[PrideRed]

Took 3 cars for back to back drive to compare steering feel/handling and front and back ride comfort.

Each drive was close to 15KM which helped cars hit optimal engine temperature and also charge battery. Drive included a mix of super smooth 2 lane state road, narrow interior road which included bit of patchy tarmac and gravel.

Crysta
Steering feels vague in comparison and is slowest of the lot. Things improve a bit in PWR mode but noway close to SUVs. Body roll is highest among 3 despite being shortest.

Front seats of Innova was fair. I could feel the bumps but suspension is silent for smaller bumps but gets bit audible when I hit larger potholes. Definitely on softer side and comfort oriented. The bucket seats at the back of Innova is easily the best among trio though there is considerable sideway movement.

Fortuner
A lot more engaging to drive. Direct and you know exactly where the wheels are. Being hydraulic, is not super quick but inspires a lot of confidence on corners and higher speeds. Body roll is similar or bit lesser than Innova.

As noticed earlier, the ride is stiff. Even though bumpy suspension is silent, I didn't hear any thuds on potholes. In smoother surface, this is not bothersome however on patchy interior roads, I could feel most of the road. Surprisingly as I reduced speed and bought under 40, I found ride quite ok in patchy roads. On gravel/lose soil, found the ride good.
What surprised me was ride at back seat. It's actually offer more comfort than Endeavour though bucket seats of Innova is still a notch higher. Under thigh support was great and back seats surprisingly is not that bumpy as front.

Endeavour
Only one with EPS and definitely steering is quick and direct. Body roll is marginally lesser than Fortuner but the light steering induces bit of nervousness in corners and higher speeds. Steering weighs up with speed but still not as heavy as Fortuner or Innova. At higher speeds Fortuners steering is most enjoyable.

I enjoyed ride comfort of Endeavour in front seat. The potholes and bumps are dislodged with ease. The suspension is super silent just like Fortuner. The seat compound is on softer side unlike hard compound of Fortuner. Innova is in-between.
Backseat of Endeavour was a disappointment. First is narrower, secondly under thigh support is poor. While in front seats there was no harshness, at rear I could feel the bumps. The bumpiness actually increased with speed.

I had reset MID, before start and below was fuel economy displayed in MID after drive.

Fortuner-13.6
Endeavour-13.1
Crysta-14.4

Lastly picture of Fortuner from the drive.

[PrideRed]

Close to 3 months of lockdown, Fortuner had munched a mere 355 KM, majority of which included mild offroading in 4H. Went to refill and Fortuner gulped in 44L of diesel, resulting in 8KMPL, which I think is ok since I used quite a lot of 4WD.

Lockdown lifted and got to hit highway. Munched 350KM in 5Hr, this was on my home circuit if I may call so- Bangalore-Mangalore highway. Despite the speed I did in Sport mode, MID is showing 11.5KMPL. This also included tail gating a brand new Discovery for about 100KM, which was being driven fast.

Fortuner makes one drive faster, the suspension, the crazy engine with that 500NM of torque, superb steering, Sport mode, brilliant tyres etc. All force you push the car despite size and height. Yes, the stiffness can be felt especially between Sakleshpur- Hassan, but then I was covering distance quickly and blazing through bad sections. A little more softer suspension would have helped, but my kids and better half woke up only when we reached Nelamangala, not the case with Endeavour/Innova despite bucket seats. On bad sections/ expansion joints, Endy and Innova bounce more at the back while doing higher speeds.

It used to be 5Hr drive when I drove Vento/Figo and then consistently used to be 6Hrs in Endeavour/Innova and has come down back to 5Hr in Fortuner. Not that I haven't done this with Endeavour or Innova, but I need to keep pushing.

The only pic from the drive.

[PrideRed]

It's a crime to not visit western ghats in monsoon. With state unlock, was able to plan something and we did hit the road. Headed to River tern and more than Safari the drive was great. Thanks to monsoon, green belt and Fortuner. Before monsoon did take Endeavour on same road, rains have changed the landscape completely. After seeing the simple Bolero camper 4WD tackle the wild, It was tempting to take Fortuner on beaten path but the private vehicles are not allowed anyway. Fortuner is now inching close to 7.5K mark.
Regen happened only once during 430KM drive. Compared to initial period I am seeing the frequency of regen has reduced. On my drive to Bangalore 2 weeks back, regen happened twice where I covered around 800KM. During initial period, same drive would result in 3-4 regens.

[PrideRed]

Fortuner is crawling slowly towards 10K mark. Expecting a Ad Blue refill anytime as last refill was at 4.5K mark. Italian tune up seem to help reduce number of regens. Knee support leather is one of the most underrated feature of Fortuner. This is a boon for long drives and almost 90% of cars skip. My knee starts to hurt when I drive Innova or Endeavour now.
Got to test drive pre facelift Fortuner and made few observations. Softer suspension and lighter steering is immediately felt. Insulation is better in facelift and there is noticeable bump in power. Personally I would have picked stiffer suspension on pre-facelift as it has lesser body roll and I like stiff suspension. Offline GPS should have been on facelift as it can turn out quite useful during long drives.
Added bumper lip guard/protector and roof cross bars for Fortuner. Roof bars are from Farad and are of decent quality. There is bit of wind noise post 100KM/hr and will install only I need to carry stuff. Adds a bit of character in my books though.

[CalmConquests]

So i got delivery of my new facelift 4x4 AT Fortuner in Attitude Black about two weeks ago. Just clocked my first one thousand plus Kms.
Since i've already owned & driven a pre-facelift 2017 4x4MT extensively, Ive made a few observations;

Pros:

a) The engine. The engine is definitely smoother & the sound insulation has definitely improved compared to the pre-facelift car.
b) The interior. The interior definitely looks & feels a lot more premium with the new all-black colour scheme with deviated white stitching the pre-facelift car (a dull-maroon sort of interior).
c)The infotainment system. The interface with Android Auto & Apple Carplay is far superior. The sound clarity is also a lot nicer, although i feel its a little too front heavy & i don't really notice the extra bass with new added the sub-woofer.
d) Finally the looks are also definitely more pleasing to my eyes, helped in no small part by the fully blacked-out Headlights & the new alloy wheels. The car now looks a lot more expensive than before (although this is not a win since the car price has actually gone up by a cool 10 lakhs since 2017)

Cons:

a) The gearbox. Now, i understand how Toyota likes to prioritise reliability above all else & their gearboxes are lethargic ( we own multiple Toyotas including two Land Cruisers). But still, even with the new power-boost & the rave reviews about the shift quality, i am disappointed. This is not so much in the lower gears at city speeds but more so at higher speeds (above 80kmph). The rubber band effect is definitely still there. Also while in my old MT car i'd shift to the 6th gear at 90kmph(without any lugging), here I've to wait till atleast 110kmph. This certainly makes highway cruising at 90-100 kmph seem about 500RPMs higher for no reason. But still, this is a huge improvement over the AT version Ive driven a few times in the pre-face car.

b) The mileage has also definitely dropped on the highway by about 1 to 1.5 KMPL compared to my old MT car. Especially if you are cruising at above 100kmph. Did about 520kms including about 55kms on ghats & got about 11.8kmpl (tank full to tank full method). This might also be because the car is still new & it may improve over time. If anyone is inquisitive about the engine running-in, i kept the revs low & speeds below 80kmpl for the first 600Kms after taking delivery.

Conclusion:

This has been my observation in the first 1000+ Kms of owning this car. Overall I am super happy with my purchase. Looking forward to at-least a decade of ownership & countless trips on this one before electric cars take over

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by CalmConquests

So i got delivery of my new facelift 4x4 AT Fortuner in Attitude Black about two weeks ago. Just clocked my first one thousand plus Kms.
Cons:
a) The gearbox. Now, i understand how Toyota likes to prioritise reliability above all else & their gearboxes are lethargic ( we own multiple Toyotas including two Land Cruisers).
b) The mileage has also definitely dropped on the highway by about 1 to 1.5 KMPL compared to my old MT car. Especially if you are cruising at above 100kmph. Did about 520kms including about 55kms on ghats & got about 11.8kmpl (tank full to tank full method).
Conclusion:

This has been my observation in the first 1000+ Kms of owning this car.

Congratulations on your new ride. Since you already own Toyota, I am sure you know what to expect.
Don't expect FE of manual Fortuner, AT will consume more fuel. The gear holds for longer which actually helps in spirited driving and even downshifts are quick. This comes at the cost of FE especially in city and short drives. 11.8KM in Ghat road is very good, in 4 lane highway you can expect about 14 if speeds are kept below 100-110. Audio unit needs some time to warm up, bass is good but not too heavy, this one is focused more on clarity. Use good bluetooth source and Audio will keep you happy.

[PrideRed]

Had been for a short drive late in the night before weekend lockdown was imposed. Probably first time got to test headlights with rain. Pretty good unit I must say. While low beam throw is little closeby, highbeams are fantastic. Foglamps helps to lighten the road edges. I was sceptical about LED during rain and now relieved after the drive. One downer is I cannot control or force the DRL inside headlight to be on. Auto headlamps are aggressive and moment it kicks in, bottom LED in bumper switches on.
After all the muck Fortuner accumulated, needed a wash. Here is a post wash picture.

[PrideRed]

Impressive FE during recent drive. MID was around 16.5 for onward journey and after about 30Km drive inside city, FE dropped to 13. After hitting highway for return journey, things improved. At the end of journey MID was showing 14.6 KMPL. Did not get to go beyond 80 due to traffic and return journey was with heavy downpour.

[anirbanjoy]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Attachment 2193809
Impressive FE during recent drive. MID was around 16.5 for onward journey and after about 30Km drive inside city, FE dropped to 13. After hitting highway for return journey, things improved. At the end of journey MID was showing 14.6 KMPL. Did not get to go beyond 80 due to traffic and return journey was with heavy downpour.

Thanks for sharing such intricate details of your experience. After reading your detailed observations, bought one Attitude Black 4x4 Fortuner 2021 prior to the last lockdown. I was told that I got the last Fortuner shipped before lockdown. Now the waiting time is around 3 months (in Kolkata).

I am loving my new car. No major complain whatsoever, except the after-marketesque build quality of few accessories - TPMS, DVR and HUD. Also, the Android auto connection seems to be a bit sketchy but that may be a phone issue.

Thanks again.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by anirbanjoy

I am loving my new car. No major complain whatsoever, except the after-marketesque build quality of few accessories - TPMS, DVR and HUD. Also, the Android auto connection seems to be a bit sketchy but that may be a phone issue.

Congratulations on your Fortuner. Most of the accessories are expensive and not worth the price. Toyota should definitely invest more and come up with more usable genuine accessories. Android Auto might be a phone issue, I use them rarely but whenever, plugged in works fine. To be frank I have started to find AA a distraction.

[PrideRed]

Attaching pics of stock headlights. Throw and illumination is satisfactory as I mentioned earlier.

Low Beam


High Beam+Fog


High Beam

[PrideRed]

Sharing my first experience of towing with Fortuner.
My Thar was on duty and did not seem alright since a day. Unfortunately during a trip to my farm, midway offroad, it refused to start. Bought Mechanic who confirmed water has seeped in to fuel pump and possibly tank and Car will need to be towed. I had a vintage To(y)wing rope and attached to Fortuner and Thar. In the process of starting, Thar managed to fall into a ditch. With towing rope the jeep moved but advanced deeper into ditch, resulting in snapping of rope. Got hold of a crude towing chain and Fortuner pulled Thar quite easily in 2WD. It was raining and few steep incline with boulder, used 4H to tow Thar.
Once we hit Tarmac shifted to 2WD and while I was driving within 30-40KM/Hr, not once I found the engine struggling. While I could feel something being pulled, Engine did not feel strained.

Towing was definitely not as smooth as I thought though. There were unexpected jerks and was constantly praying that Thar brakes would not fail. I am quite happy how Duelers, 4WD and ATRAC performed, despite towing and heavy downpour, Fortuner did demonstrate really good traction.

[PrideRed]

Fortuner has been clocking miles steadily and ODO now stands at 9300KM. I got AdBlue warning and filled 5lts from the spare can I had bought. In other news a rat has managed to cut through windshield washer pipe which I am yet to get repaired/replaced. Have taken due diligence to avoid any further attacks.

Had been to two short trips recently-
1. Agumbe-Shimoga-Charmadi
2. Madikeri-Mandalpatti.

With Madikeri trip I got to explore 4WD capabilities and Fortuner really shines. For the offroad stretch, we were 8 adults + 2 kids and apart from brushing back mud flaps Fortuner just sailed through with ease. Mind you apart from Fortuner and a Defender no cars other than Jeep made to end point. There were heavy boulders, slushy section, uneven surface and misty/rainy. The ruthless Jeep taxis made it tougher. Used 4H and 4L liberally and never the Fortuner felt short of anything. The extra torque/horses did come in handy. You probably can make with lesser power and but definitely not with ease.
The suspension seem to have settled down and don't find them as busy as day one. Also getting consistent 11-12KMPL on highway drives. At 80-100KM/Hr on 4 lane FE easily goes past 14-15KM/L.

Fortuner is unlike other Toyota in some aspects. Toyota are generally jack of all trades but master of none, but in case of Fortuner, its master of many too. It's got the best power, best off road credentials, stiff suspension/engine/hydrualic steering makes it most fun to drive. On the other hand storage space especially in front could have been better, Seat belts don't have holder, door pad pockets aren't as spacious. Surprisingly Toyota has overlooked these tiny bits. First oil change should be due in a week or two and I don't anticipate any drastic changes post service.

Some pictures from recent travel.

[Aniket6]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

2. Madikeri-Mandalpatti.
With Madikeri trip I got to explore 4WD capabilities and Fortuner really shines...

Hi PrideRed, glad to know that fortuner is doing great on such trips

Could you please help with following doubts -

1. Did you drive till the top of Mandalpatti peak? How challenging was it in this season?
2. When was this trip?
3. Did you see neelakurinji?

Asking since I am planning to drive there in last week of September and wondering if I still will get to see bloomed neelakurinji on the hills.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Aniket6

Hi PrideRed, glad to know that fortuner is doing great on such trips

Could you please help with following doubts -

1. Did you drive till the top of Mandalpatti peak? How challenging was it in this season?
2. When was this trip?
3. Did you see neelakurinji?

Asking since I am planning to drive there in last week of September and wondering if I still will get to see bloomed neelakurinji on the hills.

Yes I drove till the last point. With rain Fog and Taxi Jeep it is challenging. It will be difficult in 4x2 and low GC cars can make to about 25% stretch provided you are okay to take underbelly hits. You need good approach and departure angle as well. I did this trip 2 days back. The NeelaKurunji is still there but not in its full glory. Weather was quite misty/rainy and the flowers don't bloom fully. There is a small patch of Neelakurnji aside the tar road too but the view is anything but Mandalpatti.

Attaching a close up shot of the flower, sorry for poor quality pics.