New Toyota Fortuner 33% Costlier Than Last-gen Model, 18% Quicker

The Toyota Fortuner is the most popular large-size 7-seater SUV of its segment, outselling its rivals each month by a very comfortable margin. It's loved for its superior off-road ability, commanding street presence and of course, the famed Toyota reliability. This is something that has remained true for the Toyota Fortuner across generations. The first generation of the Fortuner was introduced in India in 2009 and it was on sale till 2016, after which the second and current-gen model came in. Here's an interesting look at how the Toyota Fortuner 2021 has evolved from its previous generation, with the focus here being on specs and price.

Currently, the Toyota Fortuner 2021 is powered by a 2.8L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that comes mated to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. When paired with the automatic gearbox, the engine produces 201hp and 500Nm of peak torque. It has an ARAI-rated mileage of 15.04 kmpl and can sprint from 0-100 kph in about 9.88 seconds in real world conditions. In comparison, the first-gen 2015 Toyota Fortuner was powered by a larger 3.0L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, mated to either 5-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. However, the older engine produced much lesser power and torque outputs at 169hp and 360Nm respectively.

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Interestingly, the Fortuner from six years ago wasn't remarkably slower than the current one, as it managed a 0-100 kph sprint time of just under 12 seconds in most real-world tests. Given the fact that it was much less powerful and torque-ey than the current model, its performance was pretty commendable indeed. Essentially, in six years time and after a generation change, the Toyota Fortuner 2021 has become about 2 seconds faster. What has improved a little more significantly is its fuel efficiency. Compared to the 15.04 kmpl of the current model, the Toyota Fortuner from 2015 had an ARAI-rated mileage of 12.55 kmpl.

In essence, the new Toyota Fortuner 2021 is about 18% quicker than the previous-gen model and about 20% more fuel-efficient as well. While these are notable improvements, what has seen a much steeper rise is its price. Towards the end of its lifecycle, the first-gen Toyota Fortuner diesel AT 4x4 costed INR 28.35 lakh (ex-showroom). In comparison, the 2021 Fortuner costs INR 37.79 lakh (ex-showroom) for the diesel 4x4 AT variant, marking a 33% increase in its price. While part of that rise in price is definitely due to inflation over time, it has to be admitted that cars and SUVs have become a lot more expensive than they were even a few years ago.

On the upside, modern cars and SUVs are also equipped with a lot more features and tech, which obviously come at a cost. The Toyota Fortuner 2021 is loaded with features such as LED headlamps and tail lamps, an 8.0-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, 8-way power-adjustable and ventilated driver and co-driver's seats, LED ambient lighting, an 11-speaker JBL audio system, a 360-degree camera and much more, most of which were unimaginable on the Fortuner six years ago. So that's the cost of development and progress we have come to expect from newer cars and SUVs on our roads these days. While they usually come at much steeper prices, they offer that much more value as well. After the facelift, the next-gen Toyota Fortuner is expected to arrive next year.

Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more such interesting stories and other four-wheeler news.