Though it’s been a while since you’ve seen a Toyota Fortuner in these pages, it needs little introduction. After all, it’s one of the most popular vehicles in the Philippines, bar none. Despite the model’s appeal and a mid-cycle refresh, it has seen intense competition from the Mitsubishi Montero Sport and the Ford Everest. In the process, the Fortuner has been knocked off its throne and it’s been trying to claw back up ever since.

In the wake of waning customer demand, Toyota played the product game and introduced two new things for the Fortuner—and this serves as the subject of this test drive. The first, is offering its 2.5 G variant with a 5-speed manual transmission. This is actually the first time the Fortuner is made available with a three-pedal layout since its market debut. The second is the availability of a TRD appearance and performance package. This should make the Fortuner much more appealing to those who want some more differentiation apart from the typical HID headlight conversion and chrome wheels.

Upon its arrival, the Super White Fortuner immediately communicates distinction. Despite most SUVs managing to look the same, the TRD bumper skirt and rear spoiler actually adds some tasteful sportiness. The rear bumper adds sort of a faux valance ala Formule One while visually lowering the Fortuner. At the side, the black step board is gone and replaced by a body-colored one. Compared to the original step board, it’s a couple of inches lower, making the ingress/egress easier, while again lowering the Fortuner visually. But, the most dramatic part is reserved for the Fortuner’s front where the revised face (new boomerang-shaped projector head lamps and curvier grille) integrates well with the TRD bumper. Like the backside, the TRD bumper adds some blacked out bits, creating the illusion of an aerodynamic splitter like some sports cars. All in all, it’s hard to imagine the Fortuner without the TRD bits; it’s that good. If you decide to deck out your Fortuner with all of this stuff, prepare to shell out P 119,500. It’s a ton of money, but at least your Fortuner is transformed into the TRD Sportivo—complete with all the requisite new badges and body stickers.

Having a Fortuner in the motioncars.com garage, climbing aboard the Fortuner 2.5 G is like putting on a well-worn pair of jeans. Everything’s almost the same with perhaps some new twists—both good and bad. The most obvious difference is the presence of a shifter and clutch pedal. Though having a manual gearbox is generally good, the Fortuner’s long shaft is too phallic; shouting out the utter manliness of driving a stick shift. It proves that for Toyota at least, having a short, stubby shifter is for sissies. Another is Toyota’s move to put wood trim into the cabin. Thankfully, it looks real enough, but best of all, it’s less prone to scratch damage compared to the old, silver one. The Fortuner’s old Fujitsu-Ten system also receives an upgrade that thankfully has an auxiliary input jack along with a 6-disc CD changer and Bluetooth connectivity. The A/C console’s been given some curves too while the steering wheel now receives satellite buttons to control both the audio and trip computer functions.
Being a minor facelift and all, there’s almost nothing to gripe about the latest Fortuner, especially if you happen to own the old one. In fact, despite being a bit long-in-the-tooth, the overall look and feel of the cabin is still quite up to par. The two-tone beige cabin may seem a bit passé and stodgy, but it works in uplifting the interior atmosphere, making it much more welcoming than the Fortuner’s workhorse origins would suggest. Of course, beige is a pain to clean when you have little ones climbing aboard or if you use your Fortuner to haul stuff, but that’s a different story. Hard plastics abound, but at least it’s well put together and there’s nary an exposed screw head in sight. The build quality is fairly consistent too with equal panel gaps throughout.

Like any pick-up based SUV, you sit high, though not precariously high, inside the Fortuner. Though you’ll still need to grab the A-pillar handle to get in; the stubby hood, shallow dash and large side windows make for excellent front visibility. This is further helped by the unobtrusive A-pillars as well as large side mirrors. There was some hesitation on how good this Fortuner’s driving position could be given the poor experience behind the wheel of a Hilux M/T; but equipped with a height-adjustable driver’s seat, the Fortuner passes the test. All the controls are within easy reach and the seats provide good enough support. The same can be said for those sitting on the Fortuner’s second and third rows. Even when compared to its much newer rivals, the Fortuner provides the most comfortable space for seven full-sized adults. Cargo flexibility is just as good, but the side-folding third row seats is a bit archaic and requires a bit of muscle to tuck away. The only genuine complaint you can level at the Fortuner is caused by the very thing that makes this model different: the manual shifter. It falls awkwardly into hand, lending the illusion that you’re piloting a truck rather than a luxury-marketed SUV.

The truck-like shifter is a good precursor to the rest of the Fortuner’s driving experience: plain and ordinary. Despite being advertised that the pricey, P 47,300 TRD suspension package rectifies the Fortuner’s choppy ride, it doesn’t. There’s still a generous amount of it through the smallest of bumps, and as you go faster, the effect is magnified even more. Those sitting in front probably won’t mind as much, but those at the back aren’t as lucky. Every now and then, they’ll find themselves hitting the ceiling, because the ceiling was modified to accommodate the new air conditioning vents and the associated plumbing that go with it. The Fortuner has always been known to be planted and predictable among the stable of pick-up SUVs, but the TRD package goes a step further. Working alongside with the suspension, the bronze-colored 18-inch TRD wheels keep the body roll largely in check. At P 110,700 for a set of four, it’s not cheap but at least it comes with high-performance Bridgestone Dueler H/P rubber that’s actually V-rated! Despite the larger tires, the steering is still numb and cumbersome, but that’s to be expected. What’s surprising is how the Fortuner feels fairly nimble and maneuverable, especially given its size and girth.

Equipped with the smaller of the two D-4D engines, this Fortuner outputs a rather meager 102 horsepower and 260 Nm of torque. Mating those figures to a 1,795-kilogram body and it’s a recipe for sluggish acceleration. Low down on the rev range, the Fortuner gives a spritely feeling given the maximum torque is available between 1,600-2,400 rpm. Combined with a high gear ratio, the Fortuner will accelerate from standstill with gusto. However, as the speeds climb, it will begin to lurk much more slowly. Don’t be mistaken, it will still hit speeds beyond the recommended limit, but you’ll be forced to shift through the gearbox often to extract every available bit of power. There’s a lot of revving involved too since you’ll be coaxing the turbocharger to engage, so the fuel economy does suffer a lot. With pure city driving, the 2.5-liter D-4D Fortuner M/T ended up with 9.40 km/L. That’s not a world of difference over the 8.80 km/L of the 3.0-liter D-4D Fortuner A/T with permanent all-wheel drive or even the 10.0 km/L of the 3.0-liter D-4D Hilux A/T! All in all, if you can afford the extra cash, it’s best to stick with the larger D-4D engine and its 163 horsepower, 343 Nm output.

And that pretty much summarizes the entire Fortuner 2.5 G M/T experience: if you can afford to go up the model range, do so before you add anymore bells and whistles. For people who want their Fortuner with a manual gearbox, then the choice has been made for you. For the rest, if you really want a Fortuner, then settle for anything with an automatic gearbox. Forget about being sporty and all, the automatic will save you from the hassles of shifting plus it’s the better gearbox to start with. Furthermore, if you’re adding up the TRD package, it costs P 277,500 in total. Adding that to the price of the 2.5 G M/T, and that’s P 1,626,500 or just P 114,500 away from the range-topping 3.0 V! In other words, go for the TRD package only if you have money left over from getting the proper variant which is again, the 3.0 V. The Fortuner 2.5 G M/T may certainly open up more sales opportunities for Toyota, but be forewarned: it’s not the sporty variant it promises to be. Still, there’s still do denying that despite its age, the Toyota Fortuner is still one SUV to be reckoned with, especially if you need one that’s practical and can carry seven adults in relative comfort.

By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang