The current generation Toyota Fortuner has been around for a while now, almost six years. In that time, Toyota hasn’t done much to it, while the competition has seriously upped the game. But all that is about to change soon, with the facelifted Fortuner being revealed alongside its pickup sibling the Hilux, on June 4!
Spy shots suggest a more butch front end, thanks to slimmer headlamps and a more aggressive grille layout. The side profile looks largely unchanged but the black roof makes the Fortuner look a lot more sleek. Not much of the rear can be seen from the pictures but a redesigned bumper is expected and refreshed taillamps. Technology is where the Fortuner currently lacks and that’s where we expect this refresh to focus its efforts. You can expect the layout to be largely unchanged but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should make an appearance, along with updated software for the infotainment system.
Internationally, the Fortuner is sold with a range of engine options including a 2.4-litre petrol and a 2.8-litre diesel. We get the latter in India, along with a 2.7-litre petrol engine. The rumour mill suggests the refreshed Fortuner will get a more powerful version of the 2.8-litre engine that the current Fortuner uses. However Toyota recently updated the 2.8-litre engine to meet BS6 norms in India, and it is not clear whether it will meddle with that engine again.
The refreshed Fortuner will initially be launched in Thailand, before making its way to our country. However, with the recent BS6 update to the Fortuner, and the fact that half the year has gone by, don’t hold your breath on it arriving on our shores before the end of the year. When it does come, it will be more equipped to go up against its main rival, the Ford Endeavour. The Endeavour recently got updated to meet BS6 emission norms, and got a whole bunch of goodies added to it too. It’ll be interesting to see how these two compare once the facelifted Fortuner comes to India.