The Toyota Fortuner was first launched in India in 2009 after a long wait. Considering how much we love our SUVs, it was a huge hit and high on the desirability quotient. Naturally, Toyota made a fortune (pun intended) in sales and the car maker’s reputation for reliability only helped to make it the segment best. However time has taken its toll, and even with a mid-life makeover the Fortuner started to look dated. Ford bringing in the new Endeavour made things even more evident. Finally, a year and a half after it was launched in Thailand, the 2016 Toyota Fortuner reached Indian shores towards the end of 2016. And what’s more, it now also comes with a petrol engine if the NGT gets the mood of a diesel ban again. What we have with us is the range topping diesel 4×4 automatic.
2016 Toyota Fortuner Exterior
If the previous gen Fortuner was an outright brute in terms of looks, the new one appears more sophisticated. But before you frown, no it doesn’t take away any of the character that the predecessor was well known for. It still is super imposing and will give motorists a scare when they see it coming in their rear view mirror. The Fortuner is 4,795 mm long and 1,855 mm wide along with a height of 1,835 mm. That makes it longer and wider than the older model but lower in height. Overall dimensions wise, it is also smaller than the Endeavour.
Upfront is a huge three slat chrome grille in a V design. The vertical chrome elements of the grille extend towards the headlamps. The Bi-Beam LED auto headlamps have a slim wrap around design and get LED DRLs. The bonnet loses the scoop that was seen on the older Fortuner and is very heavy. The lack of gas struts to hold up the bonnet is a glaring omission. While it is quite an effort for a decently heighted person to open and hold the bonnet, the task is virtually impossible for a short person. The front bumper feels the business and gets fog lamps in chrome (again) housings along with a wide air dam in the centre. The flared fenders give a muscular stance to the SUV. The squared wheel arches have thin body cladding and house massive 18 inch alloy wheels (4WD). Our test car came shot with 265/60 R18 Bridgestone Dueler HT tyres. For the kind of off –roading capability that the Fortuner has, AT tyres would have been the ideal option. It’s quite surprising that the 2WD models get AT tyres instead. The windows have a slimmer design but the overly thick C pillar makes the third row window feel rather small. The rear gets slim LED tail lamps with a thick chrome strip connecting them. The chrome strip features the Fortuner lettering. There is a prominent roof spoiler mounted on the rear windshield and the silver finished roof rails look good too. The rear bumper gets only two parking sensors which is quite a bummer for an SUV of this size. The spare tyre is fixed underneath the vehicle and gets a full size alloy wheel. Brownie points for that, Toyota. Overall the funky design will ensure that this 2nd gen Fortuner will age quite gracefully.
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