[JayD]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyBoy

Just drove the same model to the yard today in Panvel via the Eastern Express Highway after crossing over Crawford Market from Marine Drive, and after reaching Thane, we had to switch to an Innova.

After that short drive, I felt my neck giving me (slight) shooting pains.

This is because the suspension is *way* too stiff - the dealer salesman stated they kept the tire pressures at 33 psi.

This vehicle had 9600 kms on the odometer, so not sure if the suspension will get any more pliant over time - anyone have feedback on this??

I knew that my Dicor had a much nicer suspension, but experiencing pain (in the neck) is not very cool...

The ride on the Fortuner is hard. Period! No matter what aftermarket suspension you install, or how much ever you play with the air pressure, it will still be very bouncy. It can get very tiresome on long drives too.

Last month driving down from Goa to Chennai, after IBW, we had a fully loaded fortuner and a moderately laden RAV4 as support cars for the bikes. Despite the weight in the Fortuner, it was still pretty uncomfortable, while the Rav4 was super comfy thanks to its all wheel independent suspension and monocoque structure.

That's the price you pay for the tough as nails nature of the Body on Ladder construction

If your primary use is on road, do look at other options.

[SuperFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by JayD

The ride on the Fortuner is hard. Period! No matter what aftermarket suspension you install, or how much ever you play with the air pressure, it will still be very bouncy. It can get very tiresome on long drives too.

Last month driving down from Goa to Chennai, after IBW, we had a fully loaded fortuner and a moderately laden RAV4 as support cars for the bikes. Despite the weight in the Fortuner, it was still pretty uncomfortable, while the Rav4 was super comfy thanks to its all wheel independent suspension and monocoque structure.

That's the price you pay for the tough as nails nature of the Body on Ladder construction

If your primary use is on road, do look at other options.

Already bought it, but will see how it does in day-to-day short trips/traffic.

In any case, planning to sell it off as soon as Ford gets their act together on the Endy - or if some other similar product shows itself in our limited market...

The Safari Dicor / Storme has a pretty decent suspension in comparison - however has MT only!

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by Piyush46

Never attained a two digit figure in past 6 months of ownership of the beast, although i agree i drive with a bit of a heavy foot.

Have consistently achieved around 7-8 in city driving and 8-9 in highway driving. The figures is what the MID shows, not calculated by tank to tank method.

Thanks!!
How many kilometres have you covered till date?
Also are the highway figures in the MID after reset prior to the trip?

Originally Posted by SuperFlyBoy

Already bought it, but will see how it does in day-to-day short trips/traffic.
In any case, planning to sell it off as soon as Ford gets their act together on the Endy !

Congratulations
Which variant of Fortuner did you finally buy?

I was always thinking that you will buy the Endeavour

[Piyush46]

How many kilometres have you covered till date?
Also are the highway figures in the MID after reset prior to the trip?

The car has clocked around 25k kms since past 6 months, thanks to frequent outstation trips every month.

No, I never reset the MID prior to the trip, or for that matter ever. If you want, I can reset the MID this time or better yet do a tank-to-tank method of calculating efficiency.

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by Piyush46

The car has clocked around 25k kms since past 6 months, thanks to frequent outstation trips every month.
No, I never reset the MID prior to the trip, or for that matter ever. If you want, I can reset the MID this time or better yet do a tank-to-tank method of calculating efficiency.

Congratulations on completion of 25000 kms.
Good to know that you are enjoying your ride.

Tank to tank method would be really great.
Thanks for the kind gesture

[SuperFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by ecosport rules

Congratulations
Which variant of Fortuner did you finally buy?

I was always thinking that you will buy the Endeavour

Was forced to take the 4x4 AT.

Will try to buy the Endeavour if and when they get their act together - I also thought I was going to buy one instead of the Fortuner, but Ford created their own fate!

[AAD]

Hi Everybody,

I bought the 4x4AT in October 2015 & have since driven about 17000 kms till date. The average fuel consumption with 75% highway & 25% city driving is 8.75 litres per km. The best I ever recorded was 9.71 while the worst was 6.24 kms per litre. Btw, I always fill tankful to tankful except maybe on 2 occasions where I was not sure of the quality of fuel so filled the bare minimum till I reached a COCO outlet. Do note that I drive with a heavy foot & rarely use the cruise control except when driving on Mumbai-Pune expressway. On the few occasions that I have driven with a light foot or used the cruise control set at 100kmph, the average fuel consumption improves to nearly 9.5 l/km.

Nevertheless, by no stretch of imagination is the Fortuner 4x4AT fuel efficient. I guess the permanent 4x4 drivetrain takes its toll on the fuel efficiency while the lack of aerodynamic body also contributes to increase the fuel consumption.

Regarding my purchase, I made a conscious decision to go for the current version of the fortuner 4x4AT rather than wait for the endeavour or the new fortuner. Without being critical of the above newer vehicles, I was and am more attracted by the simplicity of engineering, bullet proof reliability of the current version with lesser electronics particularly in areas related to 4x4 transmission. I also like the mechanical lever to move to 4x4 high/low locked rather than turn some dial to get the same effect. Maybe I am old fashioned but I like the feel of the vibrations of the transmission lever in my hand the the positive feedback it gives once engaged.

The current setup with permanent 4wheel drive also gives me immense confidence during high speed runs on the highway and I am particularly looking forward to driving during the monsoon on our rain soaked highways.

Enough has been said about Fortuner's bouncy ride & I will agree to most of the criticism. I did test the Pajero Sport before taking the plunge with the Fortuner & found the ride & handling decidedly superior to the Fortuner. What put me off the Pajero was poor service network & most importantly lack of 4x4 AT version.

A vehicle like Fortuner 4x4AT, I intend to keep for atleast 4-5 years after which I guess I will still get a decent resale value due to the fact that new fortuner will be launched at a price higher than the current version and see further upward price revision every 2-3 years or so, I will get the benefit of lesser depreciation over the years.

My other car is a Ford Ecosport AT & am quite happy with the vehicle as well as how it have performed since the 2 years that I have owned it. Nevertheless I feel less comfortable/confident with the ford service setup & abilities of the dealerships to handle complex problems, particularly those related to electronics & AT transmission etc., should they arise. I must admit though that I have no basis for making this statement as yet.

Relatively Toyota dealerships do give one the confidence of being able to address issues satisfactorily, should they arise. I owned the Innova for 6 years and my experiences bear this out.

I have read with interest various comments on this forum about relative lack of safety in the Fortuner (2 airbags vs 6/7 in competition) and while one can and should always demand better safety features, in my humble opinion, the most important safety feature is RELIABILITY. PERIOD.

What good would a vehicle with all bells and whistles in terms of safety features be, if one is stranded in the middle of nowhere with a breakdown. God forbid if this happens in the dead of night & with family in tow. As I do most of my driving solo, this was the most important factor for me to go for the Fortuner. While I am not deriding any competing brands, fact remains that only the Fortuner & Pajero have the bullet proof reliability that gives one peace of mind to take it anywhere & beyond.

Also the current Fortuner & Pajero to my mind, remain some of the last production 4x4 vehicles with old school of design that places greater emphasis on toughness, reliability, simplicity while making an average attempt at providing some comfort & luxury to the buyer/owner.

This philosophy appeals to me & hence I decided to take the plunge with the current version of Fortuner without waiting to check on the new Endeavour (which I knew was being launched) or the new Fortuner as and when it is launched in India sometime in the near future.

Cheers,


Anuj

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by AAD

I bought the 4x4AT in October 2015 & have since driven about 17000 kms till date. The average fuel consumption with 75% highway & 25% city driving is 8.75 litres per km. The best I ever recorded was 9.71 while the worst was 6.24 kms per litre. Btw, I always fill tankful to tankful except maybe on 2 occasions where I was not sure of the quality of fuel so filled the bare minimum till I reached a COCO outlet. Do note that I drive with a heavy foot & rarely use the cruise control except when driving on Mumbai-Pune expressway. On the few occasions that I have driven with a light foot or used the cruise control set at 100kmph, the average fuel consumption improves to nearly 9.5 l/km.

I am completely confused here. I assume all the figures are kilometers per liter??!!

Originally Posted by AAD

Enough has been said about Fortuner's bouncy ride & I will agree to most of the criticism. I did test the Pajero Sport before taking the plunge with the Fortuner & found the ride & handling decidedly superior to the Fortuner. What put me off the Pajero was poor service network & most importantly lack of 4x4 AT version.

Bad ride quality and below average brakes are indeed amongst the major negatives due to which I am today a proud owner of a Pajero Sport.

How I wish we have an AT 4WD Pajero Sport.

Originally Posted by AAD

Also the current Fortuner & Pajero to my mind, remain some of the last production 4x4 vehicles with old school of design that places greater emphasis on toughness, reliability, simplicity while making an average attempt at providing some comfort & luxury to the buyer/owner.

Bang On...!!

This is so true. In fact, even the next gen Fortuner and the Pajero Sport have become softer, more complex, luxury focussed vehicles. About the others in the breed, the less said the better.

[SuperFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Bang On...!!

This is so true. In fact, even the next gen Fortuner and the Pajero Sport have become softer, more complex, luxury focussed vehicles.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by AAD

I bought the 4x4AT in October 2015 & have since driven about 17000 kms till date. The average fuel consumption with 75% highway & 25% city driving is 8.75 litres per km. The best I ever recorded was 9.71 while the worst was 6.24 kms per litre. Btw, I always fill tankful to tankful except maybe on 2 occasions where I was not sure of the quality of fuel so filled the bare minimum till I reached a COCO outlet. Do note that I drive with a heavy foot & rarely use the cruise control except when driving on Mumbai-Pune expressway. On the few occasions that I have driven with a light foot or used the cruise control set at 100kmph, the average fuel consumption improves to nearly 9.5 l/km.

Hi Anuj,

This was pretty much the reason for my going with the F - as I inspected their maintenance workshop as well as the sales staff (and repair top management) were fully supportive of their product - makes a world of difference!

[AAD]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

I am completely confused here. I assume all the figures are kilometers per liter??!!
Bad ride quality and below average brakes are indeed amongst the major negatives due to which I am today a proud owner of a Pajero Sport.
======
This is so true. In fact, even the next gen Fortuner and the Pajero Sport have become softer, more complex, luxury focussed vehicles. About the others in the breed, the less said the better.

Originally Posted by SuperFlyBoy

Exactly.

Hi Anuj,

This was pretty much the reason for my going with the F - as I inspected their maintenance workshop as well as the sales staff (and repair top management) were fully supportive of their product - makes a world of difference!

Hi Devdath,

My bad. Of course the fuel consumption figures are in kmpl ������

Regarding the brakes, I use the gated gear lever to good use by downshifting to 4th and 3rd as needed for rapid deceleration and braking. This puts lesser load on the brakes and improves control while braking.

Also gives me the pleasure of being in control like a manual without losing the convenience of the automatic.

I also completely agree with you about the newer versions of both Pajero n Fortuner getting a bit softer and more luxurious but I Guess more n more people are demanding car like comforts, handling etc and are willing to compromise on hard core off-road ability. We are part of a rare, diminishing breed.

Hi Superflyboy,

The availability of top quality workshops across India that are well stocked with essential spares and have trained, competent manpower is part of the ownership package that comes with the Fortuner.

I believe those of us who have the current 4x4AT, are blessed with a platform that has been designed to last forever and has seen some incremental improvements over the years since its launch such as addition of VSC, Auto levelling Headlamps with washers, etc.

Best wishes for Happy motoring

Anuj

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by SuperFlyBoy

Already bought !

Originally Posted by AAD

Hi Everybody,

I bought the 4x4AT in October 2015 & have since driven about 17000 kms till date

Also the current Fortuner & Pajero to my mind, remain some of the last production 4x4 vehicles with old school of design that places greater emphasis on toughness, reliability, simplicity while making an average attempt at providing some comfort & luxury to the buyer/owner.

This philosophy appeals to me & hence I decided to take the plunge with the current version of Fortuner without waiting to check on the new Endeavour (which I knew was being launched) or the new Fortuner as and when it is launched in India sometime in the near future
Anuj

Originally Posted by n.devdath

This is so true. In fact, even the next gen Fortuner and the Pajero Sport have become softer, more complex, luxury focussed vehicles. About the others in the breed, the less said the better.

A big to all three of you for knowing what exactly you need.

You guys have given a very good insight of why the current technology is better than the one coming by.
Thanks for all your inputs.

Most of the existing Fortuner 4×4 manual owners are reporting a consistent fuel efficiency of 10 to 11 kmpl. Was wondering why the 4×4 auto box is returning only 6 to 8kmpl(1 to 2 kmpl drop is reasonable but it is almost 4kmpl)

Am I missing something?

[AAD]

Hi Ecosport rules,

Thanks for your kind words. While change is inevitable, all change is not necessarily for the better.

Regarding fuel efficiency, as I am the sole driver of my vehicle & I use Road Trip LE app on my iPhone to track my fuel consumption, I can safely say that the best fuel consumption figures one could hope for in this vehicle is 9.5-10 kmpl. This is of course for Highway travels. In city, my average drops down to 6.5-7 kmpl.

But that's why I have the Nano AMT for City driving

[ecosport rules]

Originally Posted by AAD

Hi Ecosport rules,

Thanks for your kind words. While change is inevitable, all change is not necessarily for the better.
Regarding fuel efficiency, as I am the sole driver of my vehicle & I use Road Trip LE app on my iPhone to track my fuel consumption, I can safely say that the best fuel consumption figures one could hope for in this vehicle is 9.5-10 kmpl. This is of course for Highway travels. In city, my average drops down to 6.5-7 kmpl.

But that's why I have the Nano AMT for City driving:

AAD

You really have deep love for the auto box.
I think you are the first on teambhp to have a Fortuner, Ecosport, and finally a Nano without clutch

[AAD]

Originally Posted by ecosport rules

AAD

You really have deep love for the auto box.
I think you are the first on teambhp to have a Fortuner, Ecosport, and finally a Nano without clutch

I forgot to mention. I also have a Swift Petrol Manual. Fortuner for myself, EcoSport for the wife, Nano for my daughter n Swift for my Parents.

To each his/her own. No fighting 😊

[Turbanator]

Not that I am writing as a FORD fanboy , but my recent experience with new Endeavour is quite positive. I did 3000 Km run from Chandigarh - Kandla - Ahmedabad- Chandigarh recently and there are absolutely no issues , of course its too early to comment but the way everything appears to be built , this is a no nonsense vehicle. I will say most of SUV in this category are actually meant to be driven on all kind of terrains and are built with far more factor of safety at component/ chassis level then say a regular sedan. I won't have any technical data to back this but the way suspension looks , it reminds me of my old Pajero - SFX.