Team-BHP - Review: 1st-gen Toyota Fortuner

Hello Friends, I haven't heard from anybody for the past few days. Anyways, I thought I would inform you all that I have booked my Super White Fortuner having paid INR 1L as deposit. This deposit is refundable since I can pass on my booking to another customer in the queue (atleast thats what the guys at the dealership have said). However, the negative news is that I will get her only by the 1st week of March 2011!!!stupid:

Cheers
Champion

Champion, Congratulations! I do hope you get your Fortuner earlier. In Bangalore the dealer indicated December delivery even if it is white.
I asked for a drive yesterday. I was quite impressed with the vehicle. You must know that typically I drive a WagonR. I primarily wanted to see if it was comfortable for me. The only other larger/bigger cars I have ever driven are an Innova and a Skoda Octavia. I found the Fortuner better in comfort. In fact the gear lever position was better than in innova, as it seemed higher and more forward. In my seat, my left elbow brushed against the lid of storage box between front seats. Unfortunately, I got to drive it around in a residential area with two schools which had closed for the day short while prior. The top speed I could do was only 40kmph, which is perhaps alright in such locations. More than the power, I got to check its maneuverability on small roads. I could even do a U turn on a 30 odd feet road in two steps quite conveniently. At 5'9" I adjust my seat half way forward. That left a lot of room for second row, even with it pushed completely forward. Third row with above setting for 1 and 2 rows seemed pretty ok except for the thigh support. 3rd row back rest stays only in two positions - upright or tilted back. Upright was not very comfortable as it forced me to lean forward. I think if adults do use the 3rd row, they should tilt it. I didnt check interiors much. AC was quite cool. I had to turn it down as it was set to 18 deg. Like I mentioned, having shifted from a WagonR into this larger vehicle, the steering seemed to require more effort. Guess that is to be expected for the weight difference. Overall, I found the Fortuner a very driveable car (for the limited city conditions I checked it in!).

As an update, when I joined this forum recently, I announced that I intend to get myself a Fortuner. Well, apparently today was the last day for bookings....some reason, I thought I will hang on for a little longer and revisit my need for a bigger car later this year. Till then, I will follow Team-BHP threads and enjoy that. :-)

Thanks dhuli for the update. Your test drive reaffirms my conviction that Toyota has given a good vehicle. But then, your thought to hold on a little longer sets me thinking. It's like you believe in the vehicle that you see and experience and that should translate to a buying process. Since yours didn't, I am sceptical about my move to book the vehicle. Anyways, I shall keep in mind that I will have a test drive of the vehicle before I finally make the payment for her next year. A long way off, nevertheless, one certainly needs that time. If not for anything else that comes my way, I can always rely back on my booking for the Fortuner to be delivered.

Thanks again
Champion

@ Dhuli, Champion:

I suggest that you do an extended test drive asap, and see if you like it. Fortuner has its pluses and minuses. I was initially disappointed during the first TD, but focused on specific aspects during the 2nd TD, and finally decided to book the vehicle. Don't go by what others are saying - do try it out over different kinds of terrain (highway, traffic, bad roads) and see if you are able to check all the relevant (relevant for your needs and likes, that is) tickboxes before you dish out 23L+ for a vehicle that will probably be with you for the next 5-10 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Champion (Post 1990140)

Thanks dhuli for the update. Your test drive reaffirms my conviction that Toyota has given a good vehicle. But then, your thought to hold on a little longer sets me thinking.
Thanks again
Champion

Hey Champion, congrats on booking the fortuner! All I can say is 'Get in Line buddy':D. It is a great car indeed and worth the wait, despite the long waiting period. It is available on premium basis if you want the car sooner.

nilanjanray - Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately I don't have the luxury of coming down to Chennai to TD the vehicle. I have seen it here in Dubai and been in the 2.7L 4Cyl Petrol vehicle. I hope it's close to what this offers. But the refinement levels will be different I know since the ones in Dubai are primarily petrol.

sbraj - Absolutely right. There's a huge market going by the response the Fortuner has garnered. Time the big auto honchos listened. Wake up Nissan!

salman_ferrari - Thanks for the compliment. I can get the vehicle in a week's time since I do have contacts at Anamalais, but since I will be dropping down only in January, I prefer to wait. Moreso, it's a sentiment that Lanson has been lucky for us (quite happy for the last 6 years with the Qualis we got from them). And I will never pay premium even if I didn't have any contacts, not worth it Pal!

All I am waiting for is to see how many more would join the Fortuner Bandwagon...

Cheers
Champion

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 1991891)

Where have all the Fortuner owners disappeared? Mannuj, Anshuman,etc I was interested for a few updates on their vehicles which I m sure have crossed the 10K mark by now.

Devdath, if you're really interested, I would suggest that you PM them & I'm pretty sure that they will come back to you with specifics.

Oh & do PM member Rhandle as well, he's been doing some extensive running with his Fortuner - true Trail Blazing as one may call it ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman (Post 1992083)

Devdath, if you're really interested, I would suggest that you PM them

Well, I do not know any of them personally and moreover, I m waiting for their entire experiences so that by the time save up enough moolah to buy one(Trying hard to resist though), I have all the info for it. I was expecting them to keep their threads active but looks like the Fortuner is boringly reliable:D vehicle to own. No technical issues yet apart from the brakes, no niggles, no nothing...

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 1992240)

Quote:

Originally Posted by n.devdath (Post 1991891)

Where have all the Fortuner owners disappeared? Mannuj, Anshuman,etc I was interested for a few updates on their vehicles which I m sure have crossed the 10K mark by now.

Can someone please give me realtime city and highway FE figures with ac and without it if possible and the speeds.please:

Fortuner does 9-11kpl City, 11-13kpl Highways. Devdath you are right on the reasons why most Fortuner ownership threads are not constantly updated, our Fortuner has done over 10k kms but i do not have anything new to report, its running without any problems, there is not even a single issue. It also has a very good build meaning no squeaks and rattles till date.

@Champion. Apologies for not being clear in my TD impressions. My reason for not booking Fortuner this time around has nothing to do with the vehicle experience. My reasons for putting off the booking are odd and personal, which I dont mind sharing. Just that it is a different topic that wont fit into this thread.

@Nilanjanray. Thanks for your suggestion. My 1st TD impressions were quite positive. Taking up your point on doing a 2nd TD, I could check out things like roll etc. While I have read many comments about roll, etc. when I am behind the wheel, I wonder how do I simulate that. Meaning - at what speed, what terrain, with what conditions of traffic. What does one measure - tilt in degrees, etc. Or is this is just a feel thing. In which case, less roll might be more roll for someone and what roll to some one else. I am afraid I am not too well versed with the technical language used on this forum. I do hope to learn and be as articulate some day.

Did my 3rd TD of Fortuner with my wife. This time I took the Fortuner on the highway to test high speed handling, stability and braking. Happy to say that the Fortuner behaved well even when I took it to 160 kmph on NICE Road. Felt that the speedometer was wrong (didn't seem that I was driving at 160 kmph), but even then the vehicle was steady and grip was good. Braking was alright - quite manageable. My wife was driving it at 100 kmph, and said that it didn't feel like we were driving at that speed. Only if you look at the sides, then you can feel the speed. Else the high seating somehow slows things down when you look at the lane divider marks on the road. Feel that I can cruise at 100-120 kmph on empty highways pretty comfortably. Glad that I chose this over the GV - 2.5L extra gives more car (truck) per money (IMO).

Congrats nilanjanray, glad you chose the Fortuner. I have been having some good reviews of the vehicle from owners and it looks like the brake issues have been rectified to a certain extent. However, 160Kms on an SUV is kind of dangerous since the vehicle tends to have body roll due to low centre of gravity. But if one's at it confidently, then I see no qualms about the speed. Btw, does the vehicle give out warning beeps when you cross 120Kms? Drive safe!

Cheers
Champion