Under a civilised garb: Toyota Fortuner drive
You can make a brash Haryanvi jatt wear a tuxedo, don a pair of Guccis or even send him to the school of suave... But place him in the midst of a bare-knuckle brawl and his real fiesty character will still fire through. That’s what we feel is the case with the new Toyota Fortuner.
About eight years back, Toyota introduced a much-awaited SUV in the Indian market. It conquered hearts of politicians, land owners... and basically anyone who wished to project themselves as the bigger dog. In its initial days it was quite common to hear people waiting for months to get their vehicle delivered. Over the course of time, it’s demand increased but there was no decrease in the waiting period. The vehicle, Fortuner, captured and captivated market in such a manner that even its second-hand version sells for a premium! What’s more, even with the new model about to be launched, the outgoing one was still in high demand. And now that Toyota has launched the second generation Fortuner, we decided to take this beast (let’s see if we can still use this adjective) on a chassis-breaking ride across a highly challenging off-road course on a tea estate in Vagamon.
First up, we had to get to the tea estate from Cochin and thus began our ride through the winding roads of Kerala. By the time we reach the estate, let’s give you a lowdown on how the new Fortuner looks. This one has definitely shed its brutish looks and gone for a fluidic sort of approach. Personally I have always admired its ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ appearance and I am really hoping that over time I will start admiring its newfound suave’ness’ as well. Though on the outside there are many visible changes, it’s the interior that really impresses. The outgoing Fortuner’s interior has been a bit too rugged for my taste but Toyota has done a fabulous job with this second generation and it’s quite plush and geared up for a really long and comfortable journey. Moving on, now that we have crossed all the boring stretches of traffic and reach the tea estate let’s get to the Fortuner’s driving capabilities. Now the Fortuner I was driving was a 4x2 AT petrol model. I know... not really what one would want for hardcore stuff but then, this machine gives its driver so much confidence that one tends to forget the technicalities. Now maybe Toyota had selected the easiest stretch at the estate but the 4x2 model took on the 3.5 km track with such finesse that there was not even a single challenging moment. We did veer off the course a bit and tried out some acrobatics and the results were not at all disappointing. Overall the new Fortuner is a capable SUV and will definitely prove to be a worthy successor. And to find out how much it can take we will certainly take it up north to the heart of the Himalayas and grill it further.
Specifications
- Engine: 2,694 cc
- Variant driven: 4x2 AT
- Power: 122 kW @ 5,200 rpm
- Torque: 245 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
- Price: ₹27,67,000
From the December 2016 issue of FHM India.
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