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Pre-worshipped car of the month: Buying a used 2nd-gen Toyota Fortuner

10th January 2024, 17:00 by Brij Gawde

It may not be equipped with the best of creature comforts, but it is a capable machine on the road and off it too.

BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Toyota Fortuner has always managed to better its rivals and become the last man standing. Just look at the recent sales graph of the D2 segment and you’ll know what I mean. The Fortuner has been accepted by everyone from your officegoers to politicians to even the mafia. It has the street cred that’s unmatched by the current crop of cars on sale in India. It may not be equipped with the best of creature comforts, but it is a capable machine on the road and off it too. Under the bonnet is a 2.8-litre diesel engine that puts out 175 BHP and 420 Nm when mated to a 6-speed MT and 450 Nm when mated to a 6-speed AT. For people who want to avoid diesel, you also have a 2.7-litre petrol engine on offer that makes 164 BHP and 245 Nm.

Being a Toyota, not a lot of people want to sell their Fortuners as they are extremely long-lived and reliable and as a result, hold their value very well in the used car market. In 2021, Toyota also introduced the Legender variant which had some cosmetic changes and was available only with the 2.8L diesel and automatic transmission. Since it's a pretty new model and expensive too, you won't see many of these in the used car market. Also remember that with the transition to BS6, a lot of the newer Fortuners faced DPF issues. So you'd be much happier with the BS4 variants of the Fortuner. However, the real question is, if you were in the market for a big SUV, would you buy a 2nd-gen Fortuner?

Used 2nd-gen Toyota Fortuner Pros

No major facelift since the launch, so a used car would also look brand new
Contemporary styling & imposing street presence
Tough build. Toyota body-on-frame UVs are known to have very long lives
Powerful diesel and smooth petrol, with user-selectable driving modes too
Cabin is practical & user-friendly
Features like Bi-beam LED headlamps, powered tailgate, paddle shifters & more
Impressive offroad capability (by big SUV standards)
Safety kit includes 7 airbags, ABS, ESP, TC, hill assist, ISOFIX & 3-point seatbelts for all
Toyota's excellent after-sales quality, fuss-free ownership experiences, low service costs & up to 7 years of extended warranty coverage

Used 2nd-gen Toyota Fortuner Cons

Used car market prices are insane! You could get a brand new XUV700 or a Scorpio-N in the same price
BS6 diesel models are suffering from DPF issues
Missing features such as sunroof, lumbar adjustment, front parking sensors, auto-wipers etc.
Ride quality although improved over the 1st gen is far from plush. You’ll feel the bumps
Cost-cutting in a couple of areas; some interior plastics, ICE audio quality, camera display…
Petrol variant is a guzzler. You'll see merely 6 – 7 kmpl on the AT
Doesn't have a full-time 4x4. Also, 4x4 variants command a high premium over 2WD and MT variants

Related Threads

Things to watch out for in a used 2nd-gen Toyota Fortuner

Wiring harness recall
BS6 Fortuner DPF Issues - 1, 2
Random issues

Mod Potential

Since the Toyota Fortuner has been on sale for quite some time, engine maps are pretty common. With the stage 1 tune, you can bump up the power output from 175 BHP to 200+ BHP. Of course, there are plenty of off-road-specific modifications as well that you can get done. And since the Fortuner is also available in the Indonesian market, there's plenty of aftermarket equipment that you can get too.

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Availability

Good considering that the 2nd gen Fortuner costs upwards of Rs. 25 lakhs in the used car market. You will find different configurations as well as per your need - 4x2 MT, 4x4 MT, 4x2 AT, 4x4 AT.Of course, you will see more diesel Fortuners as the petrol variants are rare. Check out some examples on sale here.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Have voted no for the 2nd-gen Fortuner. I love the Fortuner, but it has two deal-breakers for me = bumpy ride & heavy steering in the city. If Toyota fixes that in the 3rd-gen (reliable sources say they will), then it's a top contender for me.
The reason that prices are so high & close to a new Fortuner is that, cash can be a big component in used car transactions. That's also why you see 1-2 year old luxury cars asking for obscene prices. I cannot go into a Mercedes showroom and pay 30-lakhs cash under-the-table & unaccounted for a brand new S-Class, but I can do that to a used car dealer for a 1-year old S-Class.
Likewise with used Fortuners. Those 40-lakh used Fortuners have 25-40% of their transaction value paid in black money.

Here's what BHPian PrasannaDhana had to say on the matter:

Voted No
Reasons
The car doesn't depreciate at all. Major advantage in used car purchase is the depreciation. Toyotas seldom depreciate as much.
It's an overrated car. Reliable, yes. But neither comfortable nor spacious/ easy to use. I find my storme varicor 400 much better suiting my needs than the used 2nd gen fortuner.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

Big NO from my side, and a strong opinion ahead.
Fortuner as it is is a hugely overpriced and overrated vehicle. Nothing much to offer apart from a strong diesel engine and pure mechanical reliability, the latter also being somewhat compromised post BS6.2. It is barebones in terms of equipment, is bouncy and uncomfortable and has poor comfort levels in the middle and back rows. The cabin is also very utilitarian, a couple of decades behind what you get in similarly priced vehicles. In every other market in the world, Fortuner is essentially a work SUV, kind of on the lines of what the Bolero or Force Trax are in India. That’s how its attributes are. It’s only here that it is considered a luxury vehicle.
A far cry from the much more comfortable Innova Crysta, this is a classic case of a vehicle running primarily on herd mentality in monopolistic market conditions. Given the ridiculous asking prices in the second hand market, there are far better ways to spend your money for an automobile. Unless you have a specific use case for regular off roading and plan on clocking 4-5L km over your usage period, look elsewhere.

Here's what BHPian parrys had to say on the matter:

I would not buy a Fortuner at all. New or Used, NEVER!
It's an overpriced, overhyped, featureless, inefficient SUV selling only because of bragging rights & so called reliability.
It is not a great car to drive either, and ride quality is also bumpy / bouncy at all times. Never does it stay flat even on a highway.
Recently picked up a Tucson 4x2 D AT, less than a month ago, we did not even consider the Fortuner. Wish the Kodiaq was available in D AT, that would have surely made it to the consideration list.
Both, the Innova (Crysta) & Fortuner, these are overpriced LOOTING machines from Toyota for the Indian market. And most buyers, are ok with it.

Here's what BHPian FAIAAA had to say on the matter:

Voted No, Neither new nor old.
As an ex-owner of the 1st gen full time 4wd model and having done extended test drives of the current gen over time, I feel it's over priced for what it offers and honestly not relevant for most folks / use cases. Let me elaborate -
Let's start with what's going for it - unmatched power and torque, reliability, macho image and emotional appeal to certain segments - politicians, business folks and so on.
From a use case perspective, let's look at three main scenarios -
more than 95% of all Fortuners are sold 4*2. Assume the last few lacs don't break it for those who can afford and yet don't go for 4*4, means it's used primarily as a people mover. For that, you have Innova Crysta and Hycross with a far better ride, passenger comfort at a much lower price.
For those looking for a tourer with bad road / occasional off road uses, you have feature laden and comfort oriented options with 4*4/AWD like Tucson, Kodiaq/Tiguan, Scorpio and Xuv700, last 2 being significantly cheaper.
For those looking for primarily off-road use, yes it's a powerful and dependable machine with loads of mod potential. Still how many would use a 50 Lac car for pure off roading? That's where Thar and Jimny have changed the game, more practical and affordable and hence accessible.
And it's exorbitantly price, low VFM, more emotional than logical appeal for a few target segments ( mentioned above) reduces it's overall relevance.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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