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Hi Fortuner Owners,
I just wanted to share my first impression of Toyota Fortuner in an off-road setting. Before I proceed, let me just set the scene and explain the low expectation statement. I have just replaced my 2013 Toyota Landcruiser 76 Series (V8) with the Toyota Fortuner. Some of my friends have made comments that I am 'mad' and and to tell you the truth it took me a while to make this decision. I have also owned Nissan Patrol GU (3L) and a Toyota Hilux 3L D4D so I had a good base to compare with.
I go bush one weekend a month and have one long trip every year (central OZ or Tassie), however most of my driving is on bitumen in metropolitan Melbourne with lots of traffic. Landcruiser is a fantastic vehicle and the V8 is awesome, but it is designed more for bush then the city, so I decided to flip that ratio around and go for something that is more comfortable for every day driving. Since I travel solo most of the time and do not tow, I decided to try out the new Fortuner.
With only 2000kms on the clock, I decided to put it to the test in the High Country, destination Dargo (Wombat Spur, Herne Spur, Billy Goats Bluff TKs) with plenty of deep river crossings, steep tracks and rocky terrain. Since my Fortuner is pretty standard (only MT ATZ's, snorkel and rock sliders for protection), I employed the services of a mate with a Landrover Defender just in case. For those familiar with Defenders they are extremely capable vehicles with fantastic gearing, so the bar was set high.
I never owned an automatic 4x4, had traction control or DAC so didn't know what to expect, but I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. Going uphill was a breeze as didn't have to worry about the gear selection and traction control did its job beautifully (did not need to use a diff lock), climbing over rocks and staying in control. However going downhill was a real surprise! With DAC going down Billy Goats Bluff TK, the Fortuner was so smooth and in full control matching the speed of the Defender in first gear (which is a Crawl gear), amazing!!!
As I had low expectations, the performance of the Fortuner was a huge surprise and I am very happy with my decision. I can't wait for my next trip to tackle some more High Country tracks.
The only negative that i could pick up is a bit of a harsh ride on corrugated roads where the car jumps around a bit, however I will probably end up replacing the shocks with Koni's after 30-40K which I believe may fix this problem. No water in the cabin with any of the river crossings (some were half way up the door).
Summary = LOVE IT!
Cheers,
Sash
I just wanted to share my first impression of Toyota Fortuner in an off-road setting. Before I proceed, let me just set the scene and explain the low expectation statement. I have just replaced my 2013 Toyota Landcruiser 76 Series (V8) with the Toyota Fortuner. Some of my friends have made comments that I am 'mad' and and to tell you the truth it took me a while to make this decision. I have also owned Nissan Patrol GU (3L) and a Toyota Hilux 3L D4D so I had a good base to compare with.
I go bush one weekend a month and have one long trip every year (central OZ or Tassie), however most of my driving is on bitumen in metropolitan Melbourne with lots of traffic. Landcruiser is a fantastic vehicle and the V8 is awesome, but it is designed more for bush then the city, so I decided to flip that ratio around and go for something that is more comfortable for every day driving. Since I travel solo most of the time and do not tow, I decided to try out the new Fortuner.
With only 2000kms on the clock, I decided to put it to the test in the High Country, destination Dargo (Wombat Spur, Herne Spur, Billy Goats Bluff TKs) with plenty of deep river crossings, steep tracks and rocky terrain. Since my Fortuner is pretty standard (only MT ATZ's, snorkel and rock sliders for protection), I employed the services of a mate with a Landrover Defender just in case. For those familiar with Defenders they are extremely capable vehicles with fantastic gearing, so the bar was set high.
I never owned an automatic 4x4, had traction control or DAC so didn't know what to expect, but I can tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. Going uphill was a breeze as didn't have to worry about the gear selection and traction control did its job beautifully (did not need to use a diff lock), climbing over rocks and staying in control. However going downhill was a real surprise! With DAC going down Billy Goats Bluff TK, the Fortuner was so smooth and in full control matching the speed of the Defender in first gear (which is a Crawl gear), amazing!!!
As I had low expectations, the performance of the Fortuner was a huge surprise and I am very happy with my decision. I can't wait for my next trip to tackle some more High Country tracks.
The only negative that i could pick up is a bit of a harsh ride on corrugated roads where the car jumps around a bit, however I will probably end up replacing the shocks with Koni's after 30-40K which I believe may fix this problem. No water in the cabin with any of the river crossings (some were half way up the door).
Summary = LOVE IT!
Cheers,
Sash
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