The Toyota Fortuner gets more stylish and luxurious
The Toyota Fortuner has certainly been a success in South Africa since launching in 2006, becoming a recognizable nameplate among locals. The new Fortuner will be giving their customers all the luxury and style needed to hit the road. The 7-seater will form part of the Innovative Modular Vehicle (IMV) platform and sharing mechanical components with the highly popular Toyota Hilux.
The outside of the Fortuner gets a refreshing look, it features a larger, blacked-out grille at the front that comes with a wave-like mesh pattern that is accompanied by a silver-accented "skid-plate� giving it a tougher look. New re-profiled Bi-LED headlamps help provide a sleeker look for the Fortuner too. The Bi-LED headlamps will now also feature striking scalloped DRL light guides and will be additionally joined by LED fog lamps and strip-like LED turn-signal elements in the lower bumper.
On the VX-grade the side profile will come enhanced with a thin, chrome beltline that extends towards the rear, effectively wrapping around the vehicle, it also gets further complemented by other chrome detailing.
The Fortuner will come with seven exterior colours, ranging from Oxide Bronze that will replace Avant Garde Bronze, to Glacier White, Chromium Silver, Graphite Grey, Attitude Black, Cosmic Blue, and Chestnut Brown. The Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 models will ride on their familiar 17-inch alloy wheels that come with a 265-65-R17 tyres, while the more top of the range 2.8 GD-6 variants will get a more stylish new 18-inch alloy wheel with turbine design and metallic surface treatment, sporting 265-60-R18 tyres.
Under the hood, the Fortuner has made some improvements to the 2.8 litre engine which gets boosted by an extra 20kW making it 150kW and 500Nm of torque. While the 2.6 litre engine boasts a moderate 110kW of power and 400Nm of torque. Both variants will be available in a six-speed automatic transmission while the 2.6 litre engine gets the traditional six-speed manual transmission too.
Toyota has also significantly improved the towing capacity of the 2.4 GD-6 4x4 models as they have been significantly increased to 800kg, and will now register as 3.3 tons, matching the 2.8 GD-6 4x4 model. The 2.8 GD-6 4x4 models will now also boast a towing capacity of 3300kg, a massive increase of 300kg.
The inside of the new Fortuner is as updated and luxurious as any modern-day SUV. It comes with an all-new black interior that is contrasted with silver stitching. The interior is complemented by blue lighting, it also features a new instrument cluster design. The Fortuner will get an all-new 8-inch infotainment system that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. Passengers will even be able to mirror applications off their mobile phones. Navigation applications such as Google Maps and Waze will be included and occupants will be able to access their music libraries and streaming accounts via apps like Apple Music, JOOX, Spotify, and SoundCloud. While the 2.8 GD-6 models (mid and VX) will come equipped with embedded Audio-Visual Navigation (AVN).
Toyota has made sure that all models come equipped with the Toyota Connect telematics system which includes an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot and complimentary 15Gb data. Once everything is linked to the driver profile, customers will be able to manage their vehicle via the MyToyota App. This app gives drivers access to on-demand service bookings, vehicle information, and history, tracking data as well as Toyota Connect data recharge services, and more.
Pricing
Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB 6MT R566 800
Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 RB 6AT R588 000
Fortuner 2.4 GD-6 4X4 6AT R616 700
Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 RB 6AT R700 100
Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4X4 6A R770 400
Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 RB VX 6AT R720 200
Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4X4 VX 6AT R790 500
All Fortuner models will come with a 3-year/100 000 km warranty, a 9-services/90 000 km service plan as standard (service intervals of 10 000 km or 12-months). Customers can also purchase extended service plans and warranty packages through their Toyota dealer.
