Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
92,854 views
Old 25th March 2018, 23:57   #1
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Prologue
As a child, I used to have pictures of Hummers and the bulky Chevy SUVs pasted on my cupboard and study. It was always a dream for me to own an SUV where I had to climb into and which can take me places which other cars can't.

My family's first car was a Zen. I remember 6 of us stuffing ourselves into that car and doing highway trips ! I know we were stretching it way too much but that's how joint families were brought up ! Soon we had car 2 in the family - A Chevy Beat was added to the garage and now we had 4 each in both cars for long trips ! A family that lives together, eats together should also travel together, so we replaced our Zen with the Chevy Enjoy to accommodate the 8 people in our family. We could now travel together and the Enjoy was a lovely companion for us on those trips but was thoroughly under utilized - That car ran about 5000kms over the last 2 years ! Our Family trips reduced quite a bit and the Enjoy is a car you would not like to drive for the pleasure of driving. It was a pain to drive it around in the city or the highways. It served its only purposed of being a people mover.

Then, one fine day Chevy decided to shut shop in India and the service centers decided to become loots. The car had completed only 4 years but was almost standstill for the last 2 years which surely did not help at all. Well, this I think was reason enough for me to convince myself to sell the car

Why buy another car
So what next ? If you really analyzed, we did not need another car, or may be just a small car if 2 of us had to go 2 different places. But, I took this as an opportunity to explore if I can fulfill a childhood dream of owning an SUV - A butch, tough, macho machine. I not just wanted my car to rule the roads, but I was sure I want to make it do stuff off the road as well.

My requirements were clear
70 to 80% of Highway running
20 to 30% of off-roading

Thus, I needed the car to have the following
1. Good ride quality on the highway
2. AWD / 4x4 to go the untraveled path and take it off road
3. Abuse friendly for the bad roads and offroading
4. Rock solid reliability backed with a trusted service network
5. A 7 seater for family rides (I could compromise on this given the 2nd car we have and the amount of usage historically - could be managed by renting a cab / self drive options)
6. Magically fit into my budget of around 10L (as dreams were the main reason for the purchase, I could have stretched "slightly")

I had a budget of around 10L and I wanted to buy a good SUV with the capabilities I was looking for - Both these statements don't go with each other - I still tried out options to see how much more I would need to shell out.

Options Considered

1. Renaullt Duster AWD
Lovely Ride Quality - The best I've seen ; AWD - A capable softroader ; Have heard good feedback on rhe reliability ; Service network is a big issue ; No 7 seater, 16L for this plus some attractive discounts ! This was a vehicle I had my eyes on since the last 2 years.
My colleague owns this car and gave me a negative feedack on the service quality and issues in part availability. He had an immaculately maintained Duster which he offered to sell to me !
2. Mahindra Thar 4x4
Ticks all boxes but the practicality of highway rides just did not appeal to me
3. Isuzu V Cross
Did not really appeal to me. Driving that thing around in Mumbai would be a nightmare
4. Mahindra Scorpio 4x4
Old school design but interiors not up to the mark and really expensive.

I was not very happy with what I was getting for the money I was being asked to pay so I started to look around at other options. I read teambhp ownership threads of pre owned cars and figured out that if done diligently, this could get me into a completely different segment. The actual SUVs - The Endeavour, The Pajero and the Fortuner. My heart started pounding faster at the thought of owning a car from this segment. These are proper SUVs with all the boxes ticked in terms of my requirement.

My Pre Owned buying experience and learnings
Preparing myself for the pre owned car buying experience, I read a lot of ownership reviews on team bhp and elsewhere online and I made a list of things that I would need to come to terms with

1) Finalizing "What car" is just the beginning of the buying process . This ends at "which car" - This is a painstaking process which is non existent while purchasing new
2) you'll never find the ideal machine according to your taste buds - It will need to built over time
3) Lots of things would need to be taken with a pinch of salt when it comes to asthetics of the car - The heart (engine) and mechanicals should not be compromised at all
4) ODO tampering is child's play - So to whatever extent possible, figure out signs of ODO tampering
5) The consideration paid to the seller does not end your expenses - There will be small issues / changes / insurance expenses etc that you will have to make on the car in the near future after buying the car
6) Point 5 enables great scope of negotiation ! And post the entire process of negotiation , I realised it's very different from how we negotiate in the showroom to get the best deal there
7) The deal can fall off even on the final day - Don't get emotionally attached till the car is in your parking lot - This will affect common sense and intelligence to come to your rescue
8) Always have the PDi checklist ready and thoroughly check it
9) Get a fellow bhpian owning the same car (just ask around and you'll get someone who owns the same model you wish to buy) to inspect and drive the car - This ensures any small drive issues will be instantly noticed
10) Get a thorough check at the service center. They know you will get things fixed from them, so they would be brutally honest and more on the conservative side.
11) One has to be really patient while searching for your car
12) Try to find out a little about the profile about the previous owner - His usage patterns etc if possible.

Now, I had to be really careful here. I was looking into cars which had already lived a life - At my budget, these cars would have an age between 6 to 8 years. And SUVs tend to be an abused set of vehicles so choosing the right car was crucial to ensure peace of mind to a large extent.

Which Car
I limited myself to researching only 3 cars

Mitsubishi Pajero
At a budget of 10L, I was getting the Pajero 2.8 4x4 , 2011 make or older.
Deal Breaker
The engine. Period.
The 2.8L engine makes 118 PS of power and 292 NM of torque. Are you really kidding me Mitsubishi ? This would have struggled to overtake and also be effective during off roading where low end torque is so critical.
TO add to this, Mitsubishi service centers just don't inspire any confidence whatsoever. Buying a 7 year old Pajero did not make sense to me as I may struggle for spares and also not have service centers around the country

Ford Endeavor
12L would provide me with a 2012 Endy
The design just did not appeal to me. It was just too long for me to like. Although, everything else was just perfect in the car. The engine right up there and the offroad capabilities are amazing.
Another issue in terms of the reliability of this machine has seen mixed reviews on the internet. Ford service also has got mixed reviews.

So again like the Mitsubishi, I did not want to risk a 6 to 7 year old car with a iffy service center experience.

Toyota Fortuner
I've read crazy things that owners have made their car do and that has still kept running for lakhs and lakhs of kms. I have friends and BHPians swearing by Toyota service quality. The reliability of Toyota engines has been unbeatable. If serviced regularaly and maintained well, these cars are known to outlast their owners.
I think these statements were worthy enough to just finalize this car and not think about anything else, but I also checked out the capability.
The 3.0 D4D engine is still used in the new Land Cruiser Prado :P but does not feel out of place does it ? Brilliant low end torque, great power delivery and unmatched reliability.
I was sold for this car and wanted to go in for the Fortuner.

The 1st Gen Fortuner was launched in 2009 and had a facelift in 2012. Given the improved brakes and refreshed look , my first preference was the facelifted one even if I had to shell out slightly more for it.

The first Gen Fortuner had only one variant - The Manual - Full time 4WD version.

The buying process

I started searching on Olx , Carwale , Cartrade and truebil.
I could find NIL cars from the facelifted version . I searched everywhere but to no avail . I also informed a friend for looking out

Now, in my budget of about 12L (this increased as soon as I finalized I want to buy the Fortuner ) I was getting cars from 2011 with about 75 to 80k on the ODO.. That mileage for a Fortuner seems incorrect at the first go itself, but I still wanted to check out the cars . I checked out 5 cars across the length and breadth of the city and few points below for your reference which may help you stay alert when analysing a car purchase

1) Worn out clutch - This is an issue quite common I found in almost all the cars I test drove . Only the proportion of wear differed - in on of the cars , the clutch pedal cried when I tried to release it - in other cars , the clutch was hard / There was shuddering while changing gears etc

2) Rattles - May be this point can be addressed but there are number of rattles within the cabin - mainly due to seats - may be a slight tightening of bolts and change of bushes will do the job

3) Tampered ODO - one of the car didn't drive like a fortuner ! It was one of most beautiful aesthetically but the drive just did not seem to be correct . 80k on the ODO . During my search online , I found an older ad for this car with the ODO at 92k . I had not in dwelled deep into what is the issue ! A tampered ODO on a Fortuner can mean the actual figure could be even 3 times of what it shows up !

4) Dealerships use the car for themselves and then sell it as first owner cars - I liked a white car all was in perfect shape , with a dealer .. my questions about the previous owner made him shiver .. I asked him for the delivery slip and he denied. Then I found out from the watchman where the dealership was that this car was being used by the dealer for more than a year as his own car.

5) Irregular service records - Many cars missed their 5k / 10k service schedule in Toyota although did not have any visible issues , but I was not comfortable with going ahead with a car that Toyota has not been seeing regularly

6) 4x4 lever having play - Well this problem I only encountered in one car ! When HL is engaged , there was a play in the lever . Although no issues in terms of what it is meant to do. (I ended up buying the only car with this issue :P)

7) worn out interiors
A 7 year old car is bound to have worn out seats , bruised gear knobs and few irregularities here and there . It's difficult to get perfection in this department - Almost all cars had this wear

8) uneven tyre wear - I used to think that checking the tyre tread means looking at the visible side of the tyre in the wheel well ! I was wrong . There is uneven wear when there is loss of allignment and balancing which was visible to the naked eye .. the tyre side on the interior should be closely inspected too

9) installation of lots of after market electrical accessories - The Fortuner is a style statement for many and they go overboard with accessories like cheap lights in the interior , some electricals that get their supply from the battery and changes in the wiring circuit to install horns / lights fancy accessories in the interior . For me any such change was strict no go in terms of the deal

10) Rediculous overpricing
The biggest issue with buying a used Toyota is the overpricing of cars just based on the exteriors ! A waxed car commands 1L more and a detailed car commands 2L more !
Get ready to negotiate tooth and nail. I looked at cars in the similar age bracket and similar odo readings with a price ranginf from 11L to 14L

I think I had exhausted the list of cars available on olx / truebil etc but none of the cars really clicked.. there was something or the other that I was not happy about and was a deal breaker in each case.

Then one fine day , a dealer who had showed me 2 cars called me and said there's on car that's just come through from the owner about 15 days back. It's been waxed and cleaned and ready to be shown. Are you interested.

I jumped on seeing the pics and was there within an hour

Please Note :

In the following posts, more than the positives, I would be focussing on the negatives / flaws in the entire process and the car. This is only to make this read more objective and informative for the reader than an overflow of emotions that I had !

Last edited by Aditya : 11th August 2018 at 08:19. Reason: Typo
varunraizada is offline   (41) Thanks
Old 29th March 2018, 01:25   #2
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

These were the pics sent to me by the dealer and although I knew the car was just wax polished , it looked quite well maintained from the outside !

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img20180126wa0049.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img20180126wa0058.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img20180126wa0055.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img20180126wa0060.jpg

First impressions


Exteriors

The goods
- Well maintained car
- Colour seemed uniform - Thus no repainting etc. visible
- Accident free (according to the dealer)
- No visible scratch / major dents on quick inspection
The bads
- The beading of the rear cladding was coming off - This could have been some touch out work not done too well.
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-cladding.jpg
(can be dealt with)
- On careful inspection, a minor dent made itself visible on the boot of the car right at the bottom (luckily it's at a location difficult to notice)
- There are chrome bits all over - Around the headlamps - Around the rear lamps - The OVRM's are Chrome - These bits of chrome are a turn off as they are very difficult to remove and might damage the paint while coming off. The OVRM's thankfully were factory fitted and not aftermarket.
- The loading lip has a chrome bit which is damaged - So it looked shabby
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-loading-lip.jpg
- There is a smart looking bullbar on the front - Surely it does nothing to protect the car !
Exteriors were not really a deal breaker as my car would be off roading quite a bit and a vehicle doing all that would have it's share of scars.

Interiors

The goods
- The dashboard seemed well maintained
- No wear visible on the AC console
- AC air vents all in tact and functioning - No wear visible there
- No real soiling noticeable anywhere
- The ABC pedals well in tact
- No wires loose hanging anywhere in the foot wells / elsewhere
- No foul smells noticeable
The bads
- The leather on the steering wheel needed change - It had become quite slippery (Could add aftermarket leather wrapping)
- The seats had their share of taking a beating - looked worn out - but were moving as designed and not stuck. From a comfort point of view, they seemed all ok (Had to live with this)
- Seats were shaking in their place if pushed around - Sure shot sign of rattles when driving (Could be solved by changing bushes / tightening of screws)
- Front power window winder motor needed replacement - Had a wheezing sound (Can be resolved)
- The internal lights had become weak - Not lighting up the car as well (Small replacement)
- The car had sunfilms ! Well the Fortuner tends to get away with sunfilms . But the sunflims had scratches on it (Had to be removed anyway)
- The stock ICE was replaced by the owner with a touch screen one with BT / USB / AUX and Ipod connectivity back in 2011. He had also added a rear camera to the car. Speakers were stock
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124217.jpg
This is one thing I'd need to change quite quickly - The sound quality was just not perfect enough
- Gear / Low range box lever had some play when HL was engaged. Although, the instrument cluster showed the light where diff is locked, I was not sure. (This would have been a deal breaker if there was an issue here - I would have got this checked at Toyota - it was okayed by Toyota)

Engine Bay

- The engine bay did not show up anything abnormal other than the installation of 2 HID's with heat sync
The stock Fortuner comes with Halogens in Both the projector as well as the High Beam - This car had after market HID's installed in place of both of them. I could not hear any abnormalities from the engine bay

Tires
3 of the stock Dunlops. had been changed over to Good Year Wrangler tires and the spare and one more tire were stock Dunlops. The 3 Wranglers looked very good shape by the signs of it while the spare tire looked quite worn out. The Dunlop on the car looked good too, but by it was aged and probably needed change. So I believed I will need to change the 2 Dunlops and I'll be fine. I did not have a tread gauge and I would take the final call post checking with the gauge.

Engine
By this time I had driven a few cars and the engine sounded just perfect. Could not find any misfiring or any abnormality.

Drive
Out of all the cars that I test drove, this one drove the best
- The Turbo spooled up perfectly at around 1500RPM
- There was no knocking in the engine.
- The pick up was smooth without jutters
- At higher RPMs the engine did not scream abnormally
- gearshifts were smooth

Suspension
- Other than the rattles due to the seats, there was no other sound coming when driving through potholes / bad roads
- No oil leak signs were visible from the suspension setup

These were the initial checks that I made and felt this car was the best that I had inspected thus far. It ticked every box that all other cars did not except for one thing - The colour. I wanted a white car as it would have been maintenance free from the exteriors point of view. But then, a black SUV is a statement in itself (that's what I told myself )

The dealer was Lucky Cars in Malad (W) and all the cars they had on display were quite nice.
I went in an had the inital round of discussions with the dealership. I made it clear to them that although I like the car on the first go, I would need 2 more visits - 1 with my family and 1 with my expert friends. If they both go well, I need to have the car inspected by Toyota and as soon as they give their report we will finalize the deal.

The owner of the dealership said ok and also gave me the name of the owner and his background. He also added that I'm the first person to see the car. (Well I want to believe he is right )
One Tip : I did not do that, but at this point in time one should try and get more details about the previous owner and if possible have a conversation with him

Initial level of talks - Need to get family / friend and inspect at Toyota

Family - Feedback from mom and wife - I took mom and wife to see the car. Following feedback from them was essential
- Colour : They both loved it.
- Ingress and Egress difficulties and how they will cope : They had to climb in and getting into the back seat, they had to hold on to the front seat and then climb in. They expressed the need for a small stool maybe but they would be able to cope with it.
- Back seat comfort : Both of them felt it to be good as compared to our Enjoy. The rear AC vents were more powerful and cooler than the re-circulation blowers in the Enjoy
There came the first Tick

The next checkpoint was to have the car checked and driven by a Fortuner owner. I did not know anyone having a manual Fortuner, but I knew BHPian @ragh_bhushan who owns an Automatic 4x4 Fortuner - Facelifted version. I requested him to come over to see the car and he obliged and that really made decision making much easier and more informed

I just wanted an answer to one question from him . "Is the car worth taking ahead?" I got a "Yes" as an answer

Detailed Feedback from Bhushan
Quote:
Likes:
Ergonomics of the stick - Very easy to find sweet driving position with left elbow on the arm rest
Engine performance - NVH and Torque delivery even after 100k kms on the ODO
Steering - Felt like new
Third gear drivability
Suspension felt pretty solid and not soft

Did Not Like:
Vibrating stick - Especially during the crank
Brakes - Much less bite than Facelift version
Clutch was slightly sticky
Missing power seat adjustments
So another tick on the box and with one step left - The checkup at Toyota, we decided to have the first round of negotiation
The initial price quoted for the car was Rs 12.5L and I started off with 11.5 which included changing of 2 tyres (which would cost around 15k - The Wranglers) and he would help with dealer discount on insurance (God knows what that meant - I did not count it). The deal was okayed subject to Toyota providing a clean chit at 11.75L

Toyota - Lakozy Malad experience
The very next day, I got the car to Lakozy Toyota at Malad. The entry experience was an interview where they asked me the reason for getting the car checked.
As soon as I said I intend to buy it, they told me they'll get their head technician to go on a test drive with me. I had to wait for 15 mins and the head technician came through. I asked him about how the car drove, the clutch, the suspension, brakes and the 4x4 lever play. He said everything is fine, but the clutch plate and pressure plate are nearing their end. Depending on how you drive, it could last 20 to 30k kms if driven well.

The SA told me the car has been serviced with them right since 2011 and the last service carried out was the 95k service. Post which, the car was serviced at Patel Auto - The records for which were available with me. There was no accident history and no body work carried out by the owner in Toyota. Clutch and Suspension were stock and have not been changed - Well, for the clutch to have lasted 1.06L kms and still running, shows that the car was driven well.

The car was then thoroughly inspected and an inspection report was handed over - Although a handwritten one, every point was explained to me and I took note of expenses that may come through over the next few months.

The most startling thing was, they asked me to change 4 out of the 5 tires on the car. The Wranglers were worn out from the side that is towards the interior.

I interacted with the SA one on one and also the head tecnhician one on one. I asked them, is the car worth going in for and the small issues they pointed about can be addressed and they both assured that it is worth buying. The SA also suggested slight further negotiation on the rate which I disclosed to him.

The experience at Lakozy was 10 on 10 in terms of all aspects. SA knowledge, technician knowledge, etiquite , customer service, training of the junior technicians, speed, quality, accuracy of diagnosis. I was impressed.

Final checkbox had been ticked and I started looking at the car with a lot more love and affection now. The dealer's drive drove the car back to the dealership and I was telling him to drive carefully

Final negotiation
So, there were a few things I got from Toyota especially the tires and the timing belt which helped me negotiate with the dealership a little more.
So here was the deal
Final Amount : 11.75L
He pays for 4 new tires - 1 Good Year tire was acceptable which I kept as spare. I was sure of my offroading requirements and I was adamant on going in for the Yokohama Geolander G015 tires which would cost 11.5k per tyre (46k for 4)

So the deal to keys of my dream had been sealed ! I cannot describe that feeling. It was one of the most awesome feelings to go through the entire process of finalizing what car and then coming down to which car, going through the inspections, accepting the flaws and saying a yes! It's a feeling you would not get when purchasing a new car.

I paid a token of Rs 25,000/- and asked the dealer to get the car serviced. I asked him not to change the tires at his end and just deduct 11.5*4 from the final amount and I would change the tires as per my convenience and comfort.

The car was ready in the next 2 days and I made the payment by RTGS and I was ready to collect the car

We took the delivery in the night and the car came home !!
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180202_213748.jpg

Last edited by varunraizada : 17th May 2018 at 01:36.
varunraizada is offline   (49) Thanks
Old 31st March 2018, 00:19   #3
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Initial Drive Back home
On the first drive back home, I was just amazed at how different is the mannerisms of other cars towards a Fortuner and a smaller car. But driving that thing home, was a task ! It's a tough one driving through Mumbai traffic due to the heavy clutch and heavy steering wheel. You can fulfill fantasies of bulldozing those auto rickshaws (for once).

I used to get really irritated of those protruding man-hole covers, paver blocks coming off causing craters and potholes. This car is meant to drive through all of them and make you feel confident of doing that again and it would still take that abuse thrown at it.

First tank up
Obviously, the dealership gave me the car at "E" on the fuel gauge and I had to refuel. I decided to get a tank full done !
A huge 80L tank in the Fortuner allows you the peace of mind of refuelling for about 800kms on the highway ! But when you fill it to the brim, your pocket gets lighter by 5000 bucks !

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180202_235647.jpg

Zombie drive
Day 1 of a new car, a car enthusiast and few crazy friends for company are perfect ingredients for a Zombie drive across the streets of the city post 12am in the night. I drove from Oshiwara to Nariman Point through JVLR and taking the Freeway and returned through Sea Link ! It was the best time to get familiar with basics dynamics / features / driving manners of the car.

Issue Detected
I had heard so many things about the awesome control and ability to hold traction that the Fortuner has when going over bad roads. As soon as I drove the car at about 60kmph, the car started to wobble left and right. The front tires could not keep the car in a straight line, while the drive on the rear shaft pushed the car in a straight line. The car starting losing control exponentially after reaching 60kmph !

I remembered the Toyota guy telling me clearly, the tyres are extremely unevenly worn out due to alignment and balancing not being done in the car. It will really effect how the car drives.

I attributed this to balancing, but post seeing how much the tyres were worn out from the inner side, it seemed an issue of grip ! I had to get the tires changed immediately. The way to check tire wear on the front tyres is to turn the steering wheel to one side and lock. Check the wear inside and outside. then turn the wheel to the other side and carry out the same check. Avoid driving the car which has uneven wear. It is a safety hazard at higher speeds.

Tires Change

Just check out the uneven wear. This is solely due to improper alignment especially on a 2Ton vehicle !

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180203_172714.jpg

Profile of the tire : 265 / 65 R17 - I wanted to go stock on the size and not upgrade the profile of the tyres
Type of Tire preferred : 3 options - On Road tyres / All Terrain Tyres / Mud Terrain (off Road) tyres. I went in for the AT tyres as I would need off road capabilities of the tyres as well as great performance on highway / tarmac.

Options available :
Goodyear Wrangler A/T
MRF Wanderer A/T
Michelin LTX Force
Pirelli Scorpion ATR
Yokohama Geolander G015 A/T

I chose the Yokohama Geolanders because of the reviews and experiences shared by a lot of users. MRF / Goodyear were not upto the mark in terms of taking as much abuse.
Cost : Rs 11000 per tyre - I changed 4 of them
Tyre Dealership used : Saifee Tyres Santacruz West

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180203_173545.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180203_175629.jpg

Feedback on the dealership
The owners were really knowledgeable. I knew which tyre I wanted to keep post thorough inspection through tread meters etc at Toyota, but I asked them for their suggestion and bingo, it was that very tyre they asked me to keep as the spare tyre

They brought out the Geolanders and I checked the manufacturing date of all of them which was 18th week of 2017 and I gave them a go ahead.

Each alloy was then cleaned including the one on the spare and then each tyre was mounted on the wheel through a machine and not manually.

Alignment and Balancing
The alignment and balancing is done by Saifee in a completely manual manner and I've heard people really praise them for their work. The alignment seemed fine when I drove off, but after a day or two, I could feel the car starting to shift to the left.

In the pic, it's me, the Saifee guy, BHPian Ebrahim and BHPian Bhushan who came to see the car at Saifee

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180203_185307_004.jpg

I had an option to take it back to them for a free correction, but somehow the manual process did not inspire too much confidence inspite of heraring such amazing feedback. I decide to go for a more trusted specialist - Sawant , again close by in Santacruz W.

The guys in Sawant tyres used Old school gyro technology but was good. He took about an hour. The alignment was still off. Took it back and he took another 15 mins to sort out the alignment issue. the car is now perfectly aligned.

Charges : 600 for alignment and balancing - 500 for the weights = Rs 1100/-

Last edited by varunraizada : 9th April 2018 at 23:37.
varunraizada is offline   (39) Thanks
Old 9th April 2018, 23:36   #4
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Ok, so now that I'm done with taking you through the entire experience of going in for a used car purchase, let me dwell into the car ! I've tried to be extremely objective here, but the emotions did sometime take over

Exteriors
Looks
Looks are subjective, but no one can deny the muscular look of the Fortuner - Especially the classic Fortuner - The big chunky headlamps, the grill just make this car look so butch and totally a boy's car ! We hear cars being referred to as feminine, but I am still to hear a Fortuner with a Feminine name. They are all Masculine! This just has the stance and the perfect length to make it look butch !

Everything about the design is extremely old school, non car like and very much truck like - No wonder people refer to these old school designed cars as trucks

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_084720.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_124850.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_084741.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180218_113211.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180218_115511.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_2595.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_2600.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_2666.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_081930.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_082317.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_082637.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_095745.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180204_102052.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180218_093205.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180318_073947.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180318_085259.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180415_092832.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180415_092950.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180415_100605.jpg

Size and Weight
As compared to the new Fortuner, the size and dimensions are below
LxWxH
New : 4795 x 1855 x 1835
Classic : 4705 x 1840 x 1850

The weight of the car is about 1980kg and drives better when more and more weight is added to it



Build Quality
The car is built to sustain abuse. I've put it through a little bit of abuse and all I have to show for it is a few scratches (scars) on the car and the foot board has taken a slight beating

The doors are heavy and feels secure.

Try lifting the bonnet to check out the engine. Wow that thing is really heavy ! It was a struggle for a novice to get the bonnet in place when it is open.These things are known and built to last forever !

Lights
The lights are dual barrel head lamps , with Projectors in the low beam and Reflectors in the high beam

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_124439.jpg

The car came factory fitted with halogens in both the projectors and the reflector , but in my car both these were changed to HID lights

The output of HID lights in the projectors is very good . The road slightly ahead is well lit up every time. The only issue is that the lights are projector very close to the car this lighting up only an area very close by and with Projectors there is a sharp cut off of light and nothing is lit up beyond the cut off point

High beam becomes a necessity during night drives on the highway

But the HIDs in the reflector just felt completely out of place.. the light was reflected into various places and it hardly lit up the road ahead. I wonder how the previous owner used these at all !

Now another issue with the HIDs which I encountered was they were rendered useless when there was light pollution from cars travelling in the opposite direction. May be the lights used were of inferior quality ?

I decided to keep the HIDs as they were for the projector low beams and decided to change the high beam to halogens

Why I decided to go for Halogens is that on reading at quite a few places, the reflectors designed for LEDs / HIDs are very different from those designed for Halogens. So the reflection of light from LEDs and HIDs will not be as expected if put into a reflector for Halogens ..

I changed the high beam HIDs with the Philips Extreme Vision Halogens

Cost : Rs1100 for a pair

Now , the output seems just about perfect . The HID + Halogen combo works quite well, although I don't like the yellow and white colour difference

The chrome wrapping along the headlamp cluster is a put off

Fog lamps - The car comes with only front fog lamps which are rediculously useless ! They light up nothing at all .

Suspension
The front has an independent suspension setup and the stock suspension is built to take a lot of abuse. A future upgrade will be the lift kit and this has been extensively discussed in the below thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-te...-fortuner.html

Central Differential Lock
The car has a Full time 4WD system where 50% of the power is transmitted to the Rear wheels and 50% is transmitted to the front wheels.

The fortuner has a central differential lock only. The Indian version gives a miss to the rear diff locks which are available in the cars launched in Australia and South Africa.

Wheels and Tyres
Toyota provides all 5 alloy wheels and the alloy wheel on the classic Fortuner is a chunky 5 spoke wheel which suits the car just beautifully.

These are 17 inch alloys

Specs : 265/65 R17

Stock tyres for the Car were Dunlop Grandtrek AT tyres . As mentioned earlier, I changed to Yokohama Geolander G015 AT Tyres.
Technical specifications and stock tyres - Tyre change - later

Underbody Protection
The Fortuner has been built as an extremely abuse friendly vehicle and a big factor is how the underbelly is protected / insulated from stones and other unwanted objects flying onto / hitting the components down there

There is a huge shield to protect important parts from an immediate impact from the front .. The sheet seems quite strong and solid and can take a good beating.

Ground Clearance
At 220mm , the car offers brilliant ground clearance .. You don't really need to care too much about something hitting the car unless you are offroading.

The huge GC offers awesome flexibility during off roading sessions ..

Also, an issue with getting used to the suspension and the gc is you stop slowing down foe speed breakers ..

Foot Board
The foot boards are a necessity if you family will use the car too ! The high GC has a negative which makes ingress and egress extremely tough for senior citizens. The footrest is just the right size for placing you foot and getting in

But this becomes a huge hindrance during off-roading! It limits you at tight spaces and also the large branch or big stone may just harm the footrest

But as compared to the new fortuner and the facelift fortuner , the classic fortuner gets a very basic , but solid built and dual mounted foot board which will not break but only get bent if hit by a stone / branch

This easily goes back into place to but the dent may remain

I managed to bend the footboards due to some unavoidable scrapes off road.

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180218_110338.jpg

Rear View Mirror and Side Mirrors
The size of the OVRM's is extremely large. This covers a lot of the visual area and for a car of this size, the size seems just perfect.

The 2 OVRMs and the rear view mirror almost cover the entire specturm leaving only few blind spots which is great

The back of the OVRM is Chrome - The chrome OVRM was an option Toyota provided which this car has (not surprisingly - given the love for Chrome from the previous owner !)

The side indicators have also been installed on the OVRM's which are an aftermarket fit. But the finish is quite good and does not look cheap !

Chrome
The chrome has been used in excess everywhere on the car. Around the head lamp. Around the tail lamp, on the rear view mirror. I wanted to get rid of these, but 3M had suggested this could peel off the paint too, so I did not fiddle with it at all. The rear Chrome can be removed and I'll get it done soon.

Reverse Camera and Parking Sensors
The stock car has only 2 parking sensors which are activated by a button inside the car.

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124211.jpg

This is a crucial safety aspect for a car of this size. The previous owner had got a Reverse Camera Fitted in along with the Music System unit which was also changed. The camera quality is quite decent and helps in parking to a large extent

Sun visors and Sun Films
The sun visors have been installed in the car using some adhesive which is coming out at a few places, which causes a lot of noise with the free end of the visor hitting the car body whenever it moves due to wind / otherwise.

As I am not used to these visors, I feel restricted due to them and they just don't feel good. These need to be removed but I'm scared it might damage the paint.

Sun Films also were installed and I have already spoken about them.

Last edited by GTO : 11th August 2018 at 09:08. Reason: typo
varunraizada is offline   (33) Thanks
Old 14th April 2018, 00:09   #5
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Interiors

Interior design
Innova similarity - Features compared to newer cars - MID / ODO / trip / controls - light - instrument cluster light etc
At the first glance the interior dashboard looks almost exactly like the old Innova - Few minor differences here and there which a person without a keen eye would not notice.

Although a minimalistic design, the dashboard offers enough information and features - The Information Display is in the center console above the ICE. It displays only basic parameters - Range, Avg Mileage, Instantaneous Mileage, Elapsed time, Outside Temperature and direction of travel. Along with one of the above parameters, the clock is always on display.

The direction of travel is quite helpful when we are on exploratory trips with no network / google maps etc . It gives you a sense of where you are heading and I think that is the main purpose of having this in a car that is meant to be taken to such places

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124241_bokeh.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124249_bokeh.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124254_bokeh.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124300_bokeh.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124306_bokeh.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124312_bokeh.jpg

Storage Spaces
This is one thing I expected much more from the fortuner.
The Glove Box is almost useless - If you have your papers there, it can be used only for toll tickets and that's about it.

There are 2 cup holders on either side of the dashboard in front of the side AC vent which is extremely useful for storing your small water bottles / can of cold drink that you can sip on during a long drive. This is ultra useful in the AT fortuner where you can store your hot coffee there and keep sipping on coffee while cruising on highways. I would not advice Hot beverages in the Manual Fortuners as it may be hazardous as you may need to downshift / upshift given the type of traffic we have on our highways !

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_124158.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_123725.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_124317.jpg

Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_20180310_124317.jpg
Views:	469
Size:	2.83 MB
ID:	1761654

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_124326.jpg

The bottle holders on the front and rear doors are good for 500 ml bottles and not for 1L bottles - This, on such a large car, is a put off as you have better storage available in smaller hatchbacks as well.

Interior charging points
There are 3 charging points in the car - 2 in the front (one of these is a cigarette lighter piont) and the other is a 12V socket. These 2 are really useful as one can be used and kept away for a CB radio set which I plan to install / a Dash cam input and the other one can be used for charging 2 or 3 phones at one go.

One 12V socket is also provided in the boot - This is mainly to accommodate the power supply to the electric box / fridge which may be used for touring etc. I don't intend to get one very soon though. This charging point is not practically located for a phone to be charged, unless the charger is always attached and charging wire is a long one that comes through to the back seat.

Mats - Change needed
The mats which come with the stock Fortuner are beige !!!! The previous owner also bought plastic mats which protect the beige mats to an extent but look really cheap ! These need change and I might go in for noodle mats from 3M or 3D mats

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_124003.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180310_124149.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180416_205617.jpg

Air Conditioner
The car has an automatic climate control system and a separate button to start the rear AC as well. The AC even after 7 years is really chiller and can cool down the car really quickly. I prefer to keep the rear AC on as well even if I am alone to cool down the car quicker.

The auto cool starts the AC in full blast and slowly reduces to the lowest level to maintain the given temperature. I like the full blast to start the drive off so I hardly touch the controls unless I'm getting too chilled which is when I increase the temperature.

The rear AC vents are roof mounted and are very effective. They even make the final row a comfortable place to be in from a temperature point of view.

Audio System
The ICE has been changed by the previous owner at the time of purchasing the car. In the stock ICE, there was no USB / Bluetooth but in this one, there are additions of USB / Ipod connect / Bluetooth / Navigation and Rear View Camera

The system seems quite old and outdated now with the touch not very sensitive and no SD card slot - The volume knob does not function. Volume needs to be increased from the steering mounted controls only. I am ok with all this though and it does not irritate me.

Sound Quality is pretty decent. Someone who does not really care about the beats coming through / getting great quality of sound during a drive, should be ok with the speakers.

There are 6 speakers - 2 of them are tweeters - I would be going in for Composites for the front and good quality high baas coaxial speakers for the rear. This along with a 4 way amplifier which should do just fine for my needs.

The Rear Camera quality is just average, but it gives a good idea of how far things are. The camera is mounted on the Bumper, so it takes some getting used to, to figure out things moving out of visibility of the camera. I still prefer to look into the rear view mirror and on both sides in addition to the camera when reversing

4x4 lever
The 4x4 lever has 4 modes which can be engaged

H; HL; N; LL

H - This is engaged when driving on hard roads / tarmac. The central diff is unlocked (open) here
HL - Central diff is locked and 50% of torque and power is distributed to the front and rear wheels.
N - This provides no power to front or rear wheels - If N is engaged, whatever gear is engaged by the gear stick, there will be no power to any wheels. The purpose of this is to act as a bridge between high and low ratio shifts
LL - Central diff locked - 50 - 50 power distribution and low ratio delivered - here the torque delivery is triple of what we get in H. So a 3rd gear in LL is equivalent to 1st gear in H / HL - This provides unbelievable amount of control when off the road - This is a positive for the manual Fortuner as compared to the Automatic one.

My car has a slight play when HL is engaged, but I had it checked in Toyota and they confirmed no issue in engaging the gears or mechanics of the gearbox

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124559.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124648.jpg

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124702.jpg

Instructions on the sun shade

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124448.jpg

Steering

The car gets a Hydraulic steering wheel and needs exercise to maneuver around. It's the best tool to ensure lane discipline.

It feels heavy in traffic / when starting off - But isn't that what you want in a Boy Toy ! On highway speeds it just feels beautiful. After driving my Polo with EPS, this feels more secure. I prefer the old school Hydraulic system.

The steering wheel is quite thin and not chunky like the brilliant European steering wheels. I would want much more meat on the wheel - May be an additional layer of Leather over and above the existing wrapping which will also take care of the slightly shiny area on the wheel

The steering mounted controls are not very intuitive to use. I think these are things that are best done in the European cars - The ergonomics / fit and finish is just much more confidence inspiring .

Ingress and egress
When you are buying a big bulky truck, you have to get into it like a trucker does. You have to CLIMB in and it takes time getting used to. I am used to slipping into the driver's seat and whenever I try to do that, it looks like an acrobatic stunt.

There is a foot board which is a necessity and for the front row, there is a grab handle on each side to aid you get in.
The grab handle is missing in the middle row and is sorely missed by the folks. They have to hold on to the front seat / head rest to pull themselves in - Obviously I have to be standing behind them for support. The new Endeavour gets this grab handle !

A small stool is something that has become a necessity and lies in my car for them to have a slightly easier time getting in and out of the car.

Seat comfort - 1st 2nd and 3rd row - legroom , headroom, width, etc
The first row is the place to be in this car. It is the most comfortable with excellent seating position (You feel like you are driving sitting on the first floor), excellent legroom for the front copassenger - Brilliant headroom and comfortably contoured seats. You don't feel the stress even after really long drives.
The second row has bench seats that can be toppled for allowing movement into the rear seat. Bench seats will never match up to the comfort of captain seats, but they are decently comfortable. If you are looking for comfort over long jouneys in the middle row, Innova is your car and not the Fortuner.
The third row is best for children. It lacks underthigh support and the body roll is felt just too much in the back seat.

Armrest
The ergonomics of the placement of the armrest is just perfect. The elbow quite beautifully finds it's resting spot as soon as a gear is changed ! Toyota have done really well to find the sweet spot here. This wonderfully placed armrest has been carried on in the Crysta and new Fortuner too.

On the rear end of the armrest, there is a cup holder, that can house 2 500 ml bottles for the rear passengers

Some more pics
Attached Thumbnails
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20180414_124405_bokeh.jpg  


Last edited by varunraizada : 17th May 2018 at 07:03.
varunraizada is offline   (20) Thanks
Old 22nd April 2018, 01:07   #6
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Getting down to the heart of the car and how it drives !

Mechanics and Dynamics

Engine / Turbo / Intercooler
The engine is the tried and tested workhorse - The D4D 3.0 4 cylinder Inline turbocharged engine (3.0L 1KD-FTV Common Rail variale geometry turbocharger) which makes Max power of 169bhp @ 3600 rpm and Max Torque - A Whopping 343 Nm @ 1400 rpm. This thing is a torque monstor! Overtaking has never been easier, and whenever you want to have fun, the beast just leaves behind traffic at signals / highways

There is a scoop on the hood for the air intake of the intercooler. I love seeing that scoop on the hood always

NVH levels
All three, Noise, Vibration and Harshness are there for you to feel and hear ! The car feels like a truck and it makes no attempt to change that ! It becomes quite apparent that Toyota did not care about this when making the truck. They only cared about making it abuse friendly.. You can hear every revolution in the engine , the spooling turbo etc so someone not liking all this can get a headache in the car ! So the volume of your music always needs to be high to hide the noise a bit .

It is a crude engine . It growls when you push it and chukkles when idling ! The vibrations are felt through the gear lever. The car quitens a little when the engine reaches optimal temperature but difference is not really worth harping about ! All this said , it's a proven workhorse and one of the most reliable 4 cylinders around !

I've always wanted my car to feel so crude, thus I drive for 5 mins without music

rpm wise speed
The engine growls and grunts as soon as 3500 rpm is crossed . It's not a very rev happy motor. The meat is in its low end power and torque delivery which is quite majestic

The engine idles at around 800rpm and turbo kicks in around 1500rpm

Gear box feel

The gear shift is not as smooth as a VW and the gear lever again feels like a truck !! It vibrates immensely when accelerating/ decelerating and also idling . It's the old school rugged crude and rough SUV feel. There's very little car like refinement to rave about here

Turbo spooling sound
The turbo kicks in at about 1500 rpm and you can hear that whistling sound , more pronounced at the outside.

4x4 differential locks & Low range gearbox
The car is a full time AWD vehicle with a central differential Locker and a low range gearbox.

The power is distributed 50:50 to the rear and front wheels when the central differential is not locked. There is a central differential locker availble in the Fortuner which is engaged using the 4x4 lever. When the central differential is locked the power still remains 50 :50 power to both front and rear wheels.

The front and rear differentials don't have air lockers and the tyres with least traction will continue to get max power ! Thus technically it's super easy to get stuck even with a locked central differential. A true 4x4 will be one with rear diff locks at least

The big pro of the car is the low range gearbox which has already been discussed above

Steering
The steering is a hydraulic power steering , old school but keeps you connected to the car much more than the modern EPS systems

It's heavy ! Not the feather you'll find in the endy. It's a workout for your arms to be driving in traffic trying to maneuver the beast . It's best to drive in a straight line

Brakes and brake booster
Yes , we've read this everywhere and experienced it as well. The brakes seem just extremely inadequate! You just don't get the confidence to push the car beyond a point given the lack of confidence in the ability to stop on time ! Subsequently in the facelifted version, Toyota changed the brake booster assembly which started making about 850Nm of braking torque as against 600Nm currently.

I am not a very aggressive driver so I have adjusted my driving to the fact that the brakes need planning so I don't feel the need to upgrade the brakes just as yet. I may do it sometime soon though .

Suspension & Ride quality

The suspension is built to last and even at 1.1L kms it does not seem to give signs of giving way and needing replacement.
The suspension though has an issue where there is a lot of rocking movement in the car during accelaration and decellaration. The car rocks to the back when accelerating (the front rises ever so slightly) and the opposite happens when braking. I don't know if this is the case in a new suspension too. An upgrade to ARB OME EMU system is planned once the stock ones give way whenever.

The huge tyres sometimes just swallow the smaller potholes - There's no aberration felt too ! Potholes do enter the cabin through thuds but the car really does not care. The faster the potholes are run over, the better the ride feels :P

I've stopped slowing down for speed breakers in general. The high GC, capable suspension and heavy weight of the car just kills the speed breakers at speeds I wouldn't imagine doing on other cars.

Speeds
Any highway drive seems comfortable at around 120 for the car. But as I'm not too confident of the brakes, I prefer to be at 100 - 110 if there is any other car anywhere close.

Fuel efficiency
The car returns a mileage of around 11.5 to 12 kms to the litre when driven on the highway. This is when the car is driven aggressively. If you drive it sedately, I have seen figures of 13.5 too !

When driven in Mumbai traffic, I have stopped calculating.

The average mileage I've seen on the MID is 10.5 to 11 kmpl which is not bad for a 3L engine and an extremely heavy car.

Handling
Grip - The car runs like a tank on the road - The grip levels are just highly confidence inspiring.

Stability - Stability is again perfect, but sometimes when the tyres go through undulations that will cause the front axle to shake a bit, due to the AWD, the car seems to wobble a bit. It's just the way the system works and you need to adjust your driving to that which may take a few kms to understand

Body Roll - Extremely high - With a body on Frame SUV, this is an expected evil. You need to be really careful and cautious on corners. The centrifugal force is felt quite a lot in the back seats and it's not the best place to be / feeling to have when you're cornering at high speeds

Off-roading and 4x4 experience

One of the reasons for buying a capable SUV was to be able to access places where no roads are paved . It's true that the lesser accessible the place, it's more virgin and beauty seems untouched and raw.

For this, the car needs to be put through tough conditions and utmost care is required to make the car do what it has been built to do. This can cause damage to the car if you don't do it right or are distracted even for a bit .

The key things to keep in mind while off-roading has been mentioned in detail in the 4x4 forum of tbhp and I keep referring to that and the experts around

Few pics of Kaliya in places where hardly any car would go

Driving off road
I knew nothing about driving off road before I set my eyes on the car and it's been a learning ever since. I've seen my driving improve after exploring trails offroad - I've started using the clutch much lesser, I'm being more patient, more careful and appreciate and empathize much more.

The car has surprised me with the capabilities of handling almost any kind of terrain and conditions that we have put it through and I've only been pushing it that vee bit more the next time !

An automatic car is much easier to drive off-road as the transmission and gear box manage the stalling of the vehicle, but the manual needs some learning, but once you understand the basics the manual just makes much more sense offroad due to the flexibility it offers . Just a few pointers through my experience I would want to share as I have started off as a novice and a complete newbie offroad - Mainly learnt from @ragh_bhushan & @ace_F355. I thank them for the learner tips which have been really helpful.

1) Never drive half clutch ! NEVER ! The Clutch is either fully pressed / not at all pressed - I know this sounds very difficult with the crawling speeds offroading demands but this is the most important rule. The clutch can just be burnt in no time at all. I have heard of the clutch being burnt in less than 5000 kms when we do it wrong !
2) Be as slow as possible - This will ensure you have full control over the car and can maneuver / stop / accelerate whenever required. This will help avoid damage to the car as well
3) Always have a spotter as a beginner - As good a driver one is, spotting is key when driving off road as it is quite difficult to gauge when you'll something while trying to avoid another stone / etc.
4) Never engage in something you are not comfortable doing - This is key - Unless confident / comfortable don't put your car through something that might have big damage
5) Engage low range gears - Engage low range gears when you need control at lower speeds - When Low Range (LL in the Tfort) is engaged, refrain from pressing the brake / accelerator to have full control. Change gears if you have to in the Low range gears too. The ratio is 1:3 so 3rd Low is effectively 1st when in High
6) Have a rescue vehicle - I got stuck twice in my first OTR :P Luckily I had a rescue vehicle then. I don't do any obstacles where there is a chance of getting stuck without a rescue vehicle !

For me, offroading is to explore the unexplored. Finding trails that might lead me to places untouched !

Last edited by varunraizada : 17th May 2018 at 02:30.
varunraizada is offline   (21) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 02:22   #7
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Likes and Dislikes

What I like about my 7 year old car
- 1.1L kms on the ODO and it still drives like a dream ! No signs of fatigue at all
- Engine : Wow - As a Zen / Beat / Polo and Enjoy owner, this thing feels like a monster ! Torque is brilliant . Low end torque in offroading is just mind blowing
- Space for 6 and their luggage can also just about be managed
- Rugged : Oh, it's a truck ! It's capability of taking abuse just astounds me
- Driver Seat : Height adjustable and very comfortable to seat. A recent 12 hours drive and I was as fresh as a daisy when back home
- The low range gear box - It's magic !
- Off Roading ability
- Also a comfortable highway cruiser and mile muncher
- Presence on road and (on a lighter note) the ability to bulldoze autorickshaws
- Chiller AC
- High GC - Go anywhere vehicle - I've stopped thinking about "how the roads are"
- Rugged Suspension - I'm still on stock suspension and seems like a lot of life is still left
- Ergonomics of Gear Change - The stick is just long enough to change gears when resting left elbow on the arm rest
- 80L fuel tank - Range of 800kms is quite easily achieved on the highway without having to worry
- Lack of electronics ! This means higher reliability
- The Toyota Experience - I'm impressed - The guys are knowledgeable and won't tell you to change what's "ok for more"

What I don't like
- Brakes ! Oh come on Toyota - Fire the person who designed this config for the Fortuner - The car does not inspire confidence in braking above 120 kmph
- Tremendous Body Roll - Cornering is a pain for co passengers
- In city drive-ability
- 3 rd row seats - Have to take the middle row seats right in front to enable anyone to fit in the 3rd row
- Lights - Halogens need to be replaced with better quality ones like Philips Extreme vision / Osram Night Breakers
- Speakers - Pathetic ! My Polo speakers a much better
- No proper bottle holders - Hard plastic bottles need to go in the seat pockets
- Ingress and Egress for senior folks
- No rear fog lamps
- No sun roof

Thanks for reading

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_2635.jpg

Last edited by varunraizada : 17th May 2018 at 02:44.
varunraizada is offline   (57) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 08:20   #8
Team-BHP Support
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 17,689
Thanked: 76,297 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!
Aditya is online now   (5) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 12:38   #9
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 166
Thanked: 82 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Wow Varun! Thats a comprehensive buying and ownership experience you have shared.

Quote:
Originally Posted by varunraizada View Post
Prologue

My requirements were clear
70 to 80% of Highway running
20 to 30% of off-roading
Looking at your pics I am sure this ratio has reversed now. I always had an impression that maintenance spend on fortuner is pretty heavy. Would be curious to see your maintenance spend on this car over a period of time.

Keep revving and enjoy your ownership to the core

Cheers
sumitdongerkery is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 12:50   #10
BHPian
 
Manuuj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: New Delhi.
Posts: 881
Thanked: 5,358 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Congratulations on the new addition to the family. Trust me this is one of the best decisions you could have made.

Lovely ownership review. You are correct about the fortuner going on for miles and miles.. mine is almost at the 2 lac kms mark and drives and feels like it did on day one.

You may know it as Obelix..

Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20170920_104845_797.jpg
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20170924_131156_064.jpg

Thats Obelix and me
Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner-img_20170919_175501_730.jpg
Manuuj is offline   (18) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 14:18   #11
BHPian
 
Ahmed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Aurangabad
Posts: 163
Thanked: 307 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Awesome write-up! Congratulations on your new acquisition and I am sure Fortuner will never let you down in any way. As per the brakes - is your beast upgraded with a bigger brake booster. I recon Karan561 and (Late) Guderian had done it. You can read their threads for more information.
Ahmed is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 16:48   #12
BHPian
 
varunraizada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 91
Thanked: 626 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Quote:
Originally Posted by sumitdongerkery View Post
Looking at your pics I am sure this ratio has reversed now. I always had an impression that maintenance spend on fortuner is pretty heavy. Would be curious to see your maintenance spend on this car over a period of time.

Keep revving and enjoy your ownership to the core

Cheers
Thanks Sumit !

I got my truck serviced for 1.1L kms recently and had a bill of 16k (Had to change a gasket and got WA and WB done) with GST. The bill should not exceed 10 to 12k per 10,000 kms and the 5,000 kms inspection costs around 1800 . This I think is quite decent. I will update the thread when I service next !

Quote:
Originally Posted by Manuuj View Post
Lovely ownership review. You are correct about the fortuner going on for miles and miles.. mine is almost at the 2 lac kms mark and drives and feels like it did on day one.

You may know it as Obelix..
THe Obelix needs no introduction. From the white car with MH 02 number plate, to THIS !

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ahmed View Post
As per the brakes - is your beast upgraded with a bigger brake booster. I recon Karan561 and (Late) Guderian had done it. You can read their threads for more information.
Yes I did go through their thread. Although I have now adjusted my driving habits to the brakes, it is an upgrade I am planning to do soon.
varunraizada is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 19:51   #13
BHPian
 
Manuuj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: New Delhi.
Posts: 881
Thanked: 5,358 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Quote:
Originally Posted by varunraizada View Post
THe Obelix needs no introduction. From the white car with MH 02 number plate, to THIS !
.
Yes Obelix used to be White before he joined the Army! ..but he was always a Delhite (DL4C) never a Mumbai Lad
Manuuj is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 17th May 2018, 20:46   #14
BHPian
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 313
Thanked: 511 Times
re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Wonderful thread Varun and welcome to the world of real SUV's!

Loved your attention to detail in going through the smaller points and I was glued to the report end to end. Also, Kudos to you for getting this up and running in a short span of time considering all the time you spend at work and on the road!

Needless to say you have munched up miles and are enjoying the ride. Do keep updating the thread with your experiences from time to time.

Keep Revving
@Chaand is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 18th May 2018, 12:41   #15
BHPian
 
Akshitsi's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Singapore
Posts: 48
Thanked: 148 Times
Re: Kaliya - My pre-owned 1st gen Toyota Fortuner

Congratulations on your new ride sir. T-forts are built to last a lifetime, mainly because of their bulletproof reliability and Toyota's service support. They are too abuse friendly and can withstand almost anything you throw at it. The only downside of this vehicle is the steep feature-list on a 25L car.
Also owned the Corolla and sold it off after driving it a good 2L happy kilometers and never faced a single problem in regard to the part availability or service quality.

Quote:
Originally Posted by varunraizada View Post


Brakes and brake booster
Yes , we've read this everywhere and experienced it as well. The brakes seem just extremely inadequate! You just don't get the confidence to push the car beyond a point given the lack of confidence in the ability to stop on time ! Subsequently in the facelifted version, Toyota changed the brake booster assembly which started making about 850Nm of braking torque as against 600Nm currently.
You're absolutely right about this and the facelifted version has much better and confidence inspiring brakes.

Happy mile munching ahead.
Cheers
Akshitsi is offline   (1) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks