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Toyota Fortuner launched in India
Toyota has just launched the
Fortuner in India. Click here for the latest on
price, specs etc.
Archived story continues below. Note: This story
is old, click above link for the latest update.
Following on the heels of the Toyota Qualis, and the about
to be released Innova, the Toyota Fortuner slots in right
below the LandCruiser Prado in the Indian market.
BY OUR AUTOMOBILES CORRESPONDENT
The Fortuner will share the IMV
platform on which the Toyota Innova too will be based on, and
thus there will be some cost efficiencies. If the Innova is
going to be quite a cool MPV, the Toyota Fortuner will be a
cooler SUV. At one look, one can say confidently that on
looks, this one looks like a winner. Photo
gallery
In foreign markets, Toyota has
for long been successfully selling the Toyota 4Runner (Fourrunner)
or the Toyota Hilux / Condor. The Fortuner will be the
replacement for these successful models. These models are
known as the Sport Rider in Thailand and Indonesia. Even the
Innova will be launched in those markets alongwith India. Compared
to the Hyundai Tucson which will be launched in India by July
2005, the Fortuner emerges a hands-down winner. Both the
Tucson and the Fortuner are priced above Rs 10 lakhs (exact
pricing is not kown right now) and at those levels, the
Fortuner definitely looks the more complete SUV than the
Tucson. Like all modern day SUVs, the
interiors will be car-like, and while one normally would not
take them mud-plugging, the Toyota Fortuner will definitely be
able to handle most kinds of terrain you can throw at them.
For their actual capabilities, we will have to wait for BS
Motoring to throw the new compact SUVs together into a
four-wheel drive brawl after all of them are launched! The
Fortuner is expected to have seven seats on offer, and will
have a wheelbase of 2750mm. That should be enough to
offer enough space to the tallest Indian passengers! Toyota
has decided to go the safe way - and so this will be a
ladder-on chassis SUV with all its attendant benefits. The
front suspension will have independent double wishbone
suspension which should make for good control. One cannot
expect anything other than rock solid reliability from Toyota
after the brilliant success of the Qualis in India, and so we
do not expect any trouble on that front. The
Fortuner will be powered by a 2000 cc common rail diesel
engine generating 20kgm of torque - think sufficient. There
may also be the option of a 3000 cc engine available for the
Fortuner in a while. This is all the
information we have available on the Fortuner right now - as
more news leaks out, we will keep you posted! Meanwhile, feast
your eyes on the photos.
BY OUR AUTOMOBILES CORRESPONDENT
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