Toyota will launch the latest iteration of its flagship SUV in India early next year and will rival the likes of Endeavour, Gloster and Alturas G4
After commencement of bookings for the updated Innova Crysta, it seems that Toyota has started accepting bookings for the new Fortuner Facelift unofficially. Select Toyota dealerships have started accepting bookings for the updated full-size SUV at an undisclosed token amount.
Recently, it came to light that dealerships of the Japanese brand also started accepting bookings for the facelifted Innova Crysta at a token amount of Rs 1 lakh. It seems the launch of these new models will not get affected by the strike at Toyota Kirloskar Motors’ (TKM) plant at Bidadi in Karnataka.
2021 Fortuner Facelift was globally revealed in June earlier this year which was followed by international launches in south-east Asian markets such as Thailand and Indonesia. The Indonesia-spec model launched last month has been priced between IDR 50.4 Million (approx 25 lakh) and IDR 704.5 Million (approx 35 lakh). It is also being reported that production of the current pre-facelift model of the premium SUV has been stopped.
Exterior Design
The updated Fortuner will be available in two trims- Standard and Legender. The latter is a sportier variant of the premium SUV. It gets a sharper design language and a more aerodynamic shape. It receives sharp Bi-projector LED headlamps with LED DRLs, a larger mesh grille in a black colour scheme and a redesigned front bumper. It also receives new skid plates at both front and rear, blacked-out ORVMs, a gloss black roof spoiler and blacked-out ORVMs.
Whereas the standard variant is offered with a larger front grille and silver bumper inserts, LED projector headlamps, revised fog lamp housings, redefined front bumper and smaller 18-inch alloy wheels as opposed to 20-inchers on the Legender trim. It also misses out on sequential LED turn indicators offered in the top-spec trim.
Interiors & Features
While exteriors of the two variants are visibly different, differences between the interiors of the two trims are minimal. Both trims get dark colour upholstery but Legender gets a dual-tone treatment with more premium leather upholstery.
Equipment list is more or less similar with the Legender having a slight edge in terms of number of features offered. The facelifted Fortuner comes with an updated touchscreen infotainment system compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and Toyota in-car connectivity tech T-Connect. The Standard variant gets an 8-inch screen instead of a 9-inch screen in the Legender.
Powertrain, Transmission Options
In terms of powertrain, the current set of engines are set to be continued. This includes 2.7-litre petrol and a 2.8-litre diesel unit. The former will put out a similar 166 bhp 245 Nm of torque. The latter returns an updated output of 204 bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options will include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. A 4WD setup with a low-range gearbox is set to be offered as an option.
The new Fortuner is expected to be launched in India early next year. It will be interesting to see if and by how much Toyota will increase the prices of the full-size SUV since competition has stiffened with the launch of MG Gloster at a much affordable price.
