When you reign, it pours.  The latest success for world-conquering Toyota took even the company by surprise.  Expecting its Innova minivan to be the runaway best-seller, Toyota instead got the happy discrepancy of having its full-size Fortuner SUV take that role.  It has spawned and sustained a waiting list stretching to almost one year; that meant quality and price were right in the buying public’s sweet spot.  The 4x2 gasoline version is the best value of the lot, even factoring in higher fuel expenses, but we tested the value-utility equation of the top-line 4x4 diesel version.

The Fortuner scores a homerun where the Innova perhaps reaches only third base: its styling.  The sleek lines borrow heavily from its stablemates, the Sequoia and Harrier (aka Lexus RX 330).  To our eyes, it even supplants the company’s own (more-expensive) Land Cruiser Prado.  The schnozz is obviously similar to that of its chassis-mate, the Hilux, but with a blacked-out headlamp cluster with individual lenses under the clear cover.  The oversized wheel-tire package gives it an exaggerated, almost cartoon-like stance.  Alarmingly, the vehicle’s height exceeds its width.

Those large tires require a big hop up to the high-mounted driver’s seat.  From there, you survey a thoroughly modern dashboard that wouldn’t look out of place in a Camry.  However, the fittings are hard beige plastic with some silver trim here and there.  Beige gets dirty easily, but for this material, Pledge will work wonders.  The simple typeface on the luminescent gauges that looks adequate in the Hilux and Innova somehow looks cheap here. 

Then there’s the feature that makes the Fortuner viable for many families: third row seating.  Headroom is adequate for those below 1.8 meters in height, and there’s a place to properly plant your feet.  The second row people will have to share their leg room by sliding their seats forward; there’s plenty to go around anyway.  Shoulder room is generous everywhere.  The second row seats fold and tumble in a 70-30 split, while the third row folds and flips 50-50.   With the third row in place, there’s room for only a couple of small, soft bags in the luggage area.  The cabin lacks individual air vents as in the Innova, but there’s an aircon vent and controls beside the third row.

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