Good Fortune With the Toyota Fortuner
Toyota’s Fortuner is one of the most desired vehicles on the market and the sales figures prove it. In August they sold just over 1 700 of their rugged 7-seater.
That huge number was something of an anomaly in the run-out month of the pre-facelift model, but it’ll still be cold comfort for Toyota’s rivals: monthly sales have averaged around 800 with some 51 500 finding garages across South Africa since the launch in March 2006. The updated and expanded range is sure to grow that average.
The most significant aspect of the facelift is not the raft of changes (mostly cosmetic it must be said and still not capable of turning the Fortuner into a thing of real beauty) to refresh the Fortuner, but rather the introduction of an entry-level version of the family-focussed seven-seater. Now you can get into a Fortuner for just R325 500 by buying the new 2.5 D-4D VNT version, while is powered by an improved version of the existing 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine found in the Hilux.
And to get to that price Toyota says they’ve scrimped on very little. Importantly, you still get seven seats in three rows, the third stowing to the side of the luggage compartment when not in use and the middle row capable of folding flat and tumbling forward in a 60:40 split to present a capacious interior. There are lots of bells and whistles such as a USB/iPod jack, as well as practical features like roof rails to expand carrying capacity with a broad range of aftermarket products, and respectable towing capacity - increased now from 1 715 to 2 075 kg. Talking practical, the five year/90 000 km service plan will take the guesswork out of ownership costs.
The new model is available solely as a 4x2 version with a five-speed manual gearbox but boasts exactly the same electronic driver aids and braking safety features as the flagship models. From the outside the only way you can tell the newcomer apart (apart from badging) is by the lack of darkened privacy glass on the rear windows.
At the other end of the Fortuner scale there’s the 4.0 V6 4x4 with automatic transmission priced at R466 900. All versions with the existing and unchanged petrol V6 and 3.0-litre turbodiesel powerplants also get leather upholstery, automatic rather than manual air conditioning, electric front seat adjustment, touch screen navigation system (where images from the reversing camera are displayed) and Bluetooth pairing for phones and audio devices. An extra pair of airbags is fitted, too.
The VNT nomenclature on the 2.5 D4-D stands for variable nozzle turbocharger, and allows the vanes inside the device to be adjusted electronically to improve response across a broader rpm range. Maximum output of this engine is 106 kW and 343 Nm – the latter figure identical to that of the 3.0-litre, but not as broadly spread or available from as low down.
That becomes apparent in a drive from Siavonga on Zambia’s side of Lake Kariba back to Lusaka, but it isn’t as if it is short of urge – you just need to be a little more aware of which gear you’re in. The rugged suspension and high-profile 17-inch tyres prove ideally suited to the conditions, coping admirably with potholes and smashed tarmac which would’ve stop a conventional passenger car dead in its tracks... possibly permanently. If the going gets tough, there’s a lockable rear differential for added traction.
Overall, the package is good enough to steal from its more powerful stablemate but that’s not a concern and it’ll ultimately grow the Fortuner ‘pie’ - Toyota expect it to account for almost a quarter of all sales.
For many consumers who have coveted a Fortuner for years but couldn’t quite swallow the R385 000 price point, it’ll be like manna from heaven. Which makes their forecast of about 950 a month for the seven-model range look modest, and I’ll be very surprised if we see the nameplate drop below 1 000 in the coming months, capacity at the Durban production plant notwithstanding.
