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Toyota Fortuner Facelift Unveiled
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The formidable Toyota Fortuner has undergone a cosmetic upgrade for the better. What's more? Toyota has also decided to put a lot of customers at ease by introducing two new transmissions on the Fortuner, which includes a 4x2 version as well as an automatic. Vikram Gour reports
The Toyota Fortuner made a grand debut on the Indian automotive scene and has been an instant success. Not only did it give sleepless nights to the competition, it literally took the market by storm and has become a stable sight on Indian roads. It’s butch styling, go anywhere capability and ‘no nonsense’ approach to functionality have been further bolstered by Toyota’s legendary commitment to quality, fit, finish as well as their after-sales service. Thanks to this firm commitment the Fortuner literally became the king of the hill and remains the undisputed number one entry level premium SUV in India today.
Despite such accolades, the Toyota Fortuner did have its share of criticism as well and these mostly revolved around the treatment to the interiors, which were too similar to the much lower priced Innova, and there was a solid market demand for an automatic version. When it came to the exterior design, nothing much was said, but there were a number of people who actually compared its looks to the Tata Safari! With the competition set to increase, it only made sense for Toyota to address these issues at the earliest.
With its first major facelift since its debut, it is clear that Toyota has been inspired to bring about a ‘family’ look to the Fortuner. The exterior silhouette remains largely the same however major changes include the Land Cruiser inspired HID front lights and large chrome grille, a wider bonnet scoop, and at the rear there is an extra dash of chrome which is flanked by the clear glass rear lights. On the inside, the SUV is looking more suave thanks to the large touch screen display that not only gives you access to the music and DVD system, it also backs up as a rearview camera while reversing. The dashboard, is still Innova inspired, however the treatment is now more up market and frankly gels well with the Fortuner’s design flair.
While there has been absolutely no change to the 3.0 litre D-4D engine under the hood, Toyota has ushered in two new variants, namely a 4x2 manual and an automatic version. The full time 4x4 model will continue to be offered, however, for those who aren’t looking at driving their Fortuner off the tarmac, they can either opt for the 4x2, five speed manual or the four speed automatic. The automatic doesn’t seem very impressive on paper, especially for a vehicle of this class and caliber. Our wish list would have demanded a six speed autobox to say the least, and we hope Toyota is listening on this account. Having said that, the four speed automatic offers decent drivability. It is slightly sluggish at start up, however it does get going without too much of a fuss. The shifts between gears are smooth and there is no doubting the refinement of the gearbox. When it comes to overtaking, the gearbox is quick to kick down to a lower gear and allows for you to overtake with considerable ease. Where the box really leaves you wanting is while driving at high speeds.
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Readers' opinions ( 4 )
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Balakrishna Panicker
No 1 car in india!
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Rishabh
sexy n wild looks dan before.....!!!!
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DEEPAK NAG
The minimum for this class of vehicle is six speed automatic.Four speed auto transmission is not even used in sedans anymore.Please listen Toyota.
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samee aslan
awesome look...
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