With the revised Fortuner, the engines and transmissions remain the same as on the previous range, but the styling outside and in has been tweaked.
Added features above the new entry-level 2,5 D-4D include climate control, leather seating, privacy glass at the rear, a reversing camera, a touch-screen centre display screen, auto-leveling high intensity headlamps, auto lights-on sensor and cruise control. These top-of-the-range models also have leather/wood-finish steering wheels and other wood-effect touches. Another improvement across the range is a darker colour upper facia to reduce sun reflection. All models now also have an under-body streamlining plate to improve aerodynamics.
We drove the V6 on the local launch in Zambia and the extra power was useful for overtaking speeding trucks which were supposed to be sticking to 80 km/h. The five-speed automatic gearbox has intelligent electronics but we still found that some hunting would occur when overtaking.
On a long, mountainous back road with a lot of hanging dust and sudden dips, the suspension of the Fortuner once more showed its comfort and compliance. Braking seemed up to the job and had to be tested now and then to save some goats (and the 17-inch wheels) from pothole damage. The interior remained dust- and rattle-free, and refined. Road noise on the tar sections from the Bridgestone Duelers was minimal.
With a permanent four-wheel-drive setup, we only had to lock the center diff for one steep section to stick to a 50:50 front-rear torque split and did not need to engage low range with the 4,0-litre petrol and auto ‘box.
Also see the driving impression of the 2,5 D-4D 4×2.
Prices vary from R395 000 for the 3,0-litre 4×2 D-4D (120 kW/343 N.m) to R466 900 for the 4×4 V6 petrol (175 kW/376 N.m). The 2,5 D-4D starts at R325 500.
