Toyota Fortuner 2022 review: Crusade

The Fortuner has been given a whole new look for 2022 and boasts a cool looking grille, elongated headlights and an overall tough looking exterior.

It’s still square-ish in shape with modern angles and looks like it means business. It’s definitely brought the Fortuner into the 2020s.  

The Fortuner is square-ish in shape with modern angles. (Image: Dean McCartney)

Inside is updated also. While it’s the top-of-the-range, bear in mind it primarily exists as a 4WD off-roading vehicle which aren’t generally built to be luxe. Still, it has a leather accented interior and a woodgrain look steering wheel. 

The centre console is well thought out, with everything in easy reach. It’s a big improvement over the last model and you can tell this interior is built to last over long camping trips, lots of off-roading and will go the distance. It feels good to drive on the road. 

There are power operated front seats on this model, and a power tailgate which is helpful as the car sits so high. The second row tumbles forward so it’s easy to climb into the third row (though my kids just went straight in from the boot).

There’s a push-button start and it still has a manual handbrake, which sometimes you just appreciate pulling up. It’s quite the novelty these days. 

There are two cupholders in the front, a centre storage bin and bottle holders in each door.

Rear passengers get their own directional air vents, with two cupholders in the centre armrest. There’s a side step to climb into the car which we very much needed.

There are two cupholders in the front. (Image: Dean McCartney)

You can instantly tell it’s meant to be doing bigger things than the school run and driving to work, but that was not the Fortuner’s fate with me this week, so school runs it was!

There’s a loud 2.8L turbo-diesel engine that growls when you start it and take off. It’s got a lot of power to get up hills and cruise along highways. 

The handling is good, although I wouldn’t call it a smooth ride, as the car bounces over bumps and humps.

There’s a loud 2.8L turbo-diesel engine. (Image: Dean McCartney)

But that's part of the off-roading base it’s made for. I did find while driving it in suburbia, the large turning circle is probably one of the only things that makes it a bit hard to zip around town. That and the heaviness on take-off. 

Steering is also heavier than in a mid-size SUV for example, but nothing out of the ordinary for a large 4WD.

Steering is heavier than in a mid-size SUV. (Image: Dean McCartney)

Still, I found it enjoyable to drive, especially because you start to enjoy the ruggedness. It’s nice not to be driving a city car sometimes, and you feel you can pull into a park, rip the handbrake up, jump down from the high seat and it just makes you feel a bit tougher for it.

Parking is good in the Fortuner. There’s a good reverse parking camera and while the steering is slightly heavier, it’s still not hard work to squeeze into a spot. 

The Fortuner Crusade comes with 'Toyota Safety Sense' which includes auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure alert, and high speed active cruise control. There’s also blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.  

There are seven airbags, which cover driver and front passenger, and side curtain airbags. You’ll find two ISOFIX points and three top tether points. It received a maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2019. 

The Fortuner Crusade comes with 'Toyota Safety Sense'. (Image: Dean McCartney)

The new Toyota Fortuner Crusade costs $61,480, before on road costs and extras.

The official combine fuel consumption figure is relatively low 7.6L/100km, and that’s because it’s diesel. I averaged 10.2L/100km this week doing mostly suburban driving. 

It’s covered by Toyota’s five year/unlimited warranty and servicing is required every 12 months/15,000km. Services are capped for the first three years at $260 each. 

The Fortuner is covered by Toyota’s five year/unlimited warranty. (Image: Dean McCartney)