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The Fortuner has been a runaway success from day one and it’s all down to the ingredients – imposing looks, a rugged chassis, seating for seven, the option of a diesel engine and (perhaps most importantly) a Toyota badge on the grille. Now in its second generation, the Toyota Fortuner is available in a wide variety of options with petrol-manual, petrol-auto, diesel-manual and diesel-auto versions on offer. The diesels can additionally be had with four-wheel drive.
The Fortuner has been a runaway success from day one and it’s all down to the ingredients – imposing looks, a rugged chassis, seating for seven, the option of a diesel engine and (perhaps most importantly) a Toyota badge on the grille. Now in its second generation, the Toyota Fortuner is available in a wide variety of options with petrol-manual, petrol-auto, diesel-manual and diesel-auto versions on offer. The diesels can additionally be had with four-wheel drive.
Toyota Fortuner key specifications
₹ 33.25 lakh Price
10.01kplMileage
2694ccEngine
ManualTransmission
PetrolFuel type
7 SeaterSeating Capacity
Toyota Fortuner expert reviews
We like
Tough build
Image
We don’t like
Expensive
Cabin doesn’t feel special enough
Autocar quick review
Toyota Fortuner Overview
What is it?
The Fortuner, Toyota's traditional body-on-frame SUV, is probably the most sought after and admired SUV in India today. Big, burly and loaded with a fearsome reputation for toughness, it has remained a strong seller from the time it came to our market in 2009. This, despite the fact that the Fortuner today, is well past its prime, and is up against technologically up-to-date competition like the Ford Endeavour and the Chevrolet Trailblazer. Toyota, however, hopes to give its popular SUV a new lease of life with the second-generation Fortuner that's all new.
The look, to begin with, is a complete departure from the current car. Shaper and less block-like, the new Fortuner is actually rakish looking, with plenty of stylistic flourishes embellishing its sides. Toyota’s designers have used a high bumper line to make it look imposing, there are slim LED-equipped headlight units that add to the futuristic look and in an effort to give it the feel of an upmarket luxury car, plenty of chrome details have been used as well. Strips of chrome line the grille, there are big chrome brackets around the fog lights, and there is chrome in the headlights and along the waistline of the car too.
This Fortuner is based on the newer-generation of the Hilux pick-up truck, so there’s little to doubt its tough credentials. Its frame has been further stiffened; it gets additional side rails, stouter cross beams, reinforced suspension towers and larger shock absorbers. It’s now longer, wider and heavier than the version it replaces and has significantly evolved over its two decade-long life cycle.
What's it like on the inside?
The interiors of the Fortuner have received a much-required upgrade. The dashboard is no longer bland, and unlike the earlier car, it isn’t a copy-paste job of the Innova Crysta’s.
At the front, there's more shoulder-room and headroom, and Toyota has also succeeded in freeing up more legroom by using slimmer seats and a slimmer dashboard. Another major update is that the new leather seats are much nicer to sit in as well. Perfect for large frames, the seats offer great shoulder, back and thigh support, and you don’t get tossed around from side to side because the bolstering is good. In the second row, there's more kneeroom and you aren’t sat too low, and this makes it comfortable. Even the tall backrest holds your upper back nicely, so the Fortuner is now a lot more comfortable on long drives. The middle bench can seat three in comfort, and the middle passenger gets a three-point seatbelt suspended from the roof too. Even the third row is a bit better to sit in, and importantly both passengers get three-point seatbelts. Getting in is a bit easier, there's a bit more space to slide in, and the seats are a bit bigger and placed slightly higher, so you can tolerate longer stints in the back. There is a rear air-con system with dedicated blowers in the roof, as well as other practical bits like cupholders and power sockets. There's only one USB slot, however, and that for a seven-seater isn't enough.
The dashboard is more of a mixed bag. Yes, it is much more upmarket than the earlier Fortuner by a considerable margin and is better equipped too, but it isn't really as big an improvement like the rest of the car. The well-defined centre console and beautifully detailed instrument panel lift the ambience of the cabin tremendously. The leather-lined and chromed-over bits look great and the touchscreen at the centre further adds to the appeal. Even the steering wheel and the instrument panel work really well, but there are still quite a few low-quality plastic bits here. The dash has hard plastics all over, the gloveboxes feels cheaply put together, the doorpads don't really have a quality feel and the lower you go in the cabin, the worse the plastic quality gets. So, overall, it's all very attractive, but not well built.
It is quite well equipped. You get electronic stability control (ESC), downhill assist control, hill assist control, seven airbags, pedestrian protection on the bonnet, LED lamps, puddle lamps, leather seats, paddle shifts, cruise control and even park assist. However, there is no sunroof and some other expected bits like front parking sensors and dual-zone climate control.
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Toyota Fortuner Page 2
What's it like to drive?
We got behind the wheel of the new Fortuner with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine producing 177hp and 420Nm (MT) / 450Nm (AT) of torque. Existing 3.0L Fortuner owners will relate to this motor quite easily. It offers plenty of low-end torque and turbo lag is negligible. The motor is so drivable that for the most part, you’d be happily driving around town in a higher gear at a lower rpm. There’s adequate mid-range punch until about 3,500rpm, after which, power delivery tapers. The motor isn’t very rev happy either and is best to upshift early and ride the wave of torque than to spin to 4,000 rpm and produce more noise than speed.
Like the Crysta, the Fortuner comes with three driving modes – Eco, Power and Normal (default). Being over 200kg heavier than the outgoing car, for performance it is best to use the Power mode, where the throttle responses are the sharpest. This SUV feels eager to lunge forward and you’ll often find yourself backing off the throttle, especially in city traffic conditions. In Normal too, responses are sharp and the initial surge of torque does give you a sense of the power at your disposal.
What's also impressive is that the motor is smooth and refined when driven in a relaxed manner. This helps the Fortuner cruise almost silently, with the engine only purring at lower engine speeds. When the engine does get clattery and rattle is when you put it under load. Push your foot down on the throttle and there's quite a din. And at times the rattling from under the hood gets so loud, you'll have no doubt about this being a diesel. And this only worsens once you are past 3,500rpm, when the motor drones a lot and gets quite vocal, without too much increase in forward speed. So it's best to use the top end of the powerband only if you have to.
Toyota will sell the diesel Fortuner with both a manual and an automatic gearbox. We tested both six-speed gearboxes and are happy to report that both performed quite impressively.
The automatic in particular shifts gears smoothly and there are the paddle shifters to move around ratios, but dropping a gear for a sudden overtake can take a while. It doesn't mind being hurried and there isn't too much shift shock, but get too optimistic and downshift too early and it will make you wait a bit; accompanied by a 'beep' that asks you to be patient until revs drop. In 'S' mode, you can manually select the max gear that you’d like the car to drive in, and that comes in handy while climbing up or down a ghat section.
The short-throw six-speed manual is less relevant, especially on a car at this price, but it works well too. Speaking of which, the clutch is quite light and the travel isn’t too long either. Toyota has done well to get rid of the long-throw-commercial-vehicle-like shift action present on the earlier car, and though the gearbox isn't light per se, you don't need to put your shoulder in either. What also works quite well on the manual gearbox is Toyota's IMT system that blips the throttle automatically as you come down to a lower gear.
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Toyota Fortuner Page 3
This time around, Toyota also has a 166hp petrol on offer, which is the same 2.7-litre unit that powers the Innova. As on that car, what you really enjoy here is the additional refinement. The extra dose of smoothness is really pleasing at low speeds, there's a good amount of power when you accelerate, and the fact that the motor makes its maximum power above 5,000 rpm, allows you to spin the engine fast as well. You do, however, miss the torque of the diesel when you need to execute a quick overtaking manoeuvre. There's also the fact that this motor isn't particularly zingy either.
One of the areas where the Fortuner has improved the most is handling. The new car rolls less, feels much more agile and is willing to change direction. The really impressive bit is that it feels lighter on its feet and is more willing to tuck into tight corners than even the Innova. This comes as a bit of a surprise because of the additional bulk. And what's nicer is that the steering (while not easy at parking speeds) is lighter than that on the Innova. So it's less of a chore to park and nicer to steer though traffic as well. Straight-line stability has improved too. It remains unfazed as speeds climb above 120kph – despite the 225mm ground clearance – and now long corners are easy to take at high speeds, with the Toyota settling down nicely. Also improved massively are the brakes, something that desperately needed upgrading. The discs up front deliver good bite and the pedal effort required now is much lower too.
Even the ride has been refined. While the lumpiness and the typically busy, always-on-the-move big SUV feel is still present over poor surfaces, the new Fortuner does feel more settled. There's a lot less up and down movement, the suspension is much more absorbent and the ride in general is flatter too. Where the Fortuner does its best work is on really bad sections, where it just seems to glide through larger holes and deeper ruts.
Fundamentally, the Fortuner is an off-roader and a fairly successful one at that, but here too Toyota has changed the system completely. Instead of full-time four-wheel drive, found on the earlier car, you now get 2WD, 4WD and 4WD low. Known as Sigma 4, the system is more efficient, and to further enhance grip Toyota has included a virtual limited slip differential that works through individual braking of the wheels.
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Toyota Fortuner Page 4
Should I buy one?
The new Fortuner is big, offers oodles of style, packs the right amount of kit and wears the ever-so-dependable ‘Toyota’ badge. There’s little doubt that this SUV is far more luxurious and comfortable than the one it replaces. Add to that, it is offered with a wide combination of transmission and drivetrain options. Yes, the feel of some of the plastics in the cabin could have been better, and it falls short on equipment you would expect at this price, which at Rs 25.92 - 27.61 lakh for the petrol and Rs 27.52 - 31.12 lakh for the diesel (ex-showroom, Delhi) makes it considerably pricier than the outgoing Fortuner and the most expensive in its class. Pound for pound, it may not offer the best value, but for someone looking for a dependable vehicle with an air of indestructibility that has the potential to outlast its owner, the new Fortuner is the answer.
Toyota Fortuner price for the base model starts at ₹ 33.25 lakh and the top model price goes upto ₹ 40.78 lakh (on-road Delhi).Toyota Fortuner comes in 6 variants.The Toyota Fortuner Petrol engine on road price in Delhi ranges between ₹ 33.25 lakh - ₹ 35.09 lakh.The Toyota Fortuner Diesel engine on road price in Delhi ranges between ₹ 36.34 lakh - ₹ 40.78 lakh.
Toyota Fortuner mileage starts at 10.01 kpl and goes up to 15.04 kpl.The Toyota Fortuner Petrol engine mileage starts at 10.01 kpl and goes up to 10.26 kpl.The Toyota Fortuner Diesel engine mileage starts at 14.24 kpl and goes up to 15.04 kpl.
Fuel Type
Displacement
Transmission
Mileage
Petrol
2694cc
Manual
10.01kpl
Petrol
2694cc
Torque Converter Auto
10.26kpl
Diesel
2755cc
Manual
14.24kpl
Diesel
2755cc
Torque Converter Auto
15.04kpl
Toyota Fortuner quick review
While the second-gen Toyota Fortuner is shapelier than the original, it’s still a big and butch SUV; and by extension, one that enjoys great respect on our roads. What helps the feeling of authority is the view from the high-set cabin. There’s plenty of space on the inside and the third row is also useable, but cabin quality is a mixed bag with some low-rent bits dragging things down. The 166hp, 2.7-litre petrol engine might not be the engine of choice for the majority of buyers but it does impress on the refinement front, even if it does miss out on a strong mid-range. Diesel Fortuner buyers, on the other hand, will take keenly to the 177hp, 2.8-litre engine’s tractability and build of speed. Refinement is also impressive, so long as you don’t drive in a hurried manner. The diesel’s 6-speed manual is slick and the auto also shifts with a pleasing smoothness. Like other ladder-frame SUVs, the Fortuner can’t iron-out surface imperfections entirely; but the Toyota does feel grounded at high speeds for something so large and tall. As for off-road ability, you’d be surprised by how far a 4x4-equipped Fortuner can take you in the rough.
Toyota Fortuner : our choice
The petrol Fortuners are significantly more affordable than the diesels and are worth considering for buyers with low usage. However, it’s the stronger (and also more efficient) diesel engine that ties in better with the Fortuner’s image. The manual gearbox is good but you’d do well to choose the smooth auto. Also, we’d only recommend the 4x4 version for buyers with genuine use for the off-road hardware. For everyone else, the 4x2 diesel-auto will do just fine.
Toyota Fortuner images
Toyota Fortuner colours
The Toyota Fortuner offers a variety of color options. Toyota Fortuner is available in a range of 7 colors. The colors offered in Toyota Fortuner are White Pearl Crystal Shine, Avant-Garde Bronze, Silver Metallic, Grey Metallic, Phantom Brown, Attitude Black and Super White.
Autocar score 8
₹ 33.25 lakh Price
10.01kplMileage
2694ccEngine
ManualTransmission
PetrolFuel type
7 SeaterSeating Capacity
Our Rating 
Fuel Type 
Engine Displacement 
Body Style 
Doors 
Seats 
Airbags 
Max Power 
Max Torque 
Gearbox Type 
Warranty Distance 
Warranty Duration 
Toyota Fortuner ₹ 33.25 - 40.78 lakh 
Mahindra Alturas G4 ₹ 34.05 - 37.59 lakh 
Isuzu MU-X NA 
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport ₹ 34.98 - 35.47 lakh 
