Want to buy a Fortuner, but doubting the comfort for elderly passengers

I know that a SUV would never handle like a sedan. I am certain that if I am going for a SUV, it would be a BOF with 4x4 or at least a monocoque with AWD.

BHPian Aditya94 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have a small query people. How good is the comfort levels on the Fortuner?

Let me elaborate my doubt. We have two sedans in our home. A 2017 Ciaz and a 2019 Verna, both with petrol mills. We predominantly use the Verna and I have covered 40k over the last 3 years and 8 months, of which the last 6 months alone saw it run 10k. This is in spite of the covid pandemic.

Pre-Covid, we predominantly used to fly and then take cabs from our destination and in rare circumstances, we used to take a train. We mean, My mother in her 50s, father in his 60s and my grandmother in her 80s. Since covid, we started taking the road and we've felt really comfortable traveling by road since it offers the flexibility of last-minute change of plans and no restrictions on luggage, apart from others.

Touch wood, my grandmother has endured many trips spanning 2k+ kms with mild inconvenience. I had upgraded the stock Bridgestone 195/55/R16 on my Verna with Continental UC6 with 205/55/R16 and it has made a huge difference in grip, comfort and handling although the fuel economy has definitely dropped.

My grandmother prefers sitting in the front since it has ventilated seats, seats are reclinable and most importantly, it is less bouncy than the 2nd row. I have taken the Verna on fantastic roads, good roads, bad roads and rubbish roads. I've taken on axel twisters and river crossings (not planned). I've driven on gravel and smooth tarmac. However, It has bottomed out many times when loaded with luggage and 4 adults. My father finds the Verna to be much more comfortable than the Ciaz and I find it to be more engaging and hence we unanimously take the Verna for inter-city duties. We've found the boot of a sedan to be very comfortable as my people have the habit of loading it to the brim. Hell! We've even carried printers on the car when we travelled for work purposes!

Looking forward to getting another car in a year or so and my mother is keen on a bigger car as we require a car that can accommodate a growing family. My tryst with BOF SUVs have been quiet limited. Once when we drove from Chennai to Goa and back (Both in a single day each way) and once in Nepal where we have driven around across Nepal in a Scorpio 4x4.

I simply love the manner in which a sedan handles and accelerates. Give me a twisty road with sparse traffic and I would come out grinning. I know that a SUV would never handle like a sedan. I am certain that if I am going for a SUV, it would be a BOF with 4x4 or at least a monocoque with AWD.

Coming back to my predicament. How comfortable is a Fortuner? I have heard that it simply annihilates any bad road, but is bouncy over the good ones. My driving would involve highway cruising comfortably at 100-120 Kmph and I expect it to be comfortable at higher speeds if & when Nitin Gadkari ji increases the speed limits on Expressways) - being future-proof. I would never push the car beyond that speed, never ever.

How are the car in the front and 2nd rows at speeds around 120? Is the comfort comparable to a Sedan?

I am sitting at the fence. Fortuner 4x4 MT is close to OTR 45-46L in Chennai which is a huge amount of money for a car and I don't want to have even an iota of regret or condemnation (from my people) after spending such amounts. Instead, I could look at XUV700 AWD or the upcoming Verna 1.5 Turbo.

I request those who have moved on to a Fortuner from a sedan to share their experiences.

Regards,

Aditya.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

For your needs, I feel the Innova Hycross will suit much better than the Fortuner. Getting in and out will be far better than a Fortuner for your grand mum and the ride quality on highways and city alike will any day be better in the Hycross than the BOF Fortuner.

Another choice could be the Mahindra XUV 7OO which too should be more comfortable than the Fortuner. Between these three the Hycross would be my hands down top pick followed by the 7OO.

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

Let’s be honest, my mother in her 50s finds it a task to climb into the Fortuner, there is no chance your grandmother at 80 will like climbing a floor and a half higher!

And coming to comfort levels, yes the Fortuner smothers the worst of roads, but that’s at higher speeds. The ride quality at slow speeds in the city will leave you unhappy due to its BoF platform.

Out on the highway though, the Fortuner rides brilliantly, the latest Type-4 has a slightly softer suspension so it helps. You can cruise at 100-130kmph comfortably and it won’t tire you out.

The cars I would suggest for your use case are: Jeep Meridian > Toyota Innova HyCross > Mahindra XUV700 > Toyota Fortuner.

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

Fortuner is so not the car for you. It is the single most uncomfortable car you can buy for that kind of money, or even half that kind of money. Even Force Gurkha and Mahindra Scorpio N have better ride comfort. Fortuner as a product is also at the end of its life cycle, and a new generation is expected by the next year or so.

The answer to your requirements is the Citroen C5. A far more comfortable car with much easier ingress and egress. Refinement, stability and dynamics are far better than the Fortuner, which feels positively agricultural in comparison. C5 boasts of the best ride quality of all cars under 1cr. As long as your family is OK with the uniquely shaped rear bench with 3 individual seats, there is no other car that is as comfortable to travel in.

Other alternative options are the Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Tucson and the Jeep Meridian. All these cars along with the C5 will also provide the kind of driving engagement you are looking for, and will feel like a huge upgrade from Ciaz and Verna.

Here's what BHPian one-77 had to say on the matter:

If comfort is a priority, and especially if the third row is going to be used over longer distances, the Innova (Hycross or Crysta) will be a better choice than the Fortuner. The interior quality though is rather questionable , and you’ll find better plastics in your Verna that costs less than half. It’s another thing that there’s hardly any luggage space in the Crysta with all rows up. You’ll need a roof carrier if you need to carry luggage for seven on a week long trip.

The Fortuner has more power and way more road presence, and I’ll personally choose it over the Innova for these two reasons. And I have no use case for the last row.

However, if a diesel 5 seater with good ride, ample power, quality interiors, space, and luggage capacity is all you need, take a look at the Tucson. It’s a very nice car. Or the XUV700 of you don’t mind the badge and initial niggles.

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