Skip to main content

Toyota Fortuner 3.0 4WD automatic review




What is it?
The Fortuner is Toyota's hardy body-on-frame SUV. A car that has always been at the top of its class, the original was introduced in 2009, with a facelift appearing in 2011. But while the Fortuner was sold in both four-wheel-drive guise and later as an automatic, the combination of the two, a four-wheel-drive auto, hasn't been put on sale: until now.
New bits on the exterior that help identify it as a 4X4 automatic include semi 'blacked out' parts like the alloys, and Toyota has added some aftermarket 'smoked' headlights and tail-lights for a more 'custom' look.


It also gets a few changes on the inside. Now finished in black to match the exteriors, with double stitched black leather seats, the new insides look sportier. The Innova-based steering wheel, dials and air-con controls, however, are still carried over, and the touchscreen audio/navigation system still looks like an aftermarket fitting. Otherwise, the cabin remains the same. You are sat a bit high, but the seats are comfortable and space is good. What's also nice is that the third row, though cramped, is useable as well.

Under the skin, the Fortuner gets a five-speed torque convertor-equipped automatic gearbox and full-time four-wheel-drive system. More serious off road kit like a low range gearbox and lockable differentials are carried over. But there is no shift-on-the-fly system, and instead, the manual four-wheel-drive mode selector lever is carried over. This Fortuner uses the168bhp 3.0-litre diesel engine, and it needs all that power; kerb weight is now up to two tonnes. 

What's it like to drive?
Take off from rest in the automatic 4X4 Fortuner and you can feel the slurring torque converter working hard against all that mass. As a result, the automatic feels a bit more sluggish off the line than the manual gearbox-equipped car, the auto 'box sapping a bit of the power here. Acceleration doesn't feel particularly slow, its 0-100kph time of 12.32seconds is actually quite okay.

The 3.0-litre unit is a gruff, gravelly diesel. It does feel much more relaxed when cruising at between 2000 and 3000rpm and the gearbox is reasonably quick to downshift too. What makes the Fortuner nice to drive is that there isn't any discernable turbo lag, so it is quick to respond and snaps up overtaking opportunities nicely.


Low speed ride, as on earlier Fortuners, is a bit lumpy. And there's also a bit of shuddering from all the unsprung mass being thrown around. The ride, however, improves as you go faster and the suspension does a good job over really bad patches of road. Stability is also decent and the weighty steering has a good amount of feel as well. The brakes, however, aren't up to scratch. They work fine for regular driving, but don't quite deliver the stopping power needed when you need to stop in a hurry.

When driven off road, the Fortuner is its capable self even with the automatic. Locking the differentials in high is good enough for most situations, and if conditions become even more arduous you can always drop the gearbox down into low. Control is easy to maintain as the gearbox can be held in each gear manually via the slotted gear selector. Unfortunately, there is no tip-tronic function and there are no paddles behind the steering wheel either.   

Should you buy one?
The Fortuner 4X4 automatic scores well in almost all areas. Yes, the automatic gearbox saps a bit of power, the brakes should have been given an upgrade for this version and at Rs 26.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), it is expensive. Still, it drives well, both on and off road, the engine is responsive and the five-speed automatic adds greatly to convenience. If you liked the manual gearbox-equipped version, you are likely to take to this one as well; just don't expect too much from the old-school automatic gearbox.\


Comments

  1. Cars 4 self drive19 October 2022 at 02:47

    Nice Blog! Cars 4 self drive provides the best self drive car rental service in Chandigarh. We also provide manual cars and automatic transmission cars for rent to make your driving simple. We have all types of cars such as thar, fortuner, brezza, alto, skoda, etc

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Lamborghini Urus India review, test drive

             On first introduction, it’s a recipe for intimidation. It’s claimed to be the fastest SUV in the world (0-100kph in 3.6sec and a top speed of 305kph puts it nearly in supercar territory), and it’s made by Lamborghini – creator of some of the most savage vehicles on the market. Things – as with any Lamborghini, for that matter – would be a lot less daunting if we were driving on a smooth European country road, a wide motorway, or even a race track. But today we’re driving the Urus on a narrow  ghat  road, as well as through some heavy Pune traffic. Perhaps the intention was to demonstrate that this is the first Lamborghini ever to go on sale in India that truly works in our conditions – but still, I doubt they accounted for rush hour. It’s requisitely mad to look at, employing as many ‘sporty’ design tropes to an SUV body style as possible – the only thing missing is a massive wing on the back; and somehow, it works. It’s ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Skoda Vision RS concept previews new hatchback

Skoda has set the stage for its forthcoming Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus rival with the Vision RS, a concept car that features a performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain. Under the sporty details and concept flourishes, the Vision RS bears a close resemblance to the Rapid hatchback that will be introduced next year. The fact that it has been previewed in vRS form, complete with 245hp PHEV powertrain, shows how much further upmarket the new Rapid will go compared with the current value-led model. Skoda product marketing chief Björn Kroll said: “The current Rapid is too low-market. For this one, we have tried to balance it out.” Skoda will drop the slow-selling liftback version and concentrate on the Spaceback hatch for the new Rapid. At 4,356mm, the concept is just over 50mm longer than the current Rapid, and it has a 440-litre boot that's up by 25 litres. The concept retains some of the current Rapid’s des...
Post a Comment
Read more

What to avoid during a car service

                   When it comes to getting their cars serviced at authorised outlets, owners usually go the whole hog. They want their cars coming out of service centres looking brand new, and are willing to pay for it. But do service centres take undue advantage of this? Yes, they do. Servicing may involve changing certain parts and oils after a set interval, but service centres will almost always try to plug in a few extras using technical jargon that a layman may not really understand. Certain processes are completely unnecessary, and customers end up paying extra as they are not aware of what's important and what's not. Also, most of the times, the service associate will throw you a hard sales pitch, and it's not always done with your best interests in mind. So what exactly are the things you don’t really need and should avoid?  Engine flushing Flushing an engine simply means cleaning the impure oil and gunk that ...
Post a Comment
Read more