Ahead of us lay a series of tests to see how the car's brakes, handling and stability improved over its predecessor.įirst thing I noticed was just how easy it was to find a comfortable driving position thanks to the telescoping steering wheel. After the off-road stint, it was now time for the moment everyone in the motoring media has been waiting for: getting behind the wheel of the all-new Fortuner. Seat support was supple and the shoulder bolsters in the front were a treat as the rough terrain did its best to unsettle the car to no avail. Try this with a first-generation Fortuner (2005-2008 version) and you'll find yourself bouncing all over the seat and making yourself dizzy in the process. Gone is the stiff suspension that a lot of people experienced particularly with the first batch that came out in 2005. We drove through rutted roads, steep inclines and loose surfaces and I can honestly tell you that it's a huge improvement over the first-generation model. Of course, the question people are asking the most would be this: How does it ride? The first thing we did was hop in the top of the line 2.8 V and went off-roading. Also available is a more powerful 2.8 liter model that puts out 177 PS and 450 Nm of torque.
For comparison basis, the old 2.5 engine put out 102 PS and 260 Nm of torque before it gained a VGT upgrade that bumped up power to 144 PS and torque to 343 Nm. It produces 149 PS and an impressive 400 Nm of torque thanks to a variable geometry turbo and an intercooler. The 2.4 liter engine, called the 2GD-FTV, replaces the old 2.5 liter and gets a significant power upgrade from its predecessor. Powering the all-new Fortuner are a pair of new GD series diesel first seen in the Hilux. This, along with the step bars make getting in and out of the Fortuner much easier for people of all ages and height. Another interesting touch to the Fortuner's interior is a grab handle molded into the B-pillar's panel for easier ingress. The only thing left for you to do is hook it to a partition found in the D-pillar. Instead, you can just push the back rests, pull a tab and let the spring loaded mechanism do most of the work. No longer do you have to hop in the cargo area, pull levers and tabs and hook it to the grab handle. Lastly, the third row seats are much easier to stow. The seats in these new models are also much softer and quite interestingly, the front seats get extra bolsters for shoulder support. This one is, dare I say it, luxurious with more soft touch materials, leather trim on the dashboard, a touchscreen, piano black or wood trim and loads more design touches that boosts cabin ambiance.
For those who own the first-generation model, that interior had acres of head wearing plastic with a very utilitarian look. Speaking of its interior, it could be said that the 2016 Toyota Fortuner is a quantum leap over its predecessor. This means more interior space, not just for the first two rows but also for the sixth and seventh passengers. What does that mean to you and I? The new Fortuner is noticeably bigger than its predecessor by adding almost 100 mm from its length and 15 mm from its width.
The 2016 Fortuner measures in at 4,795 mm long, 1,855 mm wide and 1,835 mm tall.
Unlike the first-generation Fortuner, the all-new model features more character lines plus a rather interesting upward kink towards the rear window line. It could be said that the new Fortuner looks a bolder than its predecessor with its large two-bar grill that dominates the front end along with its slim, wraparound headlights.