Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   First Drive on the Fortuner EDIT : Launched @ 18.45 lakhs! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/63825-first-drive-fortuner-edit-launched-18-45-lakhs.html)

OK guys, I got to check out and drive the Toyota Fortuner.
First impressions.
1) Its BIG and impressive. A must have for sheer presence. Glass area is huge and wheels are massive.
Ground clearance seems really good.
2) Innova owners will feel right at home since a lot of parts are shared.
Front view is intimidating and paint and build quality is top notch.

Start her up and the engine is nice and growly with no pretensions of being anything other than a diesel. Slot her into first and the 35KgM of torque is very evident. She flies to 120kmph very quickly and makes short work of poor roads. The ride is very, very good and potholes are dismissed with a small downward movement.
The Fortuner is very similar to the Innova on the inside which is disappointing. The leather seats and roof feel very well built but seem very bland.
The interior is the only place where the vehicle does not look like it is worth 20 odd lakhs. The front seats are great, but no power assist:eek:
The rear seats are very comfortable too with plenty of space, BUT if moved back for a really tall passenger, the last row seats get really cramped. The last row seats are still good enough only for kids and very short distances for an adult. With the last row up there is enough space for a large suitcase and a couple of small bags.
The air-conditioning seems very good and the roof blower ducts have been routed to the middle of the roof, to give additional space for the middle row passenger, which however means that the passenger in the middle of the middle row seat better be short.lol:
The pick up is seamless and gets you to 3 digit speeds very fast. However I felt that the in-gear acceleration did not seem to support the 35KgM torque available. Maybe it will get better after it runs in.
During some hard driving the on board computer said that the mileage I was getting was 5KmPL, and the average efficiency indicated was 7.5 kmpl.
PLUSES:
Build quality.
Powerful engine.
Fantastic ride.++++
Great build quality.
Reasonable parts prices (In view of a lot of common parts with the Innova)
A usable 7 seater.
Alltime 4wd.
Great GC.
Minuses
Bland interiors.
Centre passenger has limited head room.
Bland exterior.
No dual zone climate control.
No power seats.
Does not seem as feature packed as the Captiva.
Pricey???

All in all, a very capable, stylish SUV with great road presence.

Here are the pictures

Link to GTO's review of the Fortuner : Fortuner

Nice review. Thanks.

The Pajero is dead for sure.

A smart move was made with 3000K Xenons which give a yellowish light and hence safety from the cops.
The steering can be tilted but cannot be adjusted for reach.
Some more pics

Wow !! Thanks for the report jyobeb

The interior does look very similar to the Innova. That is definitely a turn off !!

Agree with most of your points. For the features : it does look pricey.

Another first at TBHP. Good job jyobeb!

There is a need for a proper 7 seater SUV unlike soft roaders we have; hope this answers it. Whats its bhp figure?

Edit:

Lot of space for last benchers. Better than Innova?

It will eat up CRV, Pajero, Captiva, Grand Vitara sales share for sure without even burrping.

Good move toyota, now do delight by pricing it at best.

That was quick ! Thanks for sharing !

How was the ride quality as compared to the Endy? I hope it wasn't as bouncy?

Also is there any evident turbo lag or engine noise/vibration inside the cabin?

Lol I noticed you mentioned build quality twice in the plusses. Must be really well built then.

Launch it at 16-17 lakh Ex showroom and Crv, Endy, Aptiva and all will run for cover. EDIT: lol by the time i read and typed ashthedivx beat me to the reply!

Thanks for the review, did you get a chance to explore the 4x4 tranny??

What is the Ex-showroom price? Any idea?

It says 171 PS on the spec sheet.
If you don't push the middle row all the way back, its better than the Innova.

The ride is far superior to the Endy.

Nice review there. Thanks for sharing.

Pardon my ignorance, but can somebody tell me the function of that 2nd stick besides the gear stick?

Since it has alltime 4wd, the grip on the twisty village roads was very good. I did not have the heart to put a brand new car into 4L and get into slushlol:
That is the lever for 4wd Low.
@ Sahil. No vibrations or intrusive noise inside the cabin. On hard acceleration, the engine noise can be heard, just like on the Innova. The turbo lag is not irritatingly bad or as pronounced as say in the Swift/Palio diesel.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 20 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

Amazing , superb road presence , should kill most of the current SUV's.:thumbs up

Wish it comes within 22lacs on road. But knowing Toyota will be closer to 25lacs. Anyone has prices ex showroom?