The Butch Toyota Fortuner Gets A Mid-life Refresh

• The 2020 Toyota Fortuner’s 2.8-litre engine now develops 204PS/500Nm.
• New top-spec Legender variant gets a Lexus-esque front fascia.
• Comes with Apple CarPlay (finally), still no Android Auto.
• Ambient lighting, wireless charging and 360-degree camera added.

Come what may but there’s no stopping the Toyota Fortuner. The body-on-frame SUV, known for its tough-as-nails reliability, has been extremely popular in India. However, in front of its rivals, the Fortuner does fall short in terms of features. Now, Toyota has taken the wraps off the facelifted Fortuner which not only looks sharper but also gets more equipment and an upgraded diesel engine. 

The front end of the Fortuner gets the biggest update. The grille is now larger and is flanked by redesigned LED headlamps with sleek LED DRLS. Then there’s the front bumper which comes with redesigned fog lamp housing. Changes to the side and rear are minimal with new alloy wheels, revamped rear bumper and new LED detailing for the tail lamps. 

There’s also a new top-spec Legender variant which looks different from the standard Thai-spec model. It features a Lexus-esque grille and dual-tone alloy wheels. 

The next major highlight lies under the hood. Yes, it utilises the same 2.8-litre diesel engine but in a higher state of tune. That’s right, the oil burner now produces 204PS of power and 500Nm of torque, 27PS and 50Nm more than the India-spec Fortuner automatic. This makes the facelifted Fortuner the most powerful SUV in its segment. It will be offered with the choice of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission options. And like before, there will be rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants as well. 

Open the door of the facelifted Fortuner and you notice a familiar dashboard. However, it now gets an updated infotainment system with Apple CarPlay (finally!). More importantly, the screen size has gone up from 7-inches to up to 9-inches. Sadly, it still does not support Android Auto. The instrument cluster is also redesigned and comes with an updated multi-info driver’s display.  

The facelifted Fortuner comes with new features such as connected car technology, a 360-degree camera, ambient lighting, wireless phone charger, a JBL sound system and Activated Kick door that allows you to open the boot by waving your leg underneath the car.  It also retains the older car’s features such as climate control, cruise control, powered driver’s seat, drive modes and keyless entry with push button start. On the safety front, it comes with seven airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors,and electronic stability control. 

The facelifted Toyota Fortuner is expected to reach our shores by early 2021. Expect it to cost more than the current model which is priced from Rs 28.66 lakh (ex-showroom). The refreshed Fortuner will take on the likes of the Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Alturas G4 and Ford Endeavour along with the upcoming MG Gloster.