[abhayshanu]

Finally starting a thread as I now have enough to write a review.

Prologue
My dad has been driving the qualis for over 7 years and 2L kms. He was extremely content and happy with it but everyone in my family wanted him to upgrade. Due to recent release of funds we decided to get new cars for both Dad and Mom. For mom we decided a used car under 5-5.5L and we got a vRS for her(more like me). For dad he was thinking of a car in the budget range of 12L. I suggested a used cruze as it was a sedan, powerful, feature loaded and diesel. He didnt want a sedan, always an SUV. I still insisted. His mind was set on Fortuner but due to less budget, he decided on a 10-12L sedan. BUT luckly for him, my brother decided to give in half of the money, i.e. down payment and emi. Dad was extremely happy and it was finalized that we would be getting the Fortuner. I didnt want that, I still suggested sedans, but he said no for all. I even suggested other SUV but all no. Even the likes of Santa Fe(yes I know its korean) was rejected.

Alternatives
Absolutely none

Complete booking & delivery experience from the dealership
The only catch was this that we needed to get both the cars before 1st of April. So called Lakozy in Malad, told them need a fortuner ASAP. Before this my brother had called and inquired and they told him 3 months for any color except white, white would take 2 months. I negotiated and within half an hour they had a white ready for us. My dad didnt want white as it was too common, no black as he didnt like black car(high maintenance). But any how convinced him.
We got the car(s) on 23rd of March 2012. It was gudi padwa that day.
On-road price, discounts etc.
On road came to 25L, dont know exact, but know this that price has increased around 90K since april 1st. Discounts is around 25k of accessories.

Engine and variant
Its the old 3.0 4x4 MT. Need this setup for offroading.

Equipment levels
I feel that the car is extremely underequiped for a 25L car. But then I compare it with a company like skoda. This isnt nit picking, but I am not satisfied with the equipment. Just a touch screen and electronic driver seat adjustment. Nothing extraordinary.

Driving Review
Till date, the car has done around 3500 kms, of which I have done around 600. This includes 2 drives to karjat(me for off roading), 2 drives to pune and 1 to lonavala(eating food). Rest is basicly usual city traffic + mild highway usage. Our daily driving is around 50-70 kms.
The car feel stablish at relatively high speeds. It eats bumps with so much ease. Even the pothole + bump filled WEH, felt like a normal road even though I was driving at 120+ kmph. But after 140-150, the you can really feel its weight and body mass. Clocked a max of 170 with mild difficulty and 5 passengers.
I find the quality of products used extremely grate, though there arent many things, but which are, they exude quality from every pore. The paint is great and so is the outside plastics. The interior leather and plastic again is superb feeling. But I found if I sit completely comfortably, anyone above 6 feet will be a little uncomfortable behind me. The air conditioner really cools well. Dont understand how. As the coolness at 25 degree and Low is the same. Not even a little different. But anyways, it does its job extremely well.
The engine feels powerfull, no actually it feels torquey. But above 3-3.5K rpm, the car feels its out of all its breath. That is why I have never taken it above 3500 rpm. The drivability in city and highway is great, because of its sheer size and that aura, people just get out of your way, this is one of the few things I loved about the car. There is alot of power and torque to the engine in the low and mid revs, but once the revs gains, all sobriety is lost. The engine gets slow, noisy and pretty much useless. There is minimal turbo-lag, which is fun for anyone. Overall I would suggest this car for its engine and a few more capabilities alone.
The gearshift is smooth, though its long, really really long.
Fuel efficiency is good for a 25L diesel car. Around 10 with city and highway mixed.

Suspension & ride quality
Now this is what I am extremely impressed with. If you are in sane speeds, you will not feel ANY bumps or humps, none. Not the big ones, not the small, not the medium, nope NONE!!!

Handling, on-road behaviour and grip levels
All these are good enough for a SUV, nothing to be proud about, but then I drive a vRS with Bilstien B6s with 205/55 S-Drives.

Brakes
I found these more than adequate for this car. Could do with better ones, but good enough.

Likes
1 - The aura of a Fortuner, the ONLY replacement to the aura of a Safari.
2 - There is no replacement for displacement.
3 - How it eats bumps and pot holes.
4 - Lights, superbly amazing, absolutely no words.

Dislikes
1 - Underquiped.
2 - Overpriced.

For right now will be posting this much. A review just like the vRS will be posted tomorrow. The reason for this small reivew was that people will ask me things and those additional queries will be answered in the big review. That will help me create a more detailed review.

[HappyRoadie]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. Fortuner is the best SUV in this price range. White is looking quite good. The road presence of SUV's is really great. I can say this as recently I have purchased Safari and can feel the change. Waiting eagerly for interior photos. Wish you many happy and safe miles.

[F150]

For its price/segment this car should be able to maintain speeds of 150 kmph with ease. As reported by you it is not fun beyond 140 kmph.

What is the speed at 3500rpm ?

Toyota should increase the power figures.170 BHP is not enough ?

But 140Kmph is pretty good speed for our highways. But additional power wouldnt hurt, would it ?

[Nicky]

@Abhayshanu, congrats on muscular buy. it really is impressive driver's off road car with very good presence and handling.
I would request for more pics and gadget details if you have planned.
enjoy miles.

[raj_5004]

If it was for your dad, why dint you consider the 4x2 A/T?

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

Equipment levels
I feel that the car is extremely underequiped for a 25L car. But then I compare it with a company like skoda. This isnt nit picking, but I am not satisfied with the equipment. Just a touch screen and electronic driver seat adjustment. Nothing extraordinary.

Driving Review
The car feel stablish at relatively high speeds. It eats bumps with so much ease. Even the pothole + bump filled WEH, felt like a normal road even though I was driving at 120+ kmph. But after 140-150, the you can really feel its weight and body mass. Clocked a max of 170 with mild difficulty and 5 passengers.
There is alot of power and torque to the engine in the low and mid revs, but once the revs gains, all sobriety is lost. The engine gets slow, noisy and pretty much useless. There is minimal turbo-lag, which is fun for anyone. Overall I would suggest this car for its engine and a few more capabilities alone.
The gearshift is smooth, though its long, really really long.
Brakes
I found these more than adequate for this car. Could do with better ones, but good enough.

Likes
1 - The aura of a Fortuner, the ONLY replacement to the aura of a Safari.
2 - There is no replacement for displacement.
3 - How it eats bumps and pot holes.
4 - Lights, superbly amazing, absolutely no words.

Dislikes
1 - Underquiped.
2 - Overpriced.

Shantanu, this is one of the very few Fortuner reviews that are very clear, crystal clear, on what the vehicle has and what it doesn't.

Most of the points you have mentioned hold a lot or relevance and are very well explained in simple language.

Congrats on your purchase and looking forward to a more detailed ownership report from you.

[arup.misra]

Congratulation abhayshanu, the white Fortuner is sure a head-turning especially with mean-machine looks. I'm actually quite surprised to learn that you could actually negotiate the delivery time from 2 months to half-an-hour. Hope you did your PDI with a microscope.

AM intruiged with the 3-3.5krpm barrier. It seems pretty low.

Looking forward to reading your detailed review with loads of pics. Happy revving till then.

[abhayshanu]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. Fortuner is the best SUV in this price range. White is looking quite good. The road presence of SUV's is really great. I can say this as recently I have purchased Safari and can feel the change. Waiting eagerly for interior photos. Wish you many happy and safe miles.

Thanx and congrats to you too. Interiors are beige, not to my taste.

Originally Posted by F150

For its price/segment this car should be able to maintain speeds of 150 kmph with ease. As reported by you it is not fun beyond 140 kmph.

What is the speed at 3500rpm ?

Toyota should increase the power figures.170 BHP is not enough ?

But 140Kmph is pretty good speed for our highways. But additional power wouldnt hurt, would it ?

At around 3500 the car reaches around 160 kmph. I feel that the car doesn't NEED more power, but more woukdnt hurt.

Originally Posted by Nicky

@Abhayshanu, congrats on muscular buy. it really is impressive driver's off road car with very good presence and handling.
I would request for more pics and gadget details if you have planned.
enjoy miles.

Yes it is really great and a much more detailed review will be up today.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

If it was for your dad, why dint you consider the 4x2 A/T?

Two reasons.
1 - 4x2
2 - A/T
On a more serious note, the was going to be used by me for off roading, so a 4x2 A/T would be useless.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Shantanu, this is one of the very few Fortuner reviews that are very clear, crystal clear, on what the vehicle has and what it doesn't.

Most of the points you have mentioned hold a lot or relevance and are very well explained in simple language.

Congrats on your purchase and looking forward to a more detailed ownership report from you.

Thanx, that is the point of my reviews.

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congratulation abhayshanu, the white Fortuner is sure a head-turning especially with mean-machine looks. I'm actually quite surprised to learn that you could actually negotiate the delivery time from 2 months to half-an-hour. Hope you did your PDI with a microscope.

AM intruiged with the 3-3.5krpm barrier. It seems pretty low.

Looking forward to reading your detailed review with loads of pics. Happy revving till then.

Well I am considered pretty persistent. I talked to the girl on Friday, got confirmation of everything from color to variant from home by Saturday. Arranged loan and down payment by Tuesday. Gave full amount on Tuesday and took delivery on Friday, the 23rd.
I wasn't present at the time of delivery as I was taking possession of my vRS. Checked the car out throughly once I got back home.
3500 rpm isn't the rev limit, rev limit is around 4500-5000, but I don't go above 3500 as I feel there isn't any power left.

[GTO]

Congrats on the bullet-proof Fortuner, Abhay! She's a keeper, I can tell you that. Make sure she stays as the family workhorse for a long, long time.

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

Likes
3 - How it eats bumps and pot holes.

Extremely surprised but well, we can agree to disagree. I hate the Fortuner's bumpy ride quality. It's typical of most body-on-frame SUVs.

Originally Posted by F150

For its price/segment this car should be able to maintain speeds of 150 kmph with ease.

With ease? Sorry to say, but 150 kph in an SUV like the Fortuner is akin to writing your suicide note. Remember that SUVs have an extremely high center of gravity and are prone to rollover. The Fortuner's stance is narrow & wide too (a HUGE disadvantage). Then, the brakes aren't really confidence inspiring. All you need is one emergency manouveur at that speed to become toast.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by F150

For its price/segment this car should be able to maintain speeds of 150 kmph with ease. As reported by you it is not fun beyond 140 kmph.

Just so you know, there was a Fortuner Accident on NICE road Bangalore. The car belonged to Nandi Toyota and it seems when the accident happened the car was doing speeds in excess of 140, at that speed no SUV will like to be twitched.

Now, i do accept the speed may not be the only reason for that specific accident but, would bet it will be one of the main reasons. The driver seemed to be not experienced in driving SUV's and drove it in Sedan style, eventually toppling the vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, it is a safe car capable of doing high speeds, but like everything in life it has its limitations.

[F150]

Originally Posted by GTO

With ease? Sorry to say, but 150 kph in an SUV like the Fortuner is akin to writing your suicide note. Remember that SUVs have an extremely high center of gravity and are prone to rollover. The Fortuner's stance is narrow & wide too (a HUGE disadvantage). Then, the brakes aren't really confidence inspiring. All you need is one emergency manouveur at that speed to become toast.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Just so you know, there was a Fortuner Accident on NICE road Bangalore. The car belonged to Nandi Toyota and it seems when the accident happened the car was doing speeds in excess of 140, at that speed no SUV will like to be twitched.

Now, i do accept the speed may not be the only reason for that specific accident but, would bet it will be one of the main reasons. The driver seemed to be not experienced in driving SUV's and drove it in Sedan style, eventually toppling the vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, it is a safe car capable of doing high speeds, but like everything in life it has its limitations.

OMG, thanks for the eye opener guys. So no SUVs are safe at speeds more than 140Kmph mainly owing to high center of gravity ?

How about so called SUVs like the X1 ?

I was driving on the NE1 at 120Kmph, people were overtaking me. I increased the speed to 140kmph, still people were overtaking me.

I thought a bigger vehicle with more BHP should be able to answer these guys overtaking me at 140kmph. Looks like I need a fresh perspective.

NOTE: I know there are not many good highways in INDIA to hit such speeds. Dont jump on me correcting me or advising me about safety about driving at such speeds.

[abhayshanu]

Originally Posted by GTO

Congrats on the bullet-proof Fortuner, Abhay! She's a keeper, I can tell you that. Make sure she stays as the family workhorse for a long, long time.



Extremely surprised but well, we can agree to disagree. I hate the Fortuner's bumpy ride quality. It's typical of most body-on-frame SUVs.

If you mean bouncy then yes. Its super bouncy but thats because its damn soft and that is why IMO it handles bumps extremely well. This comes from my comparison with my Qualis, Wagon R and Bilstein B6 vRS. All having not good/hard suspensions.

Originally Posted by GTO

With ease? Sorry to say, but 150 kph in an SUV like the Fortuner is akin to writing your suicide note. Remember that SUVs have an extremely high center of gravity and are prone to rollover. The Fortuner's stance is narrow & wide too (a HUGE disadvantage). Then, the brakes aren't really confidence inspiring. All you need is one emergency manouveur at that speed to become toast.

Exactly, did a top speed of 160 on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, but I rarely go above 120 for cruising speed. Most of the time its barely 100. The cruising speeds on the vRS are a completely different deal and that is how high speeds should be handled. 120-130 is more than enough for ANY SUVs.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Just so you know, there was a Fortuner Accident on NICE road Bangalore. The car belonged to Nandi Toyota and it seems when the accident happened the car was doing speeds in excess of 140, at that speed no SUV will like to be twitched.

Now, i do accept the speed may not be the only reason for that specific accident but, would bet it will be one of the main reasons. The driver seemed to be not experienced in driving SUV's and drove it in Sedan style, eventually toppling the vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, it is a safe car capable of doing high speeds, but like everything in life it has its limitations.

Again I agree and I wouldnt drive a Fortuner like a sedan, I got the vRS for speed/power and the fortuner for comfort. Both have different roles and I think we should respect that.
P.S I atleast know I am driving a SUV

@F150, Cars like X1/A1/Yeti arent SUVs.


Detailed Review

Exteriors
Everyone loves the looks of the Fortuner, so do I. But recently I have started to feel that this looks a little too muscular. It looks like a steroid pumped bodybuilder. But, it still looks good and commands alot of respect on the roads. Also I use to bully smaller cars in the qualis but in this people just get out of your way, I dont need to do anything.

Front End
As everyone now knows, mine is the 2012 Fortuner. The front has been changed to looks more like its elder brother Land Cruiser. At first I didnt like the looks, but now they have grown on me. These looks more mature and I think it suites a car my dad would drive. Also I think that Toyota have decreased the size of the front bumper, because it looks smaller compared to older one. I mean the height not the length.

Headlights
Till now I swore by the lights of my vRS, BUT now I say these are the best I have seen. The projectors alone show the road clearly and once you hit the Highway, you turn on the high beam and it feels like you can see the end of the road. But realistically, it illuminates the road just at the end of our visions. Meaning, even if it could/would illuminate the road more ahead, it would be useless as a human eye wouldnt be able to see that far. These are one of the features I love of this car.

Rims and Tyres
Both are stock and sufficient for now. Will be getting an extra set of M/T tyres with 15" rims. Size would be 31" x 10j x R15. This would be for just off roading, these tyres are good enough for off roading, but only in dry, not mud.

Bonet
This has again been changed negligibly except the bigger scoop, which I personally liked. Also there are people who complain/thing it will be difficult to see the road clearly because of it, its nothing like that, you just increase seat height and the problem goes away.

Windscreen and Wipers
The windscreen isnt huge, but big enough. The wipers are of good quality and clean the windscreen perfectly, but then the car is new. What I did not like is that the screen and wiper looks just like my qualis. The headlamp washer are a fun feature, though I have found a need to use it yet.

Doors
The doors close really really softly but people close it damn hard and I HATE IT.

RVM
Quite big and clear. They are square shaped and not rectangle shaped like my vRS, so when ever I change cars, this is one of the things I need to adjust myself to(vehicle height being the other.)

Rear End
Boot is extremely small and quite light. Not that its a negative or a positive, just a point.
The rear has also been changed and for the better, BUT did not like the clear tail lights, might smoke them or something. Its too clear for my taste.


Interiors
Interiors are beige and very similar to the Innova/Qualis but with much better quality of plastics and leather. It still does not feel like a 25L car to me.


A/C
Now this is weird for me. My vRS cools same amount at 20 degrees as this does at 25, so I thought that 18 or COLD would be extremely cold, tried it but didnt find any difference between temperature at 25 or at COLD. None the less, it cools all the passengers very well.

ICE
Everything is stock and sufficient. Its clearish and has decent bass. Nothing like a Aftermarket system, but not bad either. Meaning you can live with it would fussing. I would personally add better components, amps and subs, but then thats me not the kind of people who would get this kind of car.

Steering Wheel and Stalks
The steering wheel has very good quality leather on it. BUT it has plastic on the top side and if you catch it and try to turn the car, your hand will slip.
Its got steering mounted controls for audio(volume and track seek), call (answer and drop) and MID.
The stalks are like all japanese, left for wipers and right for headlamps.

Dash Board
Its big and beige. But it doesnt reflect on the windscreen so thats not a problem.

Speedo
Its clear and white, it also is very simple. These make me love it.


Gears
The throw is extremely long, was expecting it to be shorter, but the it is an SUV not a sedan.

Seats
Seats are extremely soft and fitting.
The driver's side has electronic adjust 6 way seats. The passenger seats, all of them, even the front have just 4 way manual seats. Not lumbar adjustment on any seats, not even manual adjustment.
The seats dont need it most of the times because of them being soft, but its just something i miss(maybe I am nit picking).


Space
Front space is much much more than needed for a 6 feet guy. I think with the seat fully back and tilted a little, Shaquille o'neal can drive this car. Usually my seat isnt completely back and anyone sitting behind me can also sit comfortably. Space in all 3 rows is good. Both height and foot space.

Boot space on the other hand with all seats open is poor, equal to or lesser than my qualis. Once the seats are folded which have a 50:50 folding ratio, its okish and with them tucked up, its adequate. This is still surprisingly lesser than my skoda. But then buying a 25L for trasporting things isnt sensible. It will confortably take 4 passengers and luggage for 5 for a weekend, i.e. 2-3 suit cases and a few hand bags.


This is my review of the car. A detailed driving report is still to come and maybe a seperate Off Roading report.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

ICE
Everything is stock and sufficient. Its clearish and has decent bass. Nothing like a Aftermarket system, but not bad either. Meaning you can live with it would fussing. I would personally add better components, amps and subs, but then thats me not the kind of people who would get this kind of car.

Could you post more experiences with the video playing capabilities of the ICE, what sort of formats (DivX, VOB, AVI, MKV, etc) and media types it supports (USB, HDD etc).

Also can you play Video when the car is on the move? Is the screen too small for the Video? Can folks sitting at the rear seat see it?

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by F150

I thought a bigger vehicle with more BHP should be able to answer these guys overtaking me at 140kmph. Looks like I need a fresh perspective.

Yes bigger vehicles with more BHP can certainly go above that and Fortuner is no exception. You could do such speeds on any high end car. What SUV's do not like is being twitched (Quick turn of the steering left or right) at these speeds, you could do that on a Sedan. On the straight line Fortuner can go much higher than the speeds being talked here.

One should remember, just plain straight line or raw speed does not mean you would get to your destination sooner . So while a Sedan will have to slow down or rough patches, SUV's like Fortuner keep going, hence in the end it all averages out.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by F150

I was driving on the NE1 at 120Kmph, people were overtaking me. I increased the speed to 140kmph, still people were overtaking me.

I thought a bigger vehicle with more BHP should be able to answer these guys overtaking me at 140kmph. Looks like I need a fresh perspective.

Very fresh - I strongly suggest you rethink about if/why you need a powerful tall, body on frame SUV with just adequate brakes.

While I have driven the Fortuner at higher speeds, that was only when I had sufficient comfort with the vehicle's dynamics/ characteristics and on roads that have 180 degree clear line of sight. The Fortuner can go over road aberrations at high speeds easily. What it can't do is maneuver at high speed when a dog/cow/human suddenly comes onto the highway, or a trucker suddenly moves in front of you without signalling when you are driving 50-100kmph faster than him. Or take a turn at low slung sedan speeds.

If you are concerned about getting overtaken/races, you should not be even looking at tall SUVs.