[GTO]

Pricing is ok but there's a catch, Toyota are adamant on selling accessories worth 1.5L on initial Fortuners.......I lambasted both the company & the dealer for this.

That's rubbish. It is the dealers who are cashing onto the initial demand. We have witnessed the exact same situation with other high wait-period cars like the Swift, Dzire etc. Think of it as an unofficial way to taking premium. Only some roque dealers will engage in such practices.

Local dealer says company has made it mandatory

The dealer would say that, wouldn't he?

[1-Testosterone]

If Honda wants, they can take the competition to Toyota by start manufacturing CRV iCTDI right here in India. Honda's interiors are far superior to Toyota and ride quality scores over Toyota too. It's all unfair competition between CKD vs CBU!

[bhp1]

CRV is already dead on sales but I do feel that Endeavour will still live. I say this because when you see the Fortuner, apart from being a Toyota, its not much diff. from an Endeavour. Both are old school big a bulky SUV's, Endeavour(new,forthcoming) scores on the interiors. Fortuner just gives it up when it comes to interiors, the depth of the dash is completely missing.
Interior seating & legroom is also not Fortuners forte.


@GTO, dealers can't do this without Companies knowledge! Remember this is no Maruti & the control/articulation over dealers is much tighter. I think both the company & dealer want a piece of the pie.

This fact needs to be confirmed from other dealers too, I guess it shall be the same story everywhere.

[suman]

Originally Posted by bhp1

Interior seating & legroom is also not Fortuners forte.

The middle row ride comfort is way better than the Endeavour's.......

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by bhp1

@GTO, dealers can't do this without Companies knowledge! Remember this is no Maruti & the control/articulation over dealers is much tighter. I think both the company & dealer want a piece of the pie.

This fact needs to be confirmed from other dealers too, I guess it shall be the same story everywhere.

I guess we need to hear actual buyer experiences. Just curious - what are these accessories?
A long time ago, certain scooter makers sold the stepney as an accessory...

[lancer_rit]

Originally Posted by vid6639

Noone buys a CR-V because it handles well.

I don't think that's the case. Many people bought the CRV because of its "car like" dynamics, refinement and SUV like space, high seating position etc. That's the USP of any soft roader.

[bhp1]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

what are these accessories?

Plastic bullguard, roof carrier,side plastic cladding, rear view mirror(bonnet), door handles chrome, rear lights chrome, mats & other crap.

Nothing as important as the scooter stepney!

[vasudeva]

Checked with my friend who sold me my Corolla, and now works for Grace Toyota, Gurgaon. The situation is:
1. Demand high initially, so dealers are saying get financing and insurance from them only (good way of skimming, but is it ethical, and does Toyota approve this)
2. Lots of accessories and dealers `could give priority' if customer buys those from dealer (another way of skimming, but again is it ethical).

These practices may vary from dealer to dealer, or from city, but as of now Grace, Gurgaon is doing this (and most likely all NCR dealers)

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

I don't think that's the case. Many people bought the CRV because of its "car like" dynamics, refinement and SUV like space, high seating position etc. That's the USP of any soft roader.

The mediocre handling was true about the CRV right up to the ones sold before the latest generation one was launched in 2008. Till then, the CRV handled well, but not in the sedan class. And one accepted that as part of the compromise for getting the other benefits. With the 2008 car, the need for such an acceptance was brought down very significantly. But even before that, the CRV had made a name for itself globally for its car like handling. Even with its real time AWD, what all CRVs have lacked is traction when the ground gets slushy, when the wheels spin like crazy, but none of the other softroaders cope with that very well either.

[Prithvi]

I just saw this morning on Cubbon road, wow it looks nice.

[Digital Vampire]

Just came back from the Harsha Toyota showroom in Hyderabad. Interiors are a huge disappointment for a 22 Lac vehicle.

"Its very much like Innova saaar!" Even the showroom sales team is not trying to differentiate it from Innova.

I'm told that the wait times are huge. The executive told that I can expect the vehicle in 2010 March-April time frame if I book now.

If the delay is indeed true, the competition need not be worried

[bhp1]

The SUV starved market in India is going to fall for this big time, but Im going to wait & watch for a while before taking a plunge. This one really did not impress me at first glance, one doesn't feel one is like sitting in a 20L worth car from the interiors POV.
True SUV's are not primarily for comfort but modern day vehicles have changed the way we look at cars around.
Also, from the front the vehicle looks too tall but not wide enough, gives a top heavy feeling.

[stable rock]

Just got a call from the dealer, bangalore on road price is 22.18 L.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Lever/Dash mounted switch is just to engage 4WD. Both can be used with shift on the fly systems. From an Aesthetic perspective, dash/center consol mounted switch with electrical transfer case is better, but from a durability and dependability standpoint the gear lever/mechanical transfer case is better, i.e Function over Form.

I have a car that has two shift sticks, and I think they look a lot cooler than a button on the dashboard, to be honest. But there is another reason I prefer the stick. As an eternal worrier, I worry about being in 4wd locked mode on good terrain, for the damage that can inflict on the car. And the stick gives very positive confirmation of the present mode, and it is also impossible to slip from 4wd open to 4wd locked mode unintentionally, although the car can do this on the fly at speeds up to 100kmph. I prefer this manual mode to relying on the dashboard mounted electrically driven switch that may flip modes because of an electrical glitch. I know that it does not take long to sense the locked center diffs in the way the car behaves on tarmac, but even so, I prefer the stick. Just a quirk of mine, I guess. If I was buying the Fortuner, I would consider the stick a plus.
@stablerock - is that with or without the accesories, what's the Bangalore story on these?

[Ym-enjn]

Originally Posted by suman

The middle row ride comfort is way better than the Endeavour's.......

To add, the center seats in Fortuner have both- recline and slide feature. That is center seats are not fixed but can be slided front or back to adjust legroom and recline is almost in all SUVs these days.

PS: Just came to know its got 3 years warranty included.