[kanwar_26]

Hello Everyone!
This is an ownership post about getting a new Fortuner Legender 4x4.

After a recent road trip from Ahmedabad to Bangalore, we felt a need to add an SUV to our garage. Although Honda City AT is doing a good job but after being exposed to unpredictable road conditions, we decided that an SUV would be a better choice for long journies.

Likes and Dislike of Toyota Fortuner Lengender 4x4 AT.

Likes:

• Toyota's after-sales and service.
• Solid build quality.
• High ground clearance.
• On-road presence, sometimes other people give you the way, and other times they want to race.
• Long-range (large fuel tank) approx 750 km per tank.
• Ride quality once I reduced the tire pressure to 29 psi.
• Superb engine, you feel the pull when accelerating and it effortlessly gains speed despite the size of the car.

Dislike:

• Many features (ADAS, rear window sunshades, etc) are not on offer considering the price.
• The plastic quality of the keyfob could have been better.
• 3rd row could have been powered.
• Lack of Auto-wiper function.
• Don't understand why boot lamp and number plate lights are yellow-colored bulbs rather than white LEDs.
• Lack of grab handle for getting into the second row.
• Slow wireless charger

It doesn't come with a sunroof, to be completely honest, personally, I don't really feel a lack of sunroof as an issue. We also have a Honda City ZX in our garage and have rarely used this feature. it stays covered and closed 99% of the time.

Cars Considered

We considered the following cars:

• Ford Endeavour
• Mahindra XUV 700
• Toyota Fortuner 4x4

Following cars were not considered:

• MG Gloster
• Jeep Compass
• Tata Safari

Ford Endeavour was initially the first choice. But with Ford exiting India, Endeavour was ruled out.

Mahindra XUV 700 was a tempting choice but decided against it because of the long waiting period.

MG Gloster was never really considered. Even though it has all the features but was not sure about the long-term reliability.

Jeep Compass was very good to drive. I rented one for 5 days in Jaipur. However, I felt the rear seats were a bit cramped and didn't want to take risks with the after-sales service.

Tata Safari is a very handsome car but lack of any sort of 4wd/AWD capability was a major reason we didn't explore it any further.

Toyota Fortuner:
We were really impressed with the Toyota service from the experience of Liva. Plus Fortuner is a brand of its own.
Took a test drive and really liked it. It jumped over potholes like it was gliding like a hovercraft. Plus we found that rear-seat comfort and headspace were sufficient for us. Therefore it got the seal of approval.

Now Fortuner vs Legender:
Legender had few more features as compared to the regular Fortuner. The regular Fortuner loses the 5th alloy wheel, footwell illumination, Electronic Internal Rear View Mirror, etc.
Loved the look of Legender since it resembles Lexus and looks were the major reason for settling on Legender.

Dilemma
I was deciding whether to get a 2021 car or should I wait till 2022. Then I read the team-bhp forum (Discounts in December or new model year car in January?).
Since we keep our cars for the long term, we decided to make the purchase in December 2021. Moreover, there is also a possibility of a price hike of Toyota cars from January 2022.

Booking Experience

Reached out to the same salesperson from whom Liva was brought in 2012. He was still working with Infinium Toyota, Naroda. He mentioned that car is available and he can get us one before Christmas. We requested a test drive of the car and he arranged one from the S.G.Highway showroom. Went there with the whole family and test drove a Fortuner 4x2 AT.

Visited the Naroda showroom back the next day to book the car but the sales team lead (his manager) mentioned that the car was not available and we can only get the car in February (our sales guy was visiting some customer). So hearing this we came back home and didn't book the car at that moment thinking if I have to wait then might as well make this decision later.

Later that night, the salesperson called back and mentioned that they do have a car available which is not allotted to any customer yet. I believe for allotment they need at least 70% of the amount to be paid. So asked him to visit home this time and take the cheque for booking plus the remaining amount.

Booked the car on 18th December 2021, money from my bank was withdrawn by 20th December, and the car was allotted by evening on 21 December 2021.

The technical specs of the car:
Engine:

• Displacement: 2755 cm3
• Valve Train: Double Overhead Camshaft [DOHC], 16-Valve
• Cylinder Nos. Layout: 4-Cylinder, In-Line
• Max. Output: 150 kW [204 PS] @ 3000-3400 rpm
• Max. Torque: 500 Nm @ 1600 - 2800 rpm

4x4 System:

• Electronic Differential Lock (activates only in 4L)
• Downhill Assist Control (activates only in 4H & 4L)
• Active Traction Control (A-TRC)
• Auto Limited Slip Differential (activates only in 2H)

Safety:

• Vehicle Stability Control
• Hill Assist Control
• Traction Control System
• 7 SRS Airbags
• ABS with EBD
• Brake Assist

Even though it was the month of December, there was hardly any discount on the car. As of now, I have not opted for any extended warranties, it does come with 3 years and a 1,00,000 km warranty. Will revisit this once I cross 10,000 km.

I would also like to thank the following Team Bhp members for sharing their valuable experiences and helping me decide:

• PrideRed
• getsurya
• Srikanth@raj

Went to do the PDI on 21st. Some of the pictures while doing PDI









Confirmed that the car has the fifth alloy.



I found that the car had run 24 km. I asked about the reason and they mentioned that the car was driven to the showroom (from their stockyard) and after that, they did PDI where it is driven to test all the car's functions. To confirm their theory I checked another Legender 4x2 present there and saw it had 18 km on the odometer. So I let it go.





Few things that bothered me were:

• there were no plastic seat covers for all the seats except the driver's side. (I later found that Toyota is sending them this way! )
• The plastic screen cover of the Infotainment system was missing.

Although these are small things, I expected the new car to have all these. They mentioned that they remove all these in their PDI.
The seats didn't have any scratches nor they were dirty. They were clean therefore I didn't make a fuss about it.
Later, I told them to remove the driver-side plastic cover as well.

Accessories
Went for the following accessories

• 3M underbody coating
• Rear bumper luggage guard
• Rubber Mats
• Boot Mat

Underbody coating being applied next day:

[kanwar_26]

Delivery Experience

We decided to get the car on 23rd December because that was the earliest they could deliver. Reached the dealership by 11 am and the car was ready. Our sales guy explained all the functions related to the car. Gave me all the papers invoice, insurance, etc.

The delivery process was very plain. There was no cake cutting, no red color cloth reveal ceremony. I expected some of these gestures after paying so much.
Their delivery manager handed me the symbolic key and wished me good luck and happy miles. Overall the experience was just okay.

Left the dealership by 12:30 pm and went straight to the fuel station. Filled up 75 liters of normal diesel from an HP station and went to Gurudwara for blessings.











Driving Experience

The driving position is really high and it feels like a tank. I feel that the ride quality is great. The tire pressure was kept at 35 PSI by the dealer. We kept that for a few days but then reduced it to 29 PSI as suggested by Toyota (as the sticker says on the driver's door). After this, the car glides over bad roads. Have not tried to send it on a curvy road but I guess that would be asking too much.

The engine feels powerful and overtaking is a breeze. The speed builds up quickly and reaches triple digits in no time. It felt stable as well at the speed of (75*2) kmph and it reached this speed really effortlessly.

I have tried to summarize the three modes in the following humorous way after you press the accelerator pedal:

ECO: what the heck man! you want me to move faster!
NORMAL: Alright! I will move a little faster!
SPORTS: Boosters are online, let me know when you want to stop!

The car is used mainly on weekends for longer highways trips.

Exterior styling & design
It has a butch road presence plus machine-cut finish wheels that look really great in person. I was really not the fan of dual-tone exterior color but over time I have started to love the contrast it brings. The overall paint job quality is top-notch.
One thing I noticed was that the shark fin antenna is piano black compared to the roof which is matt black in color.

Build quality feels like it is made to withstand tests of time. Door closing gives a reassuring thud sound. All the switches and knobs feel of high quality (except the seat ventilation switch).

The quad LED headlamps throw is superb and low beams are more than sufficient for driving in the city.




A short video of the car driving alongside the Narmada canal. Trying to give a birds-eye view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9C9q7qMVJI

NVH Level (Noise, vibration, and harshness)
Wind noise: One thing that I noticed was wind noise when the car reaches 120 kmph & above. I guess it's due to the shape of the car and which is prominent on the front row seats.

However, while cruising below 100 kmph cabin is well insulated from the outside environment. Here are some of the readings from my mobile application.

NVH level while cruising at 80 kmph, similar to a quiet street as per the application.


NVH level while cruising at 100 kmph it is similar to the level of conversation as per the application.


Wheels & tyres
it gets an 18-inch machine cut finish alloy Wheels with 265/60 H/T tyres. They are Bridgestone Dueler. We are running this with 29 psi pressure on all four of the tyres.
These tyres are rated at 110H means a load rating of 1060Kg each and have a max speed rating of 210 kmph.


Tyre pressure recommendation by Toyota


TBH found the quality of these air nozzle cap remarkable.


Interiors
The fit and finish of the interior is top-notch, there is no rattling sound when going over bad roads.
Really like the cup holders on the dashboard for front passengers. IMO these are more practical than the one provided near the gear shift.


The place to grip your hands while getting into 2nd row. However, would have preferred ones like on the front.


Maroon inserts on the seats as well as doors. It does offer soft-touch areas on the door handle. Plus a place to add a 1-liter bottle and rear speakers.


Legender variant does get USB charging ports for second-row passengers. It is also illuminated.


second-row seats fold up and offer good passage. 3rd-row seats are comfortable for short journeys.


The seat belt for 3rd row does have a clip to store the buckle. it stops it from making any sort of rattling noise when not in use.


Second-row seats also slide, here you can see one seat in full forward and backward position.


second-row seats are very comfortable and offer good back and thing support. 3 adults can easily sit in here.


Rear doors open wide enough for easy ingress and egress


Front seats adjustment are powered. It does have thigh, height adjustment, however, memory function and lumbar support adjustment are missing.


[b]Other points

However, when you hold the key, it feels like Toyota has cut some corners in its built quality. It feels like cheap plastic and I was expecting something better.


DPF Regeneration happened for the first time at 202 KM. During this time the rpm increases by a few hundred RPMs and if it wasn't for the message you wouldn't know that this process is running.



Short trip to Udaipur
For the new year's we went to visit the city of lakes Udaipur. It was about 240 km away from Ahmedabad. It took us about 5 hours to reach Udaipur. Roads are really bad, there were diversions every few kilometers till Shamlaji. condition of roads improved a lot when we entered Rajasthan. Few Pictures of the trip:

At Shell Fuel station at Shamlaji




The city of Udaipur as seen from Sajjangarh Fort.


All the three competitors in the hotel parking and incidentally all white!


A short drone video of Badi Lake. It was almost noon and the sun was shining but still, visibility was not good.

https://youtu.be/NKbf6yzbvWE

[kanwar_26]

Other Points that I noticed

On the boot there are two buttons, one on the left is to unlock the car when pressed one time and open the boot when pressed the second time. The right button is to lock the car.


Boot space with rubber mat purchased as an accessory.


Rear bumper luggage protector purchased as an accessory.


12-volt socket in the boot.


Boot space with one seat stowed away.


Safety triangle provided in the toolset.


All the tools are in the tool bag.


Jack to lift the car (haven't tried it yet)


Front underbody protection and tow hooks, right side.


front tow hooks left side.


Tow hook on the rear left side.


The tow hook is on the rear right side, however, it's a bit different compared to the rest.


Seat belt for the rear middle passenger


Two Front parking sensors in action. These are only located on the sides.


Rear parking sensor in action, there are four in total and really helpful in parking.


Σ4


First Service

After a short trip to Udaipur, Lengender had completed its first 1000km.
I really liked the Infinium Toyota service, they had called me a few days ago expecting that I will complete my 1000 km and they booked the service appointment. Really appreciate the process.

Reached the service center at 10:44 am and left at around 12:30 pm.
This first service was a routine check-up and wash inside-out. The total cost to me was Rs 0.

They welcomed all the customers who are starting their journey with Toyota. Nice touch!


Parked the car and went to the service desk to check in and a service manager was promptly assigned to me.


My odometer reading and fuel consumption details.


Waiting room TV educating customers about DPF.

Video Link

They are doing their checks.


Nice and airy service center.


TBH, my experience was excellent with the service and Fortuner. I had no issues with anything whatsoever. After getting the car serviced didn't really use it for the rest of the week. Local errands were completed using Honda City. Driving City feels like a toy now. The steering feels so light as compared to Fortuner.

Weekend Trip
For the weekend we went to a nearby bird sanctuary. Roads were bad but Fortuner made it a comfortable ride.

Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary



Did a fuel stop and refreshment at a Shell station


Nalsarovar


In hindsight, it is best to visit here either early morning or late evening.

This concludes my initial experience with Toyota Forunter Legender, will keep updating here as I go forward. I hope you found this useful and please do comment if you have any questions.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[achyutaghosh]

Congratulations on the Legender 4x4! This is the first ownership review on the Legender in TBHP and i hope you clock many lakhs of kilometers on this beautiful machine.

The Lexus like look is one big draw of the Legender and interesting to see Toyota cashing on to that. But the one true thing that i like about the Legender is the lights. No need to every think of upgrading those!

Are you going to change the tires? Many folks do it because Toyota for some reason gives HT tires on 4x4s and AT tires on 4x2.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by kanwar_26

Dislike:

• Many features (ADAS, rear window sunshades, etc) are not on offer considering the price.
• The plastic quality of the keyfob could have been better.
• 3rd row could have been powered.
• Lack of Auto-wiper function.
• Don't understand why boot lamp and number plate lights are yellow-colored bulbs rather than white LEDs.
• Lack of grab handle for getting into the second row.
• Slow wireless charger

There's no respite in prices though the feature lists keep waning.




Congratulations on your new ride. Wishing you many safe and happy miles with it

[Jesse_Mach]

Congratulations on Legender 4x4! I am sure the urge to drive and travel will only increase in the months to come. Its an amazing companion which can go anywhere.

Still do not understand how is Toyota providing Highway Tires to a 4x4 costing more than 0.5 cr!

[kanwar_26]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Congratulations on your new ride. Wishing you many safe and happy miles with it

Originally Posted by Jesse_Mach

Congratulations on Legender 4x4! I am sure the urge to drive and travel will only increase in the months to come.

Thank you so much for the wishes! Yes, planning 2 big trips, Ahmedabad to Amritsar and Ahmedabad to Bengaluru in the coming months.

As for the tyres, I am planning to use these sets and then will get Michelin A/T in the future. However, I agree it's clearly an oversight by Toyota for providing H/T tyres on the Σ4 varients.

[PrideRed]

Congratulations on Legender, wishing you a lacs of miles with the truck. The rear bumper guard is a must , on a long run removing luggage causes lot of scratches.

[kanwar_26]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Congratulations on Legender, wishing you a lacs of miles with the truck. The rear bumper guard is a must , on a long run removing luggage causes lot of scratches.

Thank you for the wishes!
Yes, learned the hard way with the previous car so got this on the first day for Legender.

[Hashed]

Congrats on the mighty Legender! I had a specific question and was wondering if you could help -
What booklets did you receive with your new vehicle? I’m referring to the service booklet, full sized owners’ manual book etc. Just wanted to confirm as I’ve heard that nowadays these are only provided as online versions - is this true? Has Toyota done away with the physical owners’ manual? Along with your confirmation, will be awesome if you can add pictures of what you received (these booklets are normally placed in the glovebox). Many thanks in advance!

[kanwar_26]

Originally Posted by Hashed

Along with your confirmation, will be awesome if you can add pictures of what you received (these booklets are normally placed in the glovebox). Many thanks in advance!

Thank you for your wishes!

I apologize for the late response, I have not been active here for the past few months.
Yes, you have heard it right. There is no owner's manual booklet given with the car. I was asked to download the Toyota i-connect application on my phone.

In the app, I have access to the owner's manual.
There were two booklets in the glove box, they are for Door Opening Sensor and wireless charging information.
Please find attached pictures.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Hashed

Just wanted to confirm as I’ve heard that nowadays these are only provided as online versions - is this true? Has Toyota done away with the physical owners’ manual?

That is correct - no more full-fledged, heavy owner's manual now. When it comes to the regular Fortuner, only a small "quick reference guide" is provided with all the basic/essential information. The Toyota iConnect app gives you access to online owner's manual, along with other details related to warranty, RSA, service centers, service history, etc. One can also access the owner's manual online here, by providing the VIN/chassis no. of the vehicle.

Hope this helps.

[Hashed]

Originally Posted by kanwar_26

Thank you for your wishes!

I apologize for the late response, I have not been active here for the past few months.
Yes, you have heard it right. There is no owner's manual booklet given with the car. I was asked to download the Toyota i-connect application on my phone.

In the app, I have access to the owner's manual.
There were two booklets in the glove box, they are for Door Opening Sensor and wireless charging information.
Please find attached pictures.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks much, the pictures are super helpful - exactly what I was looking for. I’ll share this feedback with Toyota, along with my other observations.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

That is correct - no more full-fledged, heavy owner's manual now. When it comes to the regular Fortuner, only a small "quick reference guide" is provided with all the basic/essential information. The Toyota iConnect app gives you access to online owner's manual, along with other details related to warranty, RSA, service centers, service history, etc. One can also access the owner's manual online here, by providing the VIN/chassis no. of the vehicle.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for the confirmation. I’ll just need to figure out a way to download and keep a copy on my phone for those times when there’s no network and you need to access the full manual. The quick reference guide is useful but I’m used to seeing a fat printed manual delivered with a new car, so I was curious.

[Higgs_Boson_i]

Hi kanwar_26,

Firstly many congratulations on the Legender 4x4! Absolutely awesome beast!

So my question to you would be:
Over the last few months how has your experience been with the Legender 4x4 ?
Do you see a marked difference with the Fortuner 4x4 AT ?

thanks in advance!