Great review, to the point, informative. We bought our Fortuner at the end of November 2020. We could not justify the Crusade so we went for the GXL. Previously we had a Kia Sorento and we were just about to upgrade to the new Sorento when we realised that the ground clearance was reduced even further from 185mm to 176mm. Since we love camping in the bush, we needed something with proper off road capabilities but not sacrificing too much ride comfort. Isuzu (even the new one) has the same old engine which was inherited/shared with Holden from 1999. Yes, they updated it but it’s still the same engine. Also the look of the new Isuzu was not compelling. Pajero Sport sounded interesting but Toyota’s traction control system and its reliability, spare parts availability was enough to push us over the line. Ford Everest..? Nah, I just had to talk to a few mechanics. And the price was ridiculous. Since the end of last November we have travelled up to Cape Tribulation clicking 8500km bringing the total mileage on the clock to 35,000kms. We towed a light trailer, did river crossing, some scary ones too when the water was covering the bonnet, did off-roaring in sand and mud, packed the car full including the roof rack, etc. In all honesty, the car did not disappoint at all. The very first thing I did when I picked up the car was to chuck the third row seats out. The boot is now ENORMOUS! Fitted a bull bar, tow bar and roof rack: ready for adventure. Prado is slower as it is heavier and way more expensive. Kluger is just not for off road at all let alone towing a caravan. I think the Fortuner is a reliable family off-roader. DPF upgrade is excellent giving you an option of manual and auto cleaning. No issue with DPF whatsoever. Easily tows a 2.5t caravan or 2.7 although the max is 3t but then payload is unrealistic when you tow to the max ATM. And I would not tow anything heavier than 2.5t anyway…We are happy with our purchase. Very practical car with good features. Everything is just handy in the car, well thought out, typical Toyota. No, I don’t get any commission from Toyota (would be great), I am just a happy customer who usually drives a lot so I talk out of experience.
You pointed out exactly what is wrong with the fortuner over a mux. No fold down 3rd row seats an too expensive. Mux have a bullet proof engine an no problems with the dpf. Fortuner has the worst resale of any current Toyota vehicle. They just applied lipstick to this upgrade.
I am tbinking of the new sorento but the x line that have high ground clearance, so how was your experience with your old sorento ? Was it a reliable ,solid car ? Any issues with it ?
I watched many reviews on youtube, and people said the suspension in Fortuner is harsh. What's your experience with the suspension, is it harder than some competitors like Pajero Sport (if you test drive both of them). What about Prado, is that car more comfortable on and off-road compare to your Fortuner? I am choosing between these few SUVs, Prado took too much time (and have to pay extra) for me to wait. I heard that Pajero Sport has a comfortable seat, but a cramped space and a boot design that is not in my tast. Fortuner designs good but still question about the comforts of daily drives and long-distance road trips.
The Fortuner is probably one of the best, if not the best, best value 4x4s any carmaker makes, let alone Toyota. I live in Karratha WA - Toyota and Toyota Hilux Country, where anything other than a Toyota falls apart. FYI. the Fortuner is an upgraded Hilux with a body kit - i.e., all its mechanicals are Toyota Hilux - Australia's best-selling car for years - upgraded with rear discs and rear springs (i.e., the Hilux comes with drums and leaf-springs). I've had my Fortuner for 3 years and 55 000 kms, and it is still as solid as new despite me taking it to some of the toughest offroad conditions in the country. When I bought the Fortuner it replaced an 80 Series Land Cruiser (still one of the best-regarded 4x4s ever made) and a Nissan Dualis, and it does the jobs of both cars better than either of those cars! Eg, the traction control system and factory rear locker means that I have taken the Fortuner to places that even the 80 Series would have struggled to go and to places where most Fortuner owners can only dream of driving. Eg, there is a track up telegraph hill just outside Karratha which is ~45 degrees and full of loose rocks, gravel and holes, and the Fortuner made it up no trouble at all with no wheel spin at all. The track to Gregory's Gorge is like a Sunday family drive for the family in the Fortuner despite being 30+km long rough track and its 2 water crossings - one always deep and the other always rocky. The Fortuner has been incredibly tough - as tough as the 80 Series. I have also driven it at 180km/h on a gravel road with complete stability and traction, 150km/h for 2 hours on a highway to get home before sunset, and it handles sand like a beast - the best sand driver I have ever driven including 80 series and a 2012 Hilux. I.e., it handles sand amazing well with all traction control systems off - i.e., as a raw basic 4x4. I have also done ~2000 km road trips with my kids with the Fortuner packed to the gills and the kids in the rear seats, and the Fortuner did the trip with ease and in comfort even after 20+ hours driving. And it is perfect for the school run and putting around town too. It also only cost me ~$50 000, which is amazing value for Toyota that can do anything and go virtually anywhere. I could take the Fortuner anywhere that a 300 Series owner would take their car - more places, because a 300 Series owner wouldn't take their $100 000+ car half the places I will take the Fortuner because I'm not worried about damaging a very expensive vehicle. I have also made no mechanical changes to the Fortuner because it comes out of the factory good enough for me to take it anywhere. I've improved the all-terrains and I’ve put on 32-inch all-terrains, but a suspension lift would be pointless because it goes everywhere I need to go with the factory suspension. And the factory suspension is solid around town, but also good for rough tracks too. And I bought it using Toyota's Access finance with a 6% interest rate and which gives multiple choices to refinance or sell it. The Fortuner is severely underrated because most reviewers ignore it and/or do not even try to push it anywhere to its full capabilities. I suggest reviewers actually try to push the Fortuner to its limits to discover its limits - they probably will not find it before their fear or their insurance makes them back off. My suggestion - GET A FORTUNER WHILE YOU CAN! When I bought my 2021 Fortuner they were rare around Karratha, but they are now everywhere as the locals are finally waking up to how good and capable they are.
Against the trend of all the vehicles but the third row set set up is what sold me on this vehicle. There is so much more height in the storage, especially for push bikes as they are locked away ans secure while travelling with still enough room for luggage. Absolutely love mine.
I have a 2017 Toyota Fortuner like you have shown exactly same model. Im so satisfied on my Fortuner , been using for 4 yrs now. Not even had been tune up it keeps on top of running good. Got 27k km. Very low mileage. 2.8 turbo diesel. 4XE.
I just made a 2.000km trip, on the SRX (top version in my country) it was 98% highway, 1% dirt road and 1% mud, holes and tree roots. Didn´t get tired on the highway, not that comfortable on small roads, but a beast on off road. We had the opportunity to scout in an abandoned road with a lot of cars but the only three that got to the top where a hilux, a wrangler and us. CX9, VW tiguan, XC60 volvo had to retreat do to the horrible mud pools. Overall happy with the car, the suspension its stiff but no body roll.
Ordered fortuner crusade since 10/03/23 … still waiting on it … was told 9 months wait on it … can’t wait anymore 😅 … owned a bmw in the past .. since then only going to invest on toyota’s … Toyota reliability is the main reason for buying it
It sells well considering toyota dont even advertise it or do any sort of promotion for it. Also don't understand why Toyota dont offer a 5 seat version - from what I have seen on forums etc the majority of buyers remove the 3rd row seats - very few seem to leave them in.
Great review. It's good to hear that you have actually put some thought into which segment the fortuner is in , unlike others! Yes, when you buy a vehicle like this you do need to compromise on a few points and it cannot be compared to more road going suv's For me, it far outways the likes of pajero sport , Ford Everest and mu-x .. thats my opinion anyway. Edit... Having now taken delivery of the new 2021/22 gxl fortuner , I am extremely happy with it. Comfortable , plenty of power and drives fantastic!
The sliding middle row is what sold it for me. I’m buying a 7 seater because I babysit my siblings a lot and I want the car to grow with them and will need the 3rd row to actually be comfortable without getting a van. Bit pricey but still cheaper than the prado
For the price Fortuner is a good value car..big price difference with prado.. New Fortuner is punchy and comfortable to drive.. I was tossing btw new Fortuner and new mux even though i didn't like the shape of new Mux, but after a test drive didn't go back. A 2021 Fortuner is in my garage now..A great family allrounder.😊
Please share more details between Fortuner and Prado. Prado has to pay extra and take too long to wait. I was worried about the comfort compared to Prado, especially on road, will the suspension be too harsh compared to Prado? If you did some off-roading, please share more info. I'm struggled between choosing Prado, Fortuner, and Pajero sport for some time now😵
@@ryanl3106For me price was the big factor.. Fortuner got better 3rd row space than prado and also better boot space if 3rd row seats removed. Fortuner is a capable 4 wheel drive like Prado where Prado is full time 4 wheel and Fortuner part time like hilux. For comfort, Prado might be bit more comfortable as it got more weight, that doesn't mean that fortuner is not comfortable. New Fortuner is very comfortable on road and offroad. Both Prado and Fortuner got same engine power, less weight gives Fortuner a punchy drive. There is a Facebook group called ' Toyota fortuner owner's club Australia. Many members there owned Prado previously.. Join the group.. They may be more suitable to answer you😊
@@ajishjoseph Thank you for all the info! It's really helpful. I drove Prado a couple times as a rental car, that's why my primary focus is comfort (but also need 4wd capability)😂. But seems the updated Fortuner isn't that bad compared to what some youtube reviews said. Will definitely join the group and see how it goes! Cheers mate.
Own a 2018 R line tiguan and recently it had a big trans problem so I dropped it to VW to get it fixed and was given a fortuner GX hire car. I absolutely loved the car so much that I went and ordered a fortuner crusade and traded in the tiguan. With the tiguan you feel like you have to tip-toe on the round as it is so sensitive and fragile. With the fortuner, you feel like you're wearing safety boots, you don't care how you drive or what you drive over, it is Toyota rigid and tough and that's what I like about it and made me buy it.
Good review. Thanks. We have bought the Fortuner Crusade as we wanted the off road capabilities. We've owned the car now for very close to 12 months. It tows our 5x8ft tandem steel trailer very easily and with confidence. Very comfortable for the longer trips and the safety package makes for renewed confidence, though, I for one will never trust it fully as I believe I am responsible. I have appreciated a couple of "early" warnings of cross traffic though. (Early warnings where the oncoming cars or people were outside of the visual area - about 4 car lengths away). We as yet have not had a good chance at doing any serious 4WDing due to the weather, however, we hope that now it's starting to dry out, we'll be out there soon. I have been in three situations were I needed to activate the 4WD and it acted as expected - got us out of sticky situations. I do suspect though that a limited slip diff would have done the same. Overall, so far very happy with our purchase and looking forward to some more serious travels in the not too distant future.
Im from Indonesia and perhaps its the only country where Fortuner has became class leading and super best seller SUV for many years yet it also has the most uninteresting trim and specification compared to other countries Fortuner like in Thailand and Australia. If I can choose which version of Fortuner I would like to choose, I would definitely chose this red colored Crusader type!
We have 2012 1st generation Fortuner final facelift diesel manual in Philippines . In talks of both roof height and 3rd row seat, the old one is better since its spacious except third row which is basically made for children or short adults and roof height is more above head height than the new one, when i saw the new one Its small and lethargic. Sorry for my english.
I'm struggling between Prado, Fortuner, and Pajero Sport. Prado is good, I drove it as a rental car, but the new one is taking too long to wait (and have to add extra money to get in the line). Pajero, I saw many videos on RU-vid, the sit is comfortable, but the somewhat not-so-good back end and the cramped space turn me back. The Fortuner, some people complain about the suspension is too harsh to be a comfortable ride, but some said is ok and can even do a long-distance road trip in it. If anybody compares or test-drives these SUVs, please share some thoughts about the riding comfort on and off the road. Since my wife and I normally share each other's car to drive, the driving/sitting comfort is a big part of deciding which car is ok to purchase. 😵
Can't test drive the prado nor the fortuner due to being sold out. I bought the crusade without a test drive. Waiting tome for both models are around 5-6months. Good luck in your next purchase.
If you need seating for only 5 people, then better to buy a Toyota Hilux and a couple of plastic boxes to store your stuff in the rear tray for value for money. Either way, taht 2.4 or 2.8ltr diesel engine with 6 speed manual or 6 speed uatomatic is indestructable.
from my experience the mux rides heaps better and looks equally as good, however... the mux just did not feel like quality.... this might be just me but there is something the fortuner has that makes it feel lika a expensive car. the isuzu just didnt feel like it was worth the asking price. Yes it looks good, but the overall build quality just isnt there. in my opinion the fortuner has the edge.
Its hard to say which is the better choice. They all have similar features nowdays. Just depends which you like the feel of better when driving them back to back.
9:17 please explain how you filmed this shot. how did you move backwards, then turn whilst being fixed on the car, then followed the car all with perfect stabilization.
Definitely no.... Prado is so much better, spacious and nimbler. Fortuner is cramp, harsh and jumpy. But, in one aspect you're right, both are turtle slow!!
@@itairusmihsah3770 For the price Fortuner is a good value car..big price difference with prado.. New Fortuner is punchy and comfortable to drive.. I was tossing btw new Fortuner and new mux even though i didn't like the shape of new Mux, but after a test drive didn't go back. A 2021 Fortuner is in my garage now..A great family allrounder.😊
Seems for me its simple from the outside But for inside toyota needs to up date my interior Typing away inside Karl Heisenberg’s factory while ranger and everest monitor activities :D
Great for People who buy one now they have ironed out most of the bugs and the early adopters are being paid compo..... Avoid Toyota Service Centers like the plague
@Tony Sambar mate you made me laugh but you are right: what’s this silly obsession with 7 seats. People should buy a mini van not an SUV. I chucked my third row seats out straight away after delivery.
The look of it kinda sucks...sorry Toyota. It looks like it was designed by a conservative old woman that knits for a hobby. Please start importing the 4runners they have in America and RHD Tundras!...
It was already not up to the competition when it was launched.Toyota tried to crush the Everest's party, but failed miserably in just about ever way.Even with the so so updates and more power full engine, it still lacks refinement.Asians love it, the rest of the world, not so much.
