[Jaggu]

Crv is good only for onroad car like dynamics and better mile munching compared to sedans, otherwise its just an over priced easy to drive car! The newer ones are more weak when it comes to taking abuse department, ask the A.S.S and they will confirm the same

Personally i would have preferred the engaging of the 4x4 also as a manual option, this saves a hell lot when it comes to saving on wear and tear department, improving the FE a bit. Another advantage being this will help avoid the loading of tranny while at slow speed full lock turns. Water damage would be another concern for me, though technology advancement has ensured its kept under check.

But what the heck, i dont have the moolah right now, so i can just oogle at the Toyota or max go for a test drive :(

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by suman

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

Originally Posted by Sawyer

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.

Totally agree with you on this man. Manual Transfer case with Lever is the no nonsense and worry free way to go. There are two people on this Forum who have had issues with their Borg Warner Electric Transfer case. One was fairly straightforward and easy to fix. The electrical contacts for the transfer case motor had to be cleaned and put back. Dust and water had seeped into the electrical motor contacts over time and the motor was not working to engage the 4WD.

The second one has an ECU problem that the dealer has not been able to rectify yet so the owner has had to create his own contraption to use 4WD. I am glad that Toyota is sticking to the Manual Transfer Case.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Personally i would have preferred the engaging of the 4x4 also as a manual option, this saves a hell lot when it comes to saving on wear and tear department, improving the FE a bit. Another advantage being this will help avoid the loading of tranny while at slow speed full lock turns.

What is this tranny loading at full lock turns Jaggu?

[Caramelo]

the pricing is simply great!! i would run to the toyota showroom if i had that kinda money!!
it makes you look like you are a sheikh from saudi arabia who owns an oil well.(with lots of diesel) lolz.

well i think of this as a mini land cruiser.add to that the reliability of a Toyota! i think its a great package.

BTW looks wise. I like the looks of the Captiva. but this is just more than looks, also this SUV has has off-road capabilities. not that others dont have it. its just looks like it can survive out in the dusty & wild terrains in india when compared to softroaders like CRV and captiva.

[pjbiju]

Looks quite good. The pricing looks good when compared to the competition. Just a question - how much would it cost if they actually localized 60%-70% of the vehicle?

[Sawyer]

On a slightly different tack, given that this will be a car that will cost around 21/22 lakhs at the end of the day, will it, by itself, expand the market for SUVs? Or will it just take share from others?

[hondadude]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

On a slightly different tack, given that this will be a car that will cost around 21/22 lakhs at the end of the day, will it, by itself, expand the market for SUVs? Or will it just take share from others?

Good question. I feel that at least some of Accord/Camry/Laura buyers could be enticed by this so this should result in expansion of market for SUVs but not much because of the price tag. However, if Toyota can come up with a barebones version for 15, then it would have a significant impact.

[Ricky_63]

What we are forgetting in this Fortuner Frenzy is that CRV is coming with a diesel, as is Grand Vitara & the fresh from the oven VW Tiguan.

Though at what price - one does not know yet !! If they take the Fortuner route for pricing, they may be contenders for the Huge Cake.

Bigger is not essentially better !! Just my opinion.

But then these guys need to act fast, or the first mover advantage will take the pie !!



Cheers

[NIP]

Originally Posted by bhp1

Pricing is ok but there's a catch, Toyota are adamant on selling accessories worth 1.5L on initial Fortuners. Local dealer says company has made it mandatory, I lambasted both the company & the dealer for this.
Toyota seems to have learned this bad habit from Maruti. With 1.5L waste of accessories, Fortuner is no more a sweet deal.

What exactly are these accessories !?

[simply_sunny001]

Originally Posted by NIP

What exactly are these accessories !?

the website only says the following but they cant be 1.5L worth as its just minor chrome stuff

• Chrome Mirror cover with Turn Signal
• Head Lamp chrome Garnish
• Chrome Door housing
• Side Turn signal Lamp chrome Garnish
• Rear Lamp chrome Garnish

I am sure i am missing something here as accessories worth 1.5 L is totally bull unless they giving gold instead of chrome.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

On a slightly different tack, given that this will be a car that will cost around 21/22 lakhs at the end of the day, will it, by itself, expand the market for SUVs? Or will it just take share from others?

A little bit of both. Lots of buyers who wanted an SUV but passed up Endy and Pajero will go for it.

Skoda and Honda will also be afffected because its right in the price range of Laura, Superb and Accord.

[bhp1]

Originally Posted by NIP

What exactly are these accessories !?

I have mentioned some in my earlier posts. Anyway, these are - front bull guard, side claddings, roof carrier, rear view mirror(bonnet), chrome on door handles, rear lights, etc.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

On a slightly different tack, given that this will be a car that will cost around 21/22 lakhs at the end of the day, will it, by itself, expand the market for SUVs? Or will it just take share from others?

In my opinion, I think this may expand the SUV market only marginally, if at all. And my reasons are:

• On an average this particular segment was selling only around 1000 vehicles per month (Honda, GM, Maruti, HM, Ford combined). This is not a very high volume IMO.
• Even at 18-20 lakhs OTR price, these vehicles are out of range for the vast majority of the buyers graduating from a compact/sedan to a SUV.
• So the buyers will still be mostly small/medium businessmen or rather well paid/high earning working professionals. Another small set of buyers may be big timers who already own other high end SUVs.

For high volumes we need to have something to compete with our home grown SUVs (Safari & Scorpio). And for that these manufactureres need to have highly localized products. Something that may not materialize in our markets any time soon.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Skoda and Honda will also be afffected because its right in the price range of Laura, Superb and Accord.

Exactly what i was thinking. The Accord and Superb will definitely get affected.

A person looking out for a car in 20L segment will also consider the Fortuner along with Superb and Accord.

At superb petrol pricing you are getting a toyota SUV diesel which will appeal to a lot of buyers.

The percentage maybe only 10-20% buyers who instead of superb/accord went for fortuner but that will be enough to dent the sales as the numbers in this segment are anyways small.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Samurai

What is this tranny loading at full lock turns Jaggu?

Do you feel more lug on the engine and tranny when the steering is in full lock mode and moving at slow speed? As if hand brakes are ON? Thats what i meant.