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SINCE
its introduction three years ago, the Toyota Fortuner
has practically taken to heart its tagline “The world is
mine.” But with the mass-market midsize diesel SUV
competition getting significant upgrades, can it still
lay claim to the top of sales in its class?
The unit
tested for this story had an optional TRD Sportivo body
kit that gave the SUV a dint of sportiness, helping it
veer somewhat away from the primarily utility feature
that it has always presented to potential buyers. The
front and rear chin spoilers make the vehicle look lower
than it really is, the spoiler above the rear hatch
glass gives it a ready-to-race look, and the step boards
have rubber inserts that are useful in securing footing
when climbing into the interior.
Inside,
the moquette seats and door inserts were replaced with
full leather trim, preventing the cabin from making it
look old and dated, even after only 6,000-odd
kilometers. Retained were the tan/khaki interior
colorway and ergonomic layout for all occupants, the
numerous storage places (11 cupholders!), the cold air
conditioning (including third-row controlled blower
speed), decent audio entertainment and the lack of a
second-row electric outlet. Speaking of storage, also
retained was the second-row fold/tumble ability, but
this time it has visible arrows on the tumbling levers
on the second-row flanks. The third-row forward folding
and 50/50 lateral split tumbling ability is still there,
but the diagram behind the third-row backrests is
bigger, making it easy to see from afar and thus follow
precisely. And both rear rows can still fit seven
average Filipinos.
Getting
into the four-banger’s powerband can take some time, but
dropping the four-speed A/T into “3”—meaning only three
forward gears are used—helps greatly on mountain roads.
Despite a lively gearbox, the Fortuner managed to log a
170-kph top speed and 9.85 km/l consumption rate.
One
knock against the first few batches of Fortuners in the
country was a stiff rear ride. In contrast, this unit
had a ride that could rival its Previa or Land Cruiser
siblings in comfort, but still had a dint of
skittishness on constant broken tarmac. The OE tires,
despite complaining loudly on every turn, still
maintained composure up to 75 kph. There’s light to
moderate body roll and the steering can be blunt on
occasion, but a good mix of taps on the middle pedal and
light steering-wheel movement is a great remedy for the
SUV’s understeer bias.
The
safety aids are good enough to keep occupants from
tumbling about. The brakes grip hard with just a tap of
the right foot, and the ABS wakes up when you need it.
The handbrake bites with relatively short increments,
and the exterior lighting is bright. The constantly
bright Optitron gauges are a big help, especially when
the sun is directly above the SUV and the shadow is cast
on the windshield. There are only two negatives—drum
brakes for both rear wheels (a risky proposition when
stopping from 100-plus kph, given the SUV’s curb weight)
and an annoying reverse-gear alarm that drowns out the
backup sensors’ warning chimes.
In 2006
Toyota laid a successful claim to the midsize SUV arena
with the Fortuner. Three years later, despite the
arrival of numerous competition, it still is the midsize
SUV master mold.
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