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The Toyota Fortuner ought to, on paper, be a section stalwart.
In spite of everything, it’s primarily based on the identical underpinnings because the all-conquering HiLux ute, and Toyota Australia has a near-perfect strike price in terms of introducing new names to Australia.
Unusually although, the Fortuner hasn’t actually been a gross sales success. It’s constantly outdone by the Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport on the gross sales charts, even after a mid-life facelift and an influence increase.
Constructed on the identical rugged, ladder-frame bones as its ute sibling, the Fortuner incorporates a extra comfort-oriented coil spring suspension setup, extra luxurious inside, extra seats… and no tray, in fact.
It’s aimed toward individuals who need to take their household into the wilderness, to locations a extra road-oriented seven-seater gained’t go.
Why has the Fortuner struggled to make an influence in Australia?
How a lot does the Toyota Fortuner GXL value?
The Fortuner GXL on take a look at has a sticker worth of $55,085 earlier than on-road prices, though choosing the Luxurious Pack (leather-based seats, powered entrance seats) provides $2500 to the sticker worth for an as-tested sticker of $57,635 earlier than on-roads.
The vary kicks off at $49,715 earlier than on-roads for the GX, and extends to $62,945 earlier than on-roads for the evocatively-named Campaign. Toyota doesn’t supply two-wheel drive variants, nor a handbook anymore.
The GXL is priced between the Isuzu MU-X LS-M 4×4 ($54,900) and LS-U ($61,400), and intersects the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLS ($54,190) and Exceed ($59,690) 4WD fashions.
The entry-level, five-seat Ford Everest 4×2 Ambiente ($57,990) is a close to good match primarily based on worth.
What’s the Toyota Fortuner GXL like on the within?
The Fortuner is, at first look, a reasonably luxurious tackle the rugged SUV system.
With leather-based trim on the seats and steering wheel, a leather-like padded cowl for the highest glovebox, and loads of gloss black, it’s flashier than you may count on of a HiLux-based off-roader.
In actuality, the flashiness isn’t backed with the substance you’d hope. The driving place is poor for tall drivers – at six-seven, I must lever my legs underneath the wheel and sit with them awkwardly splayed – and a number of the contact factors really feel downright nasty.
The central armrest is rock laborious, the handbrake is trimmed in brittle plastic, and the chunky steering wheel doesn’t truly really feel significantly flash in your arms.
Why Toyota has trimmed the glovebox lid in plush leatherette, however left the armrest uncomfortably stable, stays a thriller.
Infotainment is a Toyota weak spot, and it stays that method right here. The 8.0-inch display screen within the Fortuner is gradual as well up and laggy in day-to-day use. Apple CarPlay is its saving grace, though you’ll nonetheless must plug in.
The driving force is confronted with easy, legible analogue dials between which sits a color journey laptop able to displaying your velocity, media, or journey knowledge.
Storage up entrance is ok, however nothing extra. The cupholders are nestled beneath the centre console beneath a flip-up lid, and there’s an open house that will be the right slot for a wi-fi charger… however as an alternative is only a neat place to place your cellphone.
The twin-tier glovebox has loads of house, and the underarm bin has room for a household’s value of street journey snacks.
Rear seat house is ok, however nothing extra. There’s marginally much less legroom than is obtainable in rivals such because the MU-X, and headroom is on par for the category.
The Fortuner has roof-mounted air vents, but it surely lacks USB ports. As an alternative, it incorporates a much less helpful 240V plug.
Though the rear bench slides, entry to the third row is tighter than in some rivals. With the driving force’s seat set for a taller grownup, the opening by which youngsters must climb to entry the third row is sort of tight, and the seats are extra suited to younger youngsters.
Though there are air vents again there, you don’t get cupholders or machine energy. Then there’s the very fact Toyota hasn’t engineered the third row within the Fortuner to fold into the ground.
As an alternative, that you must clip them to the aspect of the load bay, which limits visibility and boot house, and means they squeak over tough roads. They are often eliminated solely, but it surely’s a laborious course of. The boot lid can be handbook.
Toyota doesn’t quote a claimed boot capability for the Fortuner, however impartial figures quote 200L with the third row in use, 716L with the third row folded, and 1080L with the second row folded.
What’s underneath the bonnet?
The Toyota Fortuner is powered by the identical 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine because the HiLux ute, with 150kW of energy and 500Nm of torque.
It comes with a six-speed automated transmission and switchable four-wheel drive, together with low vary and a locking rear differential.
Claimed gas financial system is 7.6L/100km on the ADR mixed metropolis and freeway cycle, and the Fortuner has an 80L gas tank. We noticed 8.2L/100km on a combined loop.
How does the Toyota Fortuner GXL drive?
The Fortuner is predicated on the HiLux ute, and it reveals.
Even after a latest replace the HiLux is without doubt one of the extra rugged dual-cab utes on the market, and that doesn’t translate properly to a seven-seat household SUV.
With heavy steering at low velocity and a noticeable diesel clatter on startup, it feels very truck-like from the second you get rolling. None of its rivals can fully conceal their agricultural roots, however newer choices do a greater job than the Toyota.
Navigating tight underground carparks requires extra arm-twirling and larger biceps than is right. The Fortuner simply feels cumbersome in tight areas, regardless of truly being the smaller than a few of its rivals – and regardless of Toyota making the steering lighter with a mid-life refresh.
The third-row seats additionally reduce visibility after they’re folded into the aspect of the load house, and the dearth of blind-spot monitoring is disappointing in 2022. Toyota provides them on the Campaign, however has skimped right here.
The reversing digital camera can be low-resolution, and a surround-view digital camera would make putting the automotive and its appreciable entrance overhang a lot simpler.
What the Fortuner does have is grunt, and loads of it. Toyota boosted the two.8-litre turbo-diesel engine together with its styling in 2020, upping energy to 150kW and torque to 500Nm, and it reveals in the true world.
Lean on the accelerator and the Fortuner surges ahead extra determinedly than earlier than once you’re within the mid-range, and the six-speed automated can maintain a taller gear as an alternative of shifting down when that you must get a transfer on.
It feels assured and settled on the transfer, one thing that solely turns into extra related as you add passengers, baggage, or a trailer.
At freeway speeds, the clattery diesel engine settles down properly and the rear suspension within the Fortuner lends it a settled journey.
It nonetheless has the marginally busy, jiggly really feel frequent in ute-based SUVs with solely the driving force on board, but it surely isn’t fairly as busy on the rear as an Isuzu MU-X.
Over washboard gravel with some potholes, there’s a fairly smooth edge to the journey. It does a good job conserving occupants separated with what’s occurring beneath them, and doesn’t get skittish.
The traction management and stability management within the Fortuner reduce in moderately easily on unfastened surfaces, and the change between 2H, 4H, and 4L four-wheel drive modes occurs swiftly. Nervous off-roaders can be happy to know there are many clear lights on the dashboard to indicate what’s occurring underneath the pores and skin.
The Fortuner feels each bit like a body-on-frame truck on roads with a big crown, requiring a good bit of steering to maintain the entrance finish on the straight and slim.
Toyota’s driver assists additionally lack the sophistication you’d count on in 2022. The lane-keeping system is brake-based reasonably than steering the automotive again between the white strains once you stray.
For a automotive designed to cowl lengthy distances with treasured cargo on board, it’s disappointing.
What do you get?
Fortuner GX highlights:
- Aspect steps
- 60/40 cut up tumble-folding second-row seats
- 50/50 cut up side-folding third row
- Entrance, rear air con
- Air-conditioned cooler field
- Rear differential lock
- 4.2-inch multi-information show
- Three 12V energy sockets
- Computerized headlamps
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display screen
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Six-speaker sound system
- AEB with pedestrian/bike owner detection
- Lane departure warning
- Street signal recognition
- Adaptive cruise management
- Reversing digital camera
- Rear parking sensors
- Hill begin help
- Trailer sway management
The GX might be had with DAB radio and satellite tv for pc navigation ($1000).
Fortuner GXL provides:
- Privateness glass
- Chrome exterior trim
- Roof rails
- Leatherette steering wheel
- Paddle shifters
- Keyless entry and begin
- Adjustable instrumentation lighting
- Local weather management
- Satellite tv for pc navigation
- DAB+ digital radio
- Hill-descent management
- Keyless entry and begin
- Roof rails
- LED fog lamps
- Privateness glass
The GXL might be optioned with leather-accented, powered entrance seats for $2500.
Fortuner Campaign provides:
- Alloy spare wheel
- Powered tailgate
- LED headlights
- LED daytime operating lights
- Door courtesy lights
- Fake woodgrain trim
- Leather-based-accented inside
- Eight-way powered driver’s seat
- Gentle-touch console field lid
- 220V accent port
- Self-levelling headlamps
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
Is the Toyota Fortuner GXL secure?
The Toyota Fortuner wears five-star ANCAP security ranking, primarily based on checks performed on the associated HiLux in 2019.
It obtained scores of 95 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 84 per cent for youngster occupant safety, 88 per cent for susceptible street consumer safety, and 78 per cent for security help.
Customary security gear contains:
- AEB with pedestrian and bike owner detection
- Lane- departure warning
- Lane-keep help (by way of braking)
- Visitors signal recognition
- Reversing digital camera
- Entrance and rear parking sensors
- Trailer sway management
- Adaptive cruise management
Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are reserved for the Campaign.
How a lot does the Toyota Fortuner GXL value to run?
The Fortuner is backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee – prolonged to seven years on the powertrain if you happen to service on time throughout the Toyota vendor community.
Sadly, these providers are required each six months or 10,000km. The primary three years of upkeep will set you again a mixed $1500, at which level Toyota’s capped-price service supply ends.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Toyota Fortuner GXL
The Fortuner is a uncommon miss from Toyota.
There’s no questioning the standard of its underpinnings, nor the attraction of Toyota’s sprawling vendor community, however there are extra trendy, refined, and cozy ute-based crossovers on the market for comparable cash.
The inside isn’t as properly thought out appropriately, as evidenced by the side-holstered third-row seats, and the very fact Toyota withholds blind-spot and rear cross-traffic from the mid-range GXL is disappointing.
As for its strengths? The engine feels muscular, the journey is fairly good on pitted roads, and the aftermarket is brimming with equipment for many who need to make their journey harder.
In the event you do have your coronary heart set on a Fortuner, the GXL with Luxurious Pack does seem to be the neatest purchase within the vary. It provides the correct amount of luxurious on the proper worth alongside the Campaign.
Click on the photographs for the total gallery
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