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-   -   Super Smart Brute - The Toyota Fortuner (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/137902-super-smart-brute-toyota-fortuner.html)

The selection process- After a successful selection among the BMW , Merc and Audi I finally bought the Fortuner. It was never my dream Machiene but every time I test drove it I felt something good about it. I booked the vehicle at the Sunny Toyota dealership in Lucknow in Feb. They took a lac and said that the money is refundable incase I change my mind. I booked the grey metallic colour which I chose just because a film shooting at my place had a Fortuner on the set. The movie was Bullet Raja and Saif was using it. It looked awesome and it had a TRD kind if accessories fitted to it.

The booking- I booked the vehicle thinking that if the showroom of Audi does well and remains in Lucknow ill get my money refunded and buy Q3 or Q5. I even asked them to get the car at home. This was followed by the BMW 3 series car. In fact they gave me a huge discount in the luxury version which was included with a trade off purchase of my old Skoda. They even gave me the car for a Sunday drive so I could extensively test drive it. Must confess the whole I-drive package is mind blowing.
Well somehow I got busy and forgot all about cars in my life. So one fine day I test drove the Fortuner with my friend after a good gap of three months. As said earlier the more I came closer to the Fortuner the more I liked it.

The sudden compulsion- one fine day I gave my Skoda for servicing in Kanpur. We don't have a service station now in Lucknow, they closed down a year back due to some misunderstanding with the company. I drove the car myself and gave it for routine service and a timing job. They asked me to come The next day. When I called them they asked for one more day which I gave them.. The next day when I got the car at almost closing time of the service station I was happy with the neat look. In fact I was about to leave for the hills the other day. But to my shock after driving for a few kms the brakes started to fail. I obviously panicked and called everybody in Skoda right from the quality guy to the GM. They asked me to return or go home with a rider that if I reach home they'll send someone to pick up my car and have it checked. To cut a long story short I paid almost 40000 and the car spent another two days in the garage. The culprit was a leaking vacuum pipe.

The Last Act- This made me really want to buy a new car. I went to see the A series Merc and the Audi finally. I then called up Toyota and asked them of they could deliver the car in the next two days. The dealer Sunny Toyota has a monopoly in Lucknow. He owns both the dealerships so no discounts. Any way this vehicle has such a waiting list that you are in no position ask for discounts. The amazing thing was that I got the vehicle in two days. I asked for it on Saturday and got the delivery on Monday, though I picked it onTuesday.

Even the finance company was informed the other day. It's hard to believe but true they all somehow complied and things fell in place. I'm sure there must be divine intervention.

I finally got a white Fortuner, yes I changed the colour for the better and man it looks so nice in our portico at home next to the aging Qualis. The more I drive it the more I love it.

The ON Road price of the vehicle in Lucknow for the TOP variant 4x4 is 27,10,000. I got a finance of 15,00,000 done from Kotak Mahindra finance. The gave it on an interest rate of 11.25% with an EMI of 32,500 for a term of five years.


Coming to the White T-Fort as we all lovingly call the Fortuner:

LOOKS
First the looks from the front- I think it's the most macho and impressive looking SUV. It means business, no standard design of Audi or BMW but raw SUV looks. The Crome on the grill is just right to make it look grand.
Look from the side- the nice stance of the Fortuner with a high and impressive platform on the side is great. The black on the door with the black roof rails and the Matt black side step just looks and feels great.
Look from the rear - this was the part where I was a bit disappointed . The muffler cutter improved it a bit but I think my number plate really gave it a grand look. Other wise the lights feel out of place.

INTERIORS
The interiors are simple yet elegant. The steering and the Finnish on the dash center are the same. It looks good considering its easy to maintain. Otherwise very practical like a true Toyota. Hint: as suggested by my friend Manuj keep the windows up in order to avoid the dirt soil the like colored seats and dash.
The seats are good too. The driver side is electrical but the passenger should have been the same. Passenger comfort is lost with roll but the seat takes care of that. It gives all the passengers a confident seating position. The driver and his side kick would enjoy the highway most.

DRIVE suspension, driving position, handling
The drive is simply awesome. Though I noticed a little less torque compared to the two wheel option but the four wheel is so fantastically grounded. The engine give tremendous response at any speed levels. No difference with AC or passengers. This is what makes the men stand apart from the boys.the brakes are great too and the equipment cluster is so helpful. True Toyota. The turbo is just right to take this beast to 150 without any lag. The suspension though felt a bit stiff specially for the passengers. There is absolutely no issues in handling and all the while you feel at ease and comfortable given the size of the vehicle.

ENGINE
The engine is refined and no way lacks anything. The best part is there is no lack of power at any speed levels. The sound is just right and no way interfering in your cabin comfort. The four wheel drive is heavier to drive than the two wheel drive but is compensated in terms of control on the vehicle.
There is no turbo lag whatsoever in this vehicle.
The drivability of the car in the city is really great as the engine purrs even in low speed. There is no jump or low clutch usage, so is the gear ratio and the speed delivery. It's surprisingly easy to dribble in the city traffic. After driving some of the new 1500cc entrants which have tremendous turbo lag or the Rexton and xuv which too have there share of turbo lag, you will drive the this beauty effortlessly.

FUEL EFFICIENCY
This I knew and expected to be 10 but I only got 8 so far. I hope it improves after the first service.

STEREO
the company fitted stereo with Bluetooth is great. All the steering controls work so well. The DVDs stop the picture as soon as you move . The Bluetooth hands free is awesome with safety feature that you can't dial when driving from the screen.

SAFETY
Airbags, two seat belt indicators and grips and arm rest galore. ABS EBD standard. Plus a solid built SUV with strong dynamics and great stance for driving.

I have driven just 670 kms so far and not fitted any major accessory . I drive the vehicle occasionally not daily but when i do it ranges from 20-100 kms. I some how dislike the Crome people add. The number in the front is also cosmetic. At the most ill add film, rear bumper, illuminated plates in the door and a tray in the boot with a plate on the bumber for protection.

I love the vehicle and its simply the best for Indian conditions.


LIKES AND DISLIKES

Likes :
1. The driving position, makes you feel the king of the road.
2. The look of the car, it's damn macho.
3. Inside space
4. Comfortable seats
5. No nonsense button layout.
6. Excellent four wheel drive.
7. Good music with touchscreen and back camera, I feel there is no need to change it.
8. Overall visibility is good.
9. Best for highways and extended families.
10. Love it in the hills.

Dislikes
1. The bumpy ride especially for the passengers.
2. No automatic in four wheel drive
3. No sunroof
4. Lacks sophisticated interiors.
5. Beige not the best interior colour for Indian conditions, I have to keep the windows closed most of the time.
6. Rear back lights look cheap and don't go with the facade.

Congrats on the purchase Sameer...!!
I too would recommend a Japanese car over a German for reasons of reliability and maintenance costs.
Moreover, a vehicle like the Fortuner is exactly what you need to to rub shoulders with the "Vikrams" that hound the streets of Lucknow.:thumbs up

OT: Looking at the pictures you ve posted, it looks like you belong to a royal lineage. Is that correct? If so, which family?

Hi Sameer congrats on your purchase. Feels nice to see a fellow Lucknowites ownership thread. White colour is looking awesome. Wish you many happy and safe miles. By the way you have mentioned that shooting was going near your house. So do you live in Hazratganj area?

Thanks for your kind advice , I'm from the house of Jehangirabad , we live in Lucknow , Hazratganj.

Congrats on your new ride. Every time I see a fortuner on the road, my heart craves for it. Just waiting to get my hands on a well kept used fortuner in Delhi.

BTW your number plate is illegal!!

Congrats for the purchase. IMO also, the tail lamps of the pre-facelift version were better looking. I see a Qualis in the first pic. Is that yours as well?

Congratulations!!

White is the best colour in Fortuners(apparently 80% of their sale is on white color and all the other colours total to the remaining 20%).

Some detailed interior and exterior pictures will do the justice!

Happy motoring!

Congrats sameeracer for your latest acquisition.

Wish you many happy miles with this beast. Please include some high quality interior snaps.

Thanks.

Hahaha really why do u say its illegal my number is up32 ex 44 and I have a receipt to show it that way by the Rto.

I recently went to Thailand, I saw many fortuners there. The great thing about there fortuners is that they have not added the Crome we Indians tend to add. In fact they change the alloys and add low profile types which look great. For the interiors they hardly complain as the interiors of the Fortuner are both practical and comfortable. It's only after a long use do u find them like that. Maybe a showroom look might not leave you impressed.

Yes the Qualis is ours, I got it a decade back and it runs just as well. The main reason being the excellent Toyota service. I bought the Fortuner over the Beemer because of this reason.

The best is white period. In Thailand I saw someone painted there car white metallic and it looked really cool with the crystals shining in the sun.

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Thanks . Shooting keeps happening at our place at jehangirabad. For more info check www.jehangirabad.com

Hey Sameer! Congratulations on the purchase! Im glad you went for the Fortuner and not the German breed. Trust me this car will serve you well. Mine is at 98,000 kms and has had no issues so far. I shall put up report after its 1,00,000 kms Service is completed.

Just a few points to watch out for:

1) Do not get Teflon coating done. It harms the paint in the long run as i found out the hard way.

2) Make sure (Stand under the car if you have to) that you get the prop shaft greasing done at all 6 points every 10,000 kms service and within 24 hours every time the car goes through a deep water crossing (3/4 of tyres submerged) or some offroading in deep slush where the prop shaft gets covered in slush and dirt. This is very very important.

3) My tyres lasted 75,000 kms as i had the wheel balancing alignment and rotation carried out at every 5000 kms.

4) Never run the car in HL or LL mode on normal road surfaces. Only in slushy slippery surfaces where tyres have lost traction or grip.

Apart from this there is nothing that you will need to give this car other than a routine service. :)

Congratulations and happy driving!

Nice buy. Please include a few pics of the interiors as well.

That number plate + font + graphics is illegal. But then so are 90% of the number plates in North India. (BTW, I'm a Bihari myself)

So you mean your RC Book says "UP 32 EX 44" and not "UP 32 EX 0044"?

If the RTO has given it this way then OK else you'll have to get it done as it says in RC Book to avoid hassles with the police guys.

+1 on the Number Plate font and that Logo of your location bearing on the number plate.

Here in Hyderabad, they catch and fine us between 300-500 for having the Team BHP URL Sticker on the number plate and if you have had a plate that says 'AP 28 XX 4' but the RC Book reads 'AP 28 XX 0004'.

I don't know the conditions in your area so be careful.:)

Anurag.