Toyota Fortuner

While there are no doubts that Toyota has completely transformed the exterior look, the interior cabin falls short of modernity and finesse of the outside and looks a bit too staid and simple.

Nevertheless, the cabin of the Toyota Fortuner feels large and capacious, the driver’s cockpit of which consists of a large multi-functional steering wheel with chunky looking spokes and a simple instrument console with colored MID.

The dashboard of the Toyota Fortuner has a  vertical design, which looks a bit old school, but feels premium with leather upholstery and soft-touch plastic and leather setup. However,  the layout looks boring and dated for a premium SUV, and the touchscreen infotainment system, as well as panel for automatic climate control panels too, look archaic. 

However, the Toyota Fortuner really shines out when it comes to the amount of space it offers. With more than enough space to accommodate all the passengers in all the three rows, the Fortuner feels immensely spacious and comfortable. However, the Fortuner lacks a number of premium and contemporary features present in its competitors, which reduces its desirability. 

It was this current second-generation Toyota Fortuner which made a huge transition for Toyota in turning out its design philosophy for SUVs from being bulky looking to get some amount of sleekness. While it still possesses the quintessential bulky and raised stance, Toyota has instilled some sleekness, especially at the front and sides.

At the front, the Toyota Fortuner has got a heightened stance, at the centre of which is positioned a trapezoidal grille which is slightly raked and gets double chrome slats within it and chrome surrounds. Some amount of chrome is extended towards the sleek looking headlamps which are shaped like wings and get incorporated with daytime running LEDs and LED projectors. The fog lamps are housed in large triangular cavities with rounded edges on the front bumper.

There is some amount of sleekness carried forward on the sides of Toyota Fortuner, but there is still some sense of evolution here which can be seen in its raised stance, an integrated pattern for C-pillar and squared wheel arches. Like in the previous model, the rear quarter glass has a sharply raked kink at its lower edge, which blends beautifully with the rear windscreen. The machined alloy wheels and chrome door handles insert some posh appeal to the Fortuner.

At the back, the Toyota Fortuner gets sleeker LED tail lamps, which do get a nice thin chrome garnish with the name embossed on it. The large rear spoiler adds to the sporty appeal of the SUV.

The Toyota Fortuner is armed with its double-wishbone setup at the front and 4-link with coil springs at the rear. While the suspension setup is capable of handling all the rough stuff with ease, the ride quality feels not so sure-footed and tends to be bouncy at times.

The Toyota Fortuner is available in Singapore with only one petrol engine – a 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol motor, which is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The engine produces a maximum power output of 165 PS and a torque output of 245 Nm.

The Toyota Fortuner has a pretty basic list of safety features and misses out on many modern-day electronic aids. It does get essentials like the front, side, curtain and knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, hill start assist, electronic stability program, traction control, and reverse parking sensors.

The Toyota Fortuner has got an authoritative and macho road presence which does give it a desirable appeal, something which is equally complemented well with rugged and reliable mechanicals. However, the old school feels in its interior layout and list of features do not make it a very good value for money options out there.