All-new Toyota Fortuner arrives Africa

…with a big focus on ride comfort, reduced noise

THE wait is finally over and the Toyota Fortuner is here. It shares many components with the recently launched Hilux. These include headline items like engines, new gearboxes and off-road technology. Much like the Hilux, there’s also a big focus on ride comfort, reduced noise, vibration, harshness and an effort to give the vehicle a premium look and feel inside.

The Toyota Fortuner is a seven-seat vehicle and there’s a considerable improvement in terms of space and practicality for all passengers. Premium soft-touch materials are used around the dashboard, windscreen pillars and door trims. The second-row seating features a 60/40 split and features a slide function as well as reclining backrests. Third-row seating is split in half 50/50 and features a recline function. Both of the rows can be stowed with just one touch, which gives the Fortuner more luggage space.

The standard specification in the Toyota Fortuner is substantial. There’s Bluetooth connectivity, steering-wheel audio and telephone controls, as well as power door locks, windows and mirrors. Air conditioning is also standard and there are ventilation controls for the second-row passengers. The glovebox is air-cooled, meaning you can store two 500ml bottles.

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Powering the new Toyota Fortuner are the latest diesel engines as well as the petrol units which we’re familiar with. There’s the 2.4 and 2.8 GD motors on the diesel side, while the petrol line-up includes the familiar 2.7 VVT-i and a 4.0 V6 motor. The 2.4 has 110kW and 400Nm of torque and the 2.8 GD offers up 130kW and 420Nm when paired with the manual transmission. The automatic derivative has 450Nm of torque. Fuel consumption is rated at 7L/100km for the 2.4 manual, while its automatic sibling is rated at 7.9L/100km. The 2.8 litre GD engine returns between 7.5 to 8.5L/100km.

All vehicles are available with the latest six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes from Toyota. The manual gearbox offers intelligent manual transmission for smoother gear changes as it matches the engine revolutions.

The Toyota Fortuner should be safe too and includes a number of features such as Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Active Traction Control (ATC), Trailer Sway Control (TSC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Drive Mode Select. Downhill Assist Control (DAC) is available on only the 4×4 models. There are big 338mm brakes at the front, with 312mm anchors on stopping duty at the rear. Under heavy braking, the hazard lamps will flash to provide an emergency signal to other road users. There are a large number of airbags too, depending on the model.