Road test review: Toyota Fortuner Limited

Friday, 11 June 2021

The Toyota Fortuner gets a new grille for 2021, but that’s about all on the outside.

TOYOTA FORTUNER LIMITED
Base price: $59,990

The Fortuner sits on the same ladder chassis as the Hilux and gets a number of the same mechanical upgrades as the ute.

Powertrain and economy: 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, 150kW/500Nm, 6-speed automatic, 4WD, combined economy 7.6L/100km, CO2 198g/km (source: RightCar).
Vital statistics: 4795mm long, 1855mm wide, 1835mm high, 2745mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 716 litres (with third row folded), 18-inch alloy wheels.

Toyota is very serious about claiming the top ute spot back off Ford with the heavily revised Hilux.

We like: Engine updates make it more drivable and more frugal, impressive ride for a ladder chassis SUV, still superbly capable off-road.
We don't like: Third row of seats eats up boot space, even when stowed away, interior still has quite a lot of hard plastics.

With the Hilux receiving an extensive refresh recently, it makes sense that the Hilux-based Fortuner SUV get one too. Which is exactly what Toyota has done.

The 2.8-litre diesel engine gets more power and more torque, yet is more frugal as well.

It doesn’t look that different. Are you sure they have refreshed it?

Yeah, while the Hilux got a more extensive external revamp with a new face, the Fortuner has mainly had interior and under-the-skin upgrades (it has got a new grille though) and, while not dramatically extensive, they do make a big difference to Toyota’s ute-based SUV.

The top spec Limited model scores a power tailgate as well as a number of other luxuries.

* Fortuner follows Hilux with new upgrades

* First drive review: Toyota Highlander

There’s nothing radical going on in the Fortuner’s interior, but it is solidly built and comfortable. A bit much plastic though.

* First Drive Review: Toyota Hilux

On the inside the Fortuner now gets the same upgraded 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display as the Hilux, while the audio system now also includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the instrument cluster and multi-information display have been revised with new information displays including front wheel turning angle, which is handy for that mucky off-road stuff.

The Fortuner’s third row of seats should be considered only very occasional, while they also eat into boot space.

Both variants – GXL and the Limited we test here – gain Toyota’s Parking Support Alert, which includes two front and four rear parking sensors, while our test vehicle is resplendent in a new colour addition to the range – Emotional Red.

Although I can’t say it made me particularly emotional.

That’s all nice, but fairly minor – what are the biggest changes?

The Fortuner remains very capable both on and off the road.

Where it really counts – Toyota has made the Fortuner more powerful, more frugal and able to tow more.

The Fortuner packs the same 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine as the Hilux, which now offers more power than its predecessor, up by 20kW to 150kW while peak torque has been ramped up to a 500Nm.

Toyota says the power increase was achieved by modifications to the cylinder block, pistons, turbo design and cooling system, while variable flow control power steering has been fitted to reduce fuel consumption, which has dropped from a combined figure of 8.6L/100km to 7.6 and combined CO2 emissions are also down, from 228g/km to 201(Toyota’s claim – RightCar have it listed as 198).

At the same time, the Fortuner’s braked towing capacity has been increased from 2,800kg to 3,100kg.

So what difference does that make?

Like the Hilux, the improvements made to the Fortuner’s engine has made it even more drivable, with the extra power and torque being particularly noticeable at urban speeds – the Fortuner pulls off the line with more enthusiasm now and the extra torque helps keep things nicely on the boil at low speeds.

Out on the open road the mid-range punch is also more noticeable, bringing with it an improvement in refinement, as the transmission doesn’t need to chop down a gear quite as often as before. It remains the same six-speed auto as before.

While the Hilux got some significant suspension revamps at its facelift, it was mainly focused on the rear set up, so the Fortuner remains largely unchanged, which is fine because it always had a fairly civilised ride anyway.

This is, of course, where you have to throw in the “for a ute-based ladder chassis SUV, that is” caveat, because while the Fortuner is very good by that particular standard, it is still far from the refined comfort of a large seven-seat monocoque SUV, with a slightly trucky ride that is actually part of the appeal of those sorts of things – they need to feel tough, but then they also need to tow, so a degree of compromise is always needed.

That said, the Fortuner features a good ride compared to other ladder chassis competitors and is actually rather comfortable over long distances, helped no end by the comfortable seats. Well, in the first two rows that is – you would be a cruel person indeed to banish anyone to the third row for a long ride. Best treat them as occasional. Very occasional.

Handling-wise, the Fortuner is still pretty much what you would expect – extremely competent and predictable, but still a big ladder chassis beast that is aimed more at towing a load or heading off-road in comfort than carving corners like a sports car.

So it’s pretty capable off-road then?

Yeah, of course it is – it’s based on the Hilux, after all. That means it comes with part-time 4WD with low-range and hill descent control, as well as packing 279mm of ground clearance, a maximum wading depth of 700mm and approach and departure angles of 30 degrees and 25 degrees respectively.

Everything is as easy and effortless as the Hilux when heading off-road and, like the ute, just makes crawling over rough stuff seem easy.

And that is the true beauty of the Fortuner – it is as utterly effortless to drive and live with as it is to tow a fully loaded horse float, head down the back of the farm or climb the side of a mountain in.

Solid, rugged and ridiculously competent, the Fortuner is the perfect counterpoint to the Highlander’s blatant road-going focus and the Prado’s ever-increasing size and price in Toyota’s SUV line up and is well worth consideration.

Any other cars I should consider?

While ute-based ladder chassis SUVs were all-but extinct a not all that long ago, there are more circulating around now, with Ford’s more luxurious, but admittedly much more expensive Ranger-based Everest seeming to be the most obvious competitor, given that the Ranger and Hilux seem to be locked in an eternal struggle for the top ute spot.

But it is actually Mitsubishi’s Triton-based Pajero Sport that is the Fortuner’s closest direct competitor, offering similar levels of capability and standard equipment for roughly the same money.

While there is also the Isuzu MU-X in the ladder chassis arena, there are any number of monocoque seven-seat SUVs floating around too, but they don’t offer the towing capacity of rugged off-road capability of the ute-based options.