We took turns driving the facelift Fortuner over 400km of Zambian roads, diverse as the
72 languages spoken there. From SA-class
tar roads, to secondary pot-holed filled b-roads,
to gravel and off-road adventures. Toyota’s mandate was to show us the media
that their car is a crowned all-rounder, a jack of every trade in the book and
a nice guy to boot.
The new front grille is more aggressive strange enough, despite being smoother and perhaps more
upmarket in appearance. Headlights are new too, and so are the side indicators
on the mirrors, again signalling a sort of upmarket turn for the product. A new
design 17-inch alloy wheel becomes
available too. These wheels are surrounded by 265/65 R17 7.5J tyres, and are pretty useful when negotiating a
tough uphill climb on the side of a steep mountain, as we often did along the route. A thick “Fortuner” marking was moved from the left rear to
the centre where it’s more visible and shinier. To stand out somewhat among the
35% crowd, buyers will be able to
choose from one of 7 exterior colours, including the two new ones called Silky Gold and Dark Steel Mica.
Cabin enhancements
are also quite evident if you’ve been following the Fortuner over the past few
years. There is a new Optitron meter
design laced with blue lighting, fresh new wood grain inserts, again for a more
luxurious feel. I liked the new steering wheel as it felt of higher build quality. For the higher-specced models a rear-view reverse camera makes parking easier. The dashboard itself is now decorated
with a new music system terminal. While it has a navigation button, Toyota SA currently has no supplier to make sat
nav functional in their cars, so the button is merely decorative in this instance. The USB and auxiliary holes
work well though. All Fortuners offer seating for up to 7 passengers, but the
rearmost seats are still clumsily
configured against the side walls when they are up, rather than the more modern
underfloor setup we see elsewhere.
New to the engine bay is a 2.5-litre D-4D turbo diesel engine. Peak power output is 106kW, while a very useful 343Nm of torque can be called upon
pretty early in the rev range. Its best buddy is a 5-speed manual gearbox
actuated through the typically-Toyota long gear stick. For now there is no AWD
available for this engine, so it stays as a rear-wheel-drive (RWD). Nevertheless this should quickly become the
best-seller on the list.
The rest remain the same. That is to say, the 3.0-litre D-4D is kept at 120kW and also 343Nm of torque. You can have it in either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. Another strange choice in a
new world of eco-friendlier 6, 7 or even 8-speed transmissions. Toyota really
needs to get up to speed with the rest of the industry now. The only petrol is
the 24-valve VVTi 4.0-litre V6 kicking
out 175kW and 376Nm of torque. Models with AWD feature a heavy duty transfer case
and a lockable rear differential, with a Torsen
limited slip centre differential (LSD).
With these in its box of goodies, the Fortuner becomes an outstanding bush baby, able to tackle mud just as
well as sand and rock.
The Fortuner range is sold with a 5 year / 90 000 km service plan and a 3 year / 100 000 km
warranty. The service plan can be extended to 7 years or 220 000 km and
the warranty to 6 years or 220 000 km. The warranty also includes a ToyotaCare Roadside Assistance
Programme that is applicable in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and
Lesotho.
Competitors who sell cars like the Ford Everest, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento are
always scratching their heads wondering what exactly Toyota is doing right in
order to sell upwards of 500 units
of this car every month. It just seems good value and a very capable vehicle,
as well as that vast support network
are quite key. Nothing looks to change in the near future either.
2011 Toyota
Fortuner Pricing
2.5D-4D 4x2 manual (R325 500)
3.0D-4D 4x2 manual (R395 000)
3.0D-4D 4x4 manual (R439 800)
3.0D-4D 4x2 automatic (R406 300)
3.0D-4D 4x4 automatic (R451 200)
4.0 V6 4x2 automatic (R422 300)
4.0 V6 4x4 automatic (R466 900)
always liked the Fortuner
ReplyDeleteLet's go bundu bashing guys
ReplyDeleteToyota Fortuner is the most successful SUV of Indian market but its facing a huge competition from other companies like newly launched Mahindra XUV500.The new version of Fortuner will really help in its sale.
ReplyDelete