Toyota Fortuner 2.7L and 3.0D4-D test drive report

**mbt** · May 15th, 2005 12:52 PM

just had a short drive and ride of the Fortuner 2.7L (gas) and 3.0 turbodiesel...

some impressions (keep in mind that we just drove one round around two or three city blocks though):

spacious interior: generous legroom and footroom for the second row, and the third-row is quite habitable even for adults, with adequate headroom for average-sized adults and passable legroom and footroom for short trips. raising the split-half third-row bench out of the way reveals a large cargo bay

unremarkable driving experience: the fortuner is a truck, make no mistake, and drives like one -- though a good one. turning the wheel at speed produces loads of body roll, and the steering isn't as quick or as responsive as car-based SUVs, but that's certainly to be expected. vibrations and friction work their way through the steering wheel to thrum at your fingers, but the refinement and the responses are certainly adequate. at least, the steering is far more direct and far more pleasant than that of say, the Ford Everest. quite good as trucks go, but still won't match car-based vehicles.

the acceleration of the 2.7L inline-4 gas-fed variant is underwhelming; the turbodiesel feels just slightly less responsive, but feels more powerful and more capable of hauling the vehicle and its payload around. the refinement of the turbodiesel is top-notch: quiet and linear, with just a tiny hint of the takka-takka-takka clatter associated with diesels. the full-time four-wheel drive of the turbodiesel makes it an excellent all-weather runabout, and low-range makes it an all-terrain crawler. the automatic transmission seems to be a high point, offering prompt downshifts and smooth upshifts.

the ride isn't bad, but not stellar especially considering that the suspension seems tuned to allow a lot of body motion. every surface bump and wrinkle seems to filter to the seat of your pants, but the impacts are not harsh.

the high hood takes some getting used to, but this is common in most every tall truck if you've been raised on smaller vehicles.

good interior: the interior is trimmed in classy beige, and the plastics are of good quality. the optitron guages are a nice touch, and the automatic and digitally-controlled climate control gives an air of sophistication. however, the interior would likely look dirty after only a short while.

butch styling: the fortuner is a head-turner. the meaty 265/70R-16 tires and fender flares (which the hilux badly needs) give it a butch stance, and the styling is well-done.

structure doesn't seem too rigid: this new test unit seemed to shudder slightly over bumps, and doesn't suggest a bank-vault-tight structure. this is rather disappointing for a new vehicle, and i get the feeling that creaks, squeaks, groans, and rattles will manifest after a year or so. but then again, the nissan patrol is like this too.

OVERALL, i'd say that the Fortuner is a good truck that offers a compelling all-purpose, all-conditions package, but the Kia Sorento may seem a better value. the 2.7L 4x2 fortuner seems to be a bad choice -- gas-powered compact SUVs do a better job of driving on pavement (unless you need seven seats and won't settle for a minivan) -- but the turbodiesel Fortuner blends diesel economy with style and genuine off-road capability for a relatively accessible price.

indeed, the Fortuner is in many, many ways what the Mitsubishi Pajero "Fieldmaster" was in the early 90's. sure, they may not be particularly memorable drives, but the Pajero's blend of style, economy, practicality, and rugged capability (heck, they BOTH have full-time 4wd standard!) was insanely popular, and there is little doubt that the Fortuner's will be too.

in fact, there's already a three-month wait list. enough said.

**nugundam93** · May 15th, 2005 01:04 PM

just as a question since i haven't tried the fortuner yet...

assuming that you've also tried the prado, is the prado better in terms of pulling power, interior space, suspension, etc?

**vicoyski** · May 15th, 2005 01:29 PM

*mbt: I have some questions:

Did you try the 3.0V's shift-on-the-fly feature? At what speed? Was it a seamless transfer from 4H to 4L?
Did you try-out the Driver Info Display? How accurate would you say it was?
On the 3.0V, could you feel the torque on acceleration from a dead stop? You know, did you feel yourself sink in the captain's chair?

**BlueBimmer** · May 15th, 2005 01:32 PM

orayt sa mini review!

**Sorento3500** · May 15th, 2005 02:48 PM

The Fortuner looks like a Sorento big brother. I wonder if they're going to be selling it in the US. As it stands, the Fortuner's published price of P1,490,000 is just a tad cheaper than the Sorento's over P1,520,000 price. Their pricing strategies kinda opposite from each other though. The Toyota's 2.7 gas is at the P1.2M range, while Kia sells it's 2.5 CrDi diesel Sorento for that price.

The Fortuner 3.0 DDi and the Kia Sorento 3.5 gas V6, on the other ahnd, competes at the P1.5M range.

**mbt** · May 15th, 2005 03:47 PM

nugundam93,

sorry, haven't tried out a prado yet hehehe :D

vicoyski,

since we just drove on pavement, locking the center differential or engaging low range was out of the question. you'll wreck the drivetrain if you do this on a high-traction surface, which pavement is. but anyway, there are four settings for the transfer case:

H --> 4wd, center differential unlocked, in other words. this is the setting to use on pavement.
HL --> 4wd, center differential locked, torque is split 50/50 to the front and rear axles, high-range. this is for off-pavement use only. this is exactly the same as engaging 4wd on part-time 4wd vehicles.
N --> neutral.
LL --> 4wd, center diff locked, low-range. for more difficult situations off-road.

it's impossible to tell how accurate the info display was, but the fuel economy computer showed a mileage of 5.2 km/L for the 2.7L gas variant. of course, this was for a hard-driven demo unit, so the figure is not representative.

about the seat-pushing torque, well, not really. however, the power delivery is smooth and linear from the bottom-end up. there was just a small hint of turbo lag, i recall, although our drive was very brief to tell for sure.

**mbt** · May 15th, 2005 04:01 PM

hintayin niyo rin yung reports ni carlocaraddict, mazdamazda, at baiskee hehe :D

**zechs** · May 15th, 2005 04:06 PM

nice review mbt! we just have to try it ourselves one of these days hehe

3 months waiting time already? medyo mahaba na rin pala noh?

**Forza** · May 15th, 2005 04:12 PM

mbt,

very enlightening material on your first hand driving experience on the
much talked about and crowd favorite, Fortuner.

May I ask how was the noise level inside the cabin at cruising speed and during acceleration? Road, wind noise levels?

Also, how did the braking power of the Fortuner hold up to its power and weight?

BTW, what color did you take out for a spin?

Thanks.

**mbt** · May 15th, 2005 04:26 PM

noise levels were acceptable, i think, hard to say, since carlocaraddict played his cd at a loud volume hehe :D but at 80 or 100 kph, i didnt really mind what engine roar and road noise came in, so it is at least not objectionable. at high rpm for both the gas and diesel mills, the engine noise becomes more prominent, but nothing out of step from other cars and trucks.

i didn't really do a hard braking test, but the brakes seemed to be okay. the pedal at least felt linear and progressive, no mushiness or "grabbiness".

the turbodiesel test unit was goldish, while the gas one was black hehe