Toyota recently updated its popular seven-seat Fortuner with some aesthetic enhancements and changes to the off-road-ready SUV's interior. We spent a week with one recently.
Toyota is South Africa’s best-selling automotive brand, with market-leading products across a variety of high-volume segments, one of which is the Fortuner, which was updated recently. We received a flagship VX variant, in Oxide Bronze, to test for a week recently. If you are interested in a Fortuner but need to sell your current car first, AutoTrader can get you an Instant Offer!
Styling
The updated Fortuner looks markedly different, with new Bi-LED headlights that give it a Lexus-esque aesthetic, a new front bumper, revised air intakes, a new front skid plate, a revised grille, LED fog lamps, sequential indicators and black A-pillar and exterior mirrors. The rear end now gets black licence plate garnish, a black roof spoiler and new strakes on the side of the rear bumper. There is also a new set of 18-inch alloy wheels that are common to all of the updated models, all culminating in an exterior that looks more modern and should serve the Fortuner well until it is replaced in the next few years.
Interior and space
The interior of the 7-seater remains similar to the 2022 versions which received an 11-speaker JBL sound system, dual-zone climate control and a surround-view camera system in VX guise, however, new additions include a two-tone interior, with black and maroon leather, additional USB ports for rear occupants as well as a welcome update to the TFT cluster within the instrument binnacle, which now gets a new look and start-up animation.
The infotainment system is still not class-leading, with the colour screen system not offering the best resolution, despite offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. We found the latest in-car infotainment offering impressive in the Tonale, with easy smartphone integration and an intuitive user experience. Other niceties include a raft of semi-autonomous driving aids, including blind spot assist, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning.
When looking at practicality, the Fortuner offers a 200-litre boot with the third row of seats in place, which then expands to 718-litres with the third row folded on either side of the luggage area. The way that both the third and second row of seating is stowed means that there is less luggage space than in key rivals such as the new Ford Everest and Isuzu mu-X, meaning that those wanting a bigger boot will have to remove the third row of setting entirely. Looking at capability, there is 279mm of ground clearance, an approach angle of 29 degrees, a departure angle of 25 degrees and a braked towing capacity of 3 300kg, making this a very capable family SUV off of the beaten path.
Performance and driving impression
Powering the Fortuner is a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that is good for 150kW and 500Nm of torque. The engine is paired with a 6-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to a selectable 4×4 system. The power bump that was introduced to the Fortuner in the previous lifecycle update is a welcome addition, with the product providing adequate overtaking torque and acceleration for daily driving scenarios. When off-road, the Fortuner truly shines in all but the most difficult off-road scenarios, proving perfect for families that require a high level of capability.
An area where we noted a real improvement with this 2023 Fortuner is in its ride quality, which Toyota claims has not been fettled with. We suspect that some tuning has been carried out on the newcomer by engineers in an attempt to make its driving experience more premium on account of its ever-more lofty price tag. Whatever unspecified changes have been made have certainly worked well as the test unit is the most refined and comfortable iteration of the Fortuner that we have experienced thus far.
Safety
The Fortuner range was crash-tested in 2019 by ANCAP and achieved a 5-Star rating with 95% for adult occupant safety, 84% for child occupant safety, 88% for pedestrian safety and 78% for its safety assistance systems.
Fuel consumption
Toyota claims that the Fortuner will consume petrol at a rate of 7.9 L/100km, however, our seven-day test resulted in a figure of 9.8 L/100km, which is the best figure we have achieved in a 2.8 GD-6 Fortuner.
Pricing
The Fortuner, in VX guise, was priced at R915 400 at the time of writing, and with the all-new Ford Everest setting the bar high and the Isuzu mu-X providing a solid offering in the 7-seat SUV market, the Fortuner is beginning to feel dated. The Fortuner range comes with a 9-service/90 000km service plan and a 3-year/100 000 km warranty.
Verdict
The updated Fortuner is just about different enough from the product that it replaces to ensure that it remains relevant within our market, however, having driven the latest Ford Everest, it becomes obvious that there needs to be a new Fortuner launched sooner rather than later if Toyota wants to ensure that it remains the best-seller in this segment.
Keyword: Toyota Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 4x4 VX (2023) Review