

Why not consider the X1? There is a similar thread you might want to read:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/suvs-m...-santa-fe.html

Between Koleos and Santa Fe, considering the pricing, features and service centers, I would suggest you go for the Santa Fe.
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