Toyota Fortuner India Launch
Toyota Fortuner is finally coming to India. But the news is that it would be launched only towards the end of 2009 . which has kept the Indian market waiting for quite sometime now would be screaming through the Indian terrain by this year end,means beginning of 2010.
Expected price for the Fortuner would be something between Rs 16 lakhs and Rs 20 lakhs.
Fortuner would be projector type headlamps and foglamps, side step, alloy wheels, and the standard SRS airbags, ABS, etc.
Some of the key features would be:
1. New projector headlamps and fascia,
2. New rear lights
3. DVD Navigation system
4. Blue-tooth connectivity
5. New light sand interior
6. Electronic-adjustable driver seat,
7. Rear cool air conditioning from ceiling for second and third row
8. Vehicle Stability Control with Traction Control
9. Electronic Brake Force Distribution with Brake Assist
10. All Wheel Drive (AWD)
11. Redesigned front grille and Headlamps lamps
But if and when it comes, Toyota would give the Fortuner two engines – one, a petrol 2700 cc and the second, a 2500 diesel. The petrol would be a four-cylinder engine, while the diesel Fortuner would have a turbo.
Power would be somewhere above and below 160 bhp for both. There are also some counter-rumours which say that no, there would only be a single diesel engine. Who knows? Don’t take any of this as the final word – like I said, there is a lot of time to go, and anything can change.
An automatic and a manual version are to be expected, though. After all, every SUV including the Scorpio in India now have an automatic, or have an automatic variant planned. So it is quite likely that Toyota would launch the Fortuner in India with an automatic. Four wheel drive also is expected.
We would like to see the Fortuner in India though. It has been a long time that the Honda CR-V is ruling the luxury SUV market in India, and I really would like to see them brought down a notch. It won’t be Chevrolet who will do it – it has to be Toyota. The only real competition for the Honda Civic in India is the Toyota Corolla, and the Toyota Camry battles the Honda Accord. No one else has the brand image that these two has. So it has to be a Hodna CR-V vs Toyota Fortuner battle.
Toyota Fortuner petrol engine specs (4×2 petrol)
Engine type: VVT-i, 4-Cylinder In-Line DOHC, 16 Valve
CC: 2,694
PS: 160 at 5,200 RPM
Torque: 241 @ 3,800 RPM
Transmission: Gate-Type, 4-Speed Automatic with ECT
Fuel system: Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Toyota Fortuner diesel engine (4×4 diesel)
Engine type: Direct Injection, 4-Cylinder In-Line, DOHC 16 Valve, Variable Nozzle Turbo with Intercooler
CC: 2,982
PS: 163 at 3,400 RPM
Torque: 343 @1,400 ~ 3,200 ROM
Transmission: Gate-Type, 4-Speed Automatic with ECT
Fuel system: Direct Injection Common Rail (D-4D)
There is a 4×2 diesel engine too, but it has a maximum output of 102 PS.