Toyota Fortuner Review: The Aging King Needs a Successor
The Toyota Fortuner is a phenomenon. It defies economic logic. As the price goes up (now touching Rs 60 Lakhs for the GR-S), the sales go up. But strip away the “Legislator/Politician” image, and you are left with a product that is desperately screaming for an update.
🏗️ The Ladder-Frame Jitters
The current Gen Fortuner (launched in 2016) shows its age most in its Ride Quality.
- Low Speed: It is busy. You feel every pebble. It tosses passengers around in a way that modern monocoques (driving alongside it for half the price) simply don’t.
- Steering: It uses an old-school Hydraulic setup. It is heavy. Detailed gym workout heavy. U-turns in the city are a chore.
🕰️ Interiors: Welcome to 2015
Step inside, and the Rs 60 Lakh price tag feels like a prank.
- Tech: The touchscreen is small, laggy, and has low-resolution graphics. The camera quality is potato-grade.
- Features: No sunroof (standard even in 10L cars now). No ADAS. No digital instrument cluster. Hard plastics are everywhere.
💰 The Price vs Value Equation
For the price of a Fortuner GR-Sport, you can almost buy a Mercedes-Benz GLA or a BMW X1. Yes, they are smaller, but the difference in engineering sophistication is night and day. Even the Mahindra XUV700 offers superior tech and ride comfort for 1/3rd the price.
🏁 Verdict: Why Buy It?
So, is it bad? No. It has two trump cards:
- Indestructibility: It will outlast you. It will never leave you stranded.
- Resale Value: You buy it for 50L, drive it for 5 years, and sell it for 45L.
But as a product? It is a dinosaur. It’s a reliable, capable dinosaur, but one that badly needs the asteroid of a “New Generation” to hit it.