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4000 km with a Toyota Fortuner petrol AT: Likes, dislikes & mileage

10th February 2023, 16:05 by Ananth Iyer

Mileage in the city is close to 8 kml, while it goes up to 10 kml on the highways.

BHPian R_R recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A short review of my Toyota Fortuner petrol AT (4000km):

This is very late, I did mean write this up earlier but work and other commitments came in the way. So this ends up being a bit long: my apologies.

In the three months plus that I have been driving my new Fortuner petrol automatic, I’ve put in slightly over 4000 kms, which includes two longish drives from Gurgaon to the hills near Ranikhet. When I bought the Fortuner, I wasn’t entirely happy. I had never really liked the Fortuner, and I was somewhat disappointed I had to settle for it but it seemed the best suited to my needs, which was a car that could serve both city, highway and bad road long-distance travel, and would be reliable over the full 15 years I plan to keep it. It was thus a decision of the head rather than the heart, because my heart had been set on either the VW Tiguan (mainly) or the Hyundai Tucson. But now, after just this short while, I can say with honesty that I am completely in love with my Fortuner. I can’t now believe that I never considered the Fortuner earlier. I still have a place in my heart for the Tiguan (in particular) but I’ve changed my mind about the Fortuner. I look forward to driving it; on days that I don’t, I am actually disappointed.

So, a brief review, with this limited experience, of what I like and what I don’t, mostly about the Fortuner in general but some initial views on the petrol version. I am sure there are others who are particularly interested because of its rarity. I see a lot more interest in the NCR region, for obvious reasons, so hopefully this will be helpful to those considering this car.

First, fuel consumption and engine power. Yes, power is a bit on the weaker side, but I find it perfectly adequate for my needs, both in the city and the highway. It could have used a few more horses in the hills, but even there I did not really feel that it was holding me back by much. I haven’t driven the diesel version, so I can’t compare with it, but my last car was a 2008 Grand Vitara, and I find not a great difference except that my GV was manual. Sure, the Fortuner P does not like being hustled, especially from a slumber, but once it gets going, it is quite sprightly. But I am generally a sedate driver, so there’s that; I don’t usually get into street racing at traffic lights.

One odd thing, however: I found no great difference between the eco and power mode settings, either in power delivery or in fuel consumption. As for the latter, in the city, in both power and eco modes (I drove 1000 kms in each mode to try), I found the fuel consumption at about 8.1-8.3 kmpl, which I thought was decent. Yes, my GV gave one km more but the Fortuner fuel consumption is a lot better than I expected. On the highway, I got as much as about 10.5 kmpl when I was driving to Ranikhet, but this declined slowly as I hit narrower roads and crowded cities like Rampur, Rudrapur and Haldwani, and even more so once I hit the hills. Eventually, it ended up around 8.2 kmpl when I reached Ranikhet, and this improved only slightly on the return trip to Gurgaon, with a final at slightly over 9 kmpl. This was the same on both trips, driving entirely in power mode. On my next trip, I plan to drive entirely in eco mode and see if it makes any difference. As for power delivery, unless you look at the mode setting, I think it’s impossible to know if you’re driving in power or eco because I couldn’t make out. At best, it’s marginally better in power mode.

Things I like about the Fortuner:

I do find it quite luxurious and well-put together, though my impression when I test drove it was different. My initial hesitation—before delivery—that I was getting a cheap, over-prized car whose only attraction was reliability was quite wrong, and I am very happy to be proved wrong on this, obviously.
Love the leather on the side of the front central tunnel. Always wondered why cars didn’t provide some padding there for the knees. This one is perfect, it provides just the needed level of softness for one’s knees.
The seats positioning is excellent. I was worried about constantly having to adjust the seats without having an auto seat memory function, but I am easily able to find a good position even after I move it for better exit and entry. The seat cushioning, feel etc are also very good, though the cooler temperatures in the NCR means that I haven’t had an opportunity to fully experience the seat ventilation.
The petrol engine is smooth, with a nice tone to it. I didn’t think this would be an attractive feature, but I really like the sound of this engine, muted but powerful.
Of course, road presence, height, the full-sized spare wheel (even if in steel rather than alloy) etc. and the feeling of indestructability. As in my GV, I can go for a long drive without thinking about whether I might face some issues while driving in remote areas or in the hills. The peace of mind is unmatchable and very necessary for me, cause I am a natural worrier.

The things I don’t like about the Fortuner:

I initially found the entry and exit from the driver’s seat to be quite complicated and unwieldy. The space between the ceiling and floor of the doorway seems a bit too small, forcing me to bend down to enter or exit, which is a bit uncomfortable because of my bad back. I have now figured out that I can climb on the footboard and back into the seat, butt first. Not very elegant but it works well now. I never heard this issue mentioned previously, so I wonder what other owners/users think. I am 5 foot 11, by the way.
The space between the seat and the door is so tight that the door pockets are basically useless. It’s difficult even to use the electric seat adjustments because the seat is so narrow. Poor ergonomics from Toyota.
The lack of full cover for the wheel wells are telling. I’ve been repeatedly startled by noise of small stones and other road debris clanging against the inside of the wheel well, something I never heard in my Grand Vitara
The graphics on the HU. Seriously, it’s an afterthought from Toyota. Terrible, even if it doesn’t affect the unit’s functionality. Unforgivable that a 40L car has such a rudimentary system, which is worse than on my wife’s previous gen Urban Cruiser!
The bottle holder next to the air vents is a great idea but I find it impractical because it hits my knee when I get in and out. Also, the clip to hold up the third row keeps coming off when driving over bumps, which is a nuisance.

Accessories, not much. I didn't do either ceramic coating or anything else, but just taught my cleaner to use a Jopasu brush first and then wipe down with a Proklear spray, which he does thrice a week. Also wanted something to protect the rear bumper when loading luggage. I didn’t like what Toyota provides as an accessory. I wanted a black rubber type deal but couldn’t find anything I liked either in stores or even online. So I decided I would simply buy a cheap yoga mat and keep it in the trunk to spread over the bumper when loading luggage.

I do miss not having a full owner’s manual, but this seems to be a general trend. All in all, I am very happy with my petrol Fortuner so far. Now a couple of photos.