Fortuner 2.5 MT or Montero 2.5 MT

**chua_riwap** · June 17th, 2011 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by digitalron

And... you don't need to apologize for never having driven an AT.
Being able to drive an MT is loads better than being able to drive only an AT. Switching from MT to AT is much, much easier than coming from AT then switching to MT.

& this i would agree 1000%........

meron dyan, since sa AT natuto, AT lang kaya, di makapag-drive ng MT.

**s1ngk1t** · June 17th, 2011 07:18 PM

keep it coming guys.

*TURBORIDE - yes sir hindi naman pangkarera kaya ok na kahit 130 pa max speed. hehe! importante kaya niya kaming isakay boung pamilya (me,wifey,2 kids, yaya, baka kasi madagdagan pa yung 2 kaya 7 seater dapat. hahaha)
*DIGITALRON - yung terrain ba na kalagay sa picture hindi ba kaya ng 4x2 lang sir? i more noob question, same ba PMS/Maintenance cost sa 4x2 at 4x4 MS MT?

**emms1121** · June 17th, 2011 07:32 PM

Kung ganyan ang terrain kayang kaya na ng 4 x 2 yan. No need sa 4 x4 di naman babaon gulong mo. My vote is for Fort here.

**niky** · June 17th, 2011 07:38 PM

I know of quite a lot of Fort owners, actually... who've changed suspensions...

Because they wanted a softer ride.

-

I've driven both 2.5 MTs back to back. The Fort handles a bit better, but the stiffness makes it less sure-footed on rough surfaces. The first generation Fortuner was so stiff, in fact, that it was dangerous in the wet or at high speeds, as the bouncing rear wheels could lose traction too easily. The new suspension tuning is like the Everest... a bit too stiff on sharp bumps, which still makes it uncomfortable, and a bit too loose on heaves and bigger bumps, which leads to poor wheel control at highway speeds over poor roads.

The Montero is a bit more steady and controlled at speed. It's soft, but the matching of springs and shocks is better, so body roll and body movement are steady and predictable, more so than in the Fortuner or the Everest.

The Montero has a better gearshift. The Fortuner's gearshift is long and truckish and notchy.

The 2.5 Montero engine is much better than the current D4D 2.5... which offers no power below 2k and no power above 3k rpm. The Montero isn't that great at low rpms, but there's more power there, and at 3k+, it's got a good bit of punch. The next generation D4D 2.5 should get more power, but the updated Fort is not going to come out here until late this year or early next...

The interior of the Montero looks better. It feels better. The seats are more comfortable. It's almost* as good as a modern crossover inside. The Fort's facelift can't come soon enough. The plastics are iffy, the seats are damn hard (thin, brittle foam) and the AC practically howls to deal with our local climated.

The only problem is the Montero's suspension is tuned more for ride comfort than cargo... but that's an easy aftermarket fix, get better shocks and add something like LoadPlus. Fixing the Fort's ride through aftermarket parts is more of a hit-or-miss affair. I've ridden one Fortuner that rode very well (very well for a Fort... stiff but controlled), but the guy mixed-and-matched parts from two different suppliers to achieve that ride.

Oh... and the Montero's brakes feel a bit weak. But this is true, to some extent, for the Fortuner and Everest, too.

*almost as good: duh... the Santa Fe and Sorento are twenty times better than any of these ladder frame fossils...

...but if you're going out to the farm every now and then, you'll want a ladder frame truck...

**digitalron** · June 17th, 2011 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by s1ngk1t

keep it coming guys.

*TURBORIDE - yes sir hindi naman pangkarera kaya ok na kahit 130 pa max speed. hehe! importante kaya niya kaming isakay boung pamilya (me,wifey,2 kids, yaya, baka kasi madagdagan pa yung 2 kaya 7 seater dapat. hahaha)
*DIGITALRON - yung terrain ba na kalagay sa picture hindi ba kaya ng 4x2 lang sir? i more noob question, same ba PMS/Maintenance cost sa 4x2 at 4x4 MS MT?

Actually, a 4x2 should be able to traverse that, so that would save you around 200K on the 4x2 option instead of 4x4 option on the MS. As for maintenance, there should be very little difference in the maintenance cost of a 4x4 versus 4x2 of the same vehicle model if you don't use the 4x4 option often, though since I've never owned both a 4x4 and 4x2 versions of the same model, I am not 100% sure on this.

**turboride** · June 17th, 2011 07:47 PM

very technical, informative and convincing. like i said, overwhelming advantage to the montero. how about yung cabin insulation sa noise and vibration, nicky? what is your observation? is this true for the fort or its just me?

**sm2by** · June 17th, 2011 07:51 PM

The reason why the Fortuner is so easy to rollover because its based on the Hilux which is really rollover prone.... The driver in the video below died, RIP for him (if he only bought an L200 Strada)
***WARNING*** Graphic Video (Passenger Ejection, Seatbelt Failure)
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKKhQLEJxhk]YouTube - ‪Cavalo De Pau Acaba Em Tragédia - Acidente capotamento HILUX Santana do Ipanema car crash accident‬&rlm;[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZF8N9NItHI]YouTube - ‪Toyota Hilux fails the Moose test‬&rlm;[/ame]

The Montero is based on Mitsubishi's Dakar Desert Rally Vehicle, so handling wise you're safe....

**chua_riwap** · June 17th, 2011 07:59 PM

but what about the D4D problems?
is it already solved?

**niky** · June 17th, 2011 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by turboride

very technical, informative and convincing. like i said, overwhelming advantage to the montero. how about yung cabin insulation sa noise and vibration, nicky? what is your observation? is this true for the fort or its just me?

Insulation is okay, nothing great, nothing terrible... engine vibration is muted in the cabin, though the gear shift lever shakes like Shakira.

As for rollover, the Montero would probably roll over given enough provocation, but it washes out into gentle understeer if you provoke it, and the gradual body roll in corners prevents the tires from "biting" in and causing a sudden tip-over. Still... in ANY of these cars, it's best not to perform sudden and drastic maneuvers... sharp turns are NOT safe in any tall SUV.

EDIT: Don't know about the "D4D" issue... seeing as it's died down, either the new Denso pump is better, or it really was the first formulations of low-sulfur diesel here that were causing the issues... though it crops up from time to time...