Toyota Fortuner 2015 News

Toyota Australia has been forced to initiate a safety recall on approximately 23,968 vehicles.

Riding on the back of the new Mitsubishi Challenger's unveiling and the Ford Everest's international launch, Toyota has retaliated by showing off the Fortuner's interior for the first time. Due to hit local showrooms in late October, the Thai-built Fortuner will go into battle with the new Ford and Mitsubishi seven-seat SUVs, plus existing ute-based SUVs like the Isuzu MU-X and Holden Colorado 7.  While the sub-Prado Fortuner may share its underpinnings with the new sixth-generation HiLux ute that also arrives around October, the wagon gets a unique dashboard design and restyled door trims to go with its seven-seat cabin layout.The bespoke interior reflects Toyota's consideration of family buyers for the all-new model, with soft-touch surfaces and features like a reversing camera, touchscreen multimedia, dual-zone air conditioning and a cooled/heated centre console box on all models.Toyota has only released pre-production images of the base GX and top-level Crusade interiors for now, but not much is expected to change.The dual-range four-wheel drive Fortuner will also be offered in mid-spec GXL. Standard GX features will be a 7-inch touchscreen with the Toyota Link multimedia system, seven airbags covering the length of the cabin, auto headlights, three 12V power sockets and a full-size spare wheel.All models get the usual connectivity options like Bluetooth, USB and 3.5mm auxiliary jacks.The second row seats can be split 60/40, with ISOFIX mounting points in the outboard positions.The third row seats divide 50/50 and fold up against the side windows like the full-size 200 Series LandCruiser. This is a less elegant solution than the Ford Everest or LandCruiser Prado however, whose third rows fold flat into the floor. The dual-zone air-conditioning covers all three rows of seats, with ceiling-mounted controls for the second row and vents for the third row. The top-spec Crusade gets climate control.Like the upcoming Challenger, all models get reach and rake adjustment for the steering, placing it ahead of the rake-only adjustable Everest, MU-X and Colorado 7.The GX and mid-range GXL will feature brown fabric seats and the GXL gets proximity keys and paddle shifters for the auto. The flagship Crusade adds leather and woodgrain trim, satnav and digital radio, an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat, a 220V accessory connector, powered tailgate, as well as woodgrain trim highlights with soft-touch surfaces.Full specifications and pricing will be confirmed closer to the Fortuner’s arrival in late October.

If you’re in the market for a relatively cheap seven-seat SUV with proper off-road credentials, your decision is about to get that much harder.  Toyota has taken the wraps off the all-new second-generation Fortuner today, with the HiLux-based SUV being revealed simultaneously in Bangkok and Sydney.The Fortuner rides on a shortened version of the new HiLux’s ladder-frame chassis The unveiling follows Toyota’s similar debut of the new sixth-generation HiLux ute in May, and confirms the seven-seat SUV’s future down under.The Thai-built Fortuner will be sold in Australian showrooms for the first time from October, to sit beneath the larger LandCruiser Prado and offering a more rugged and diesel alternative to the Kluger family-favourite. The Fortuner will compete with the upcoming Ford Everest, and join other ute-based SUVs  like the Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Challenger and Holden Colorado 7 in the Australian ute-based SUV market. The new Fortuner’s Australian arrival was hinted at last November, when it was spied testing in the Northern Territory testing alongside the new HiLux. The off-road traction aids and suspension has been tuned locally.The Fortuner rides on a shortened version of the 2015 HiLux’s ladder-frame chassis, but the only sheetmetal shared between the two appears to be the front doors and the bonnet.Under that bonnet will be the same 2.8-litre 1GD-FTV turbodiesel from the new HiLux and upcoming Prado update. Like the HiLux, the130kW unit will produce 450Nm in six-speed manual guise, but 420Nm with the six-speed torque converter automatic.  Toyota has confirmed that all Australian Fortuners will be four-wheel drive, and expects manual models to return less than 8.0L/100km on the combined cycle.The Fortuner also joins its immediate rivals in using disc brakes all round and a five-link coil-sprung solid rear axle - unlike the leaf setups of their ute cousins – but misses out on the Everest’s Watts linkage.Four-wheel drive can be engaged electronically, and all variants will be equipped with a mechanical rear diff lock.The four-wheel drive system will be aided by the latest A-Trac off-road traction aids and hill-descent control, which along with the suspension has been tuned locally.The Fortuner’s full-size spare wheel is mounted under the rear, limiting undercarriage space to an 80-litre fuel tank – unlike the Prado’s 150-litre dual-tank setup.The Fortuner does beat the Prado for ground clearance by 5mm, with a running figure of 225mm also beating the Kluger by a full 25mm. Like Toyota’s existing off-roaders, the Fortuner carries a 700mm wading depth rating.Manual models will carry the segment benchmark maximum braked tow rating of 3000kg, but the automatics will be limited to 2.8 tonnes. Towball ratings will adhere to Toyota’s 10 per cent policy, meaning 300kg for manuals and 280kg for autos. All versions will also come with trailer sway control. Three trim levels will be offered, starting with the familiar GX and GXL, and topped by the new Crusade nameplate previewed at the unveiling.All versions will come with touchscreens with the Toyota Link multimedia system, dual air conditioning systems and a cooler box that can also be heated. GX and GXL models will come with 17-inch wheels and all-terrain tyres, while the Crusade will ride on 18 inch alloys and highway terrain tyres, and also feature bi-LED headlights and a powered tailgate. Rear parking sensors will be standard on the GXL and Crusade, but front sensors will remain optional on all variants.The previous Fortuner served as a benchmark for Ford's engineers during development of the Everest.A five-star safety rating is expected, with seven airbags covering all three rows of seats and a reversing camera standard across the lineup, but Toyota is yet to confirm whether forward collision alerts or AEB will be available.Toyota has prepared a comprehensive array of genuine accessories, including steel and alloy airbag-friendly bullbars. The previous Fortuner was sold across Thailand, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and South America since 2005, after being co-developed by Toyota engineers in Australia. It also served as a benchmark for Ford's Australian engineers during development of the new Everest.Toyota Australia has been down a similar path before with the 4Runner, which sold across two generations between 1984 and 1996 (along with thousands of grey-imported Surf-badged models) before being replaced by the larger and more expensive Prado. Full specifications and pricing will be revealed closer to the Fortuner’s Australian showroom arrival in October.

The Toyota 4Runner is set to return to Australian showrooms next year - and CarsGuide has exclusive photos of it during top-secret testing.Photographer Phil Williams of the Centralian Advocate newspaper caught a convoy of disguised Toyotas in the outback this week.We've published spy photos of HiLux prototypes before but this is the first time its twin-under-the-skin, the new generation 4Runner, has been caught on camera in Australia.It is pictured towing a loaded trailer in durability testing south of Alice Springs. Locals say the Toyota team has been there for several weeks.The 4Runner was last sold in Australia between 1984 and 1996 priced between $40,000 and $48,000. It was dropped from the line-up locally because Toyota chose to import the family-sized Prado seven-seater SUV instead.That proved to be a wise move as the Prado became one of Australia's top-selling recreational vehicles, as a cheaper entry point into Toyota's heavy duty four-wheel-drive range than the LandCruiser. However, its price has risen over the years.As Australia's appetite for 4WDs continues to grow, Toyota, the biggest seller of SUVs, has found the need to introduce a more affordable model.The new generation vehicle is a little different to the 4Runner as we knew it. Back in the 1980s it was initially marketed as a cosy two-door, five-seater ute with a fixed canopy, designed to appeal to surfers and young couples keen on camping. The second model was available with four doors and five seats.But it has grown up since then and is now available as a seven-seater, putting it among the most affordable family-sized, heavy-duty 4WDs.In Australia its most likely rivals will be the Holden Colorado7, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Challenger and the coming Ford Everest. It is tipped to carry the Fortuner badge, as in overseas markets.All of these vehicles are made in Thailand and based on their ute siblings. The Toyota is built on the next-generation HiLux platform. Toyota Australia has not confirmed the Fortuner is coming to Australia but CarsGuide understands it will be in local showrooms by the end of 2015, soon after the all-new HiLux goes on sale in October, priced about $45,000.

The mid-sized Fortuner SUV is based on the working-class HiLux and was developed in Melbourne for sales in countries as widespread as Malaysia, South Africa and Venezuela.It's now being assessed for a family-focussed slot between the Kluger and Prado, based on its seven-seater cabin layout and a value price. The potential timing is unclear, but local sales are not likely until early in 2014. Toyota Australia is not prepared to commit to the Fortuner, even though it is proud of the local work on a vehicle that's doing big business across the globe."We cannot confirm or deny any plan for the Toyota Fortuner" says company spokesman, Mike Breen. In the car world that answer is usually translated as a "yes" and there is plenty of reason to believe the Fortuner would work well in Australia."We're always looking at any opportunity," Breen admits. It was styled and then engineered in Melbourne in a program very similar to the one at Ford Australia that resulted in the Ranger and Mazda BT50 pick-up twins. Ironically, there will also be an SUV based on the Ranger next year for sales around the Asian region.Even though the basics of the HiLux are relatively simple and well proven, the local engineering team did a lot of work for the Fortuner including tweaking it for the many countries where it is now sold.A team led by Max Gillard, the president of the Toyota Technical Centre Australia, has worked on the Fortuna since 2006 as part of its integration into the company's global engineering resources. The workforce has grown to more than 160 people and its success led to Gillard's elevation to the most-senior engineering post ever held by an Australian.The design team for the Fortuner body was led by Paul Beranger, who is about to retire from his post as head of Toyota Style Australia, as part of local work that has included the prestige version of the Camry sound in Asia.The Fortuner is currently built in six countries including Thailand, which would be the obvious supply choice for Australia as the Toyota factory there already produces the HiLux and the country has a free trade agreement with Australia.