The Fortuner may only be the latest of many additions to the confusion of choice that is a booming SUV market segment, but Toyota has a steely-eyed confidence about it. “Fortuner definitely lives up to the promise of its road-less-travelled 4WD heritage “Fortuner is positioned perfectly between Kluger and Prado; diesel alternatives to Kluger are selling around 1400 vehicles a month, or almost 17,000 a year. Fortuner will give us a significant slice of that action.
“It’s a great choice for people who aspire to a luxury SUV … they want a stylish vehicle, they want seven seats and the safety of a high-seating position and great visibility; they also want genuine 4X4 ability.
The Fortuner, shorter and narrower than Kluger and Prado, is chunky and solid; it looks like a mad scientist fused a Land Cruiser, Prado and Kluger together, threw in a bit of RAV4 for a laugh and then pumped the resulting mix full of steroids. It looks good; not too city-smooth, as do plenty of modern-day 4WDs, but country tough with class.
Driving position is nice, high and secure; the seats are comfortable and offer plenty of support. Steering is rake- and reach-adjustable. The paddle shifts will seem like a nice touch for some, but we reckon they’re wasted here. Visibility from the driver’s seat is more than generous with open spaces all-round.
The Toyota Fortuner boasts impressive off-road credentials, along with the benefit of thousands of kilometers of local engineering and testing, with Toyota’s local engineering team involved in a great deal of design and testing for the Fortuner
While it may look big from the outside, the Fortuner is actually shorter and narrower than both the Prado and Kluger. Despite the exterior size deficit, the cargo capacity wins out on volume and versatility. With the third row in place, there is 200 liters of cargo volume on offer (to the roof). The rear door is manually operated on GX and GXL variants, while the top-spec Crusade gets a motorised rear door.
High quality materials and premium fit and finish sets the Fortuner apart from the HILux (except the bit of trim that popped out unexpectedly on the passenger side door). Leather-look highlights on the top-spec Crusade model make it feel more like a Prado than an SUV derived from a commercial vehicle.
Under the Fortuner’s shell is a dual-range transmission with switchable four-wheel drive. The driver can switch between a two- and four-wheel drive high-range mode and a four-wheel drive low-range mode
Normally, when a car maker launches an all-new product, it opens not just a chapter in that vehicle’s history, but an entirely new volume. That said, Toyota didn’t get the memo with the all-new Fortuner. Granted it looks sleeker and much more sophisticated than ever before, it adheres too closely to the concept of kaizen or continuous improvement. It ends up telling pretty much the same story, remixed and retold
Toyota has done with the Fortuner’s design. While the first-generation model looked sturdy, the new one is sleek. It’s all fluid and swoopy with a strong crossover-vibe.
Moving to the second and third row though, the experience feels largely unchanged. Yes, it’s still quite roomy, but there’s surprisingly not a lot of head room available (especially the middle occupant in the second row and the entire third row). Apart from that, it doesn’t learn any new tricks. The second row still folds, slides, and tumbles in a 60/40 split, but a one-touch tumble mechanism allows easier access to the third row. The third row meanwhile still flips to the side, but a spring loaded mechanism and rear-mounted latch point, attached to the rearmost seat belts, make it easier to store
The 2017 Renault Koleos is a huge step up for the French brand.The launch of the second-generation Renault Koleos medium SUV in Australia is one of the company’s most significant to date. So significant that we are in fact the first market to get the car — not something we’re used to here in our remote corner of the world. This French rival to the Mazda CX-5, Hyundai Tucson and imminent new Volkswagen Tiguan is poised to become the company’s top-seller here, which is fitting when you consider the continued rapid growth in this corner of the market. The new Koleos sits on the same proven architecture as the Nissan X-Trail (fruits of the global Renault-Nissan Alliance) and is once again built in Korea as part of Renault’s alliance with Samsung Motors. It’s larger than before, more upmarket and certainly better value.
Pros Interesting cabin design Plenty of interior space Good value The promise of reasonable ownership costs may surprise you
Cons Petrol engine and CVT uninspiring, a diesel would be good Not the rounded dynamic package that class-leaders are
The original Koleos was Renault’ s first crossover ever, and the newest iteration is set to be the brand’s flagship SUV that will compete against the likes of the Mitsubishi Outlander and the Nissan X-Trail, among others. As Renault’s flagship SUV, the Koleos is now larger and offers seating for up to seven. It comes loaded with an automatic four-wheel drive system, new technology, and a decent list of driver assistance systems. When spy shots of the new Koleos started surfacing, I was a little skeptical that Renault would do right by the model. The original did well in some markets, but poor in others others . Now that we’ve seen the finished product, it’s pretty clear that Renault went all out on its new flagship SUV. It’s filled with technology that will be used and doesn’t have any of the extra crap that nobody ever uses. The interior is upscale and luxurious, and it is sure to be a hit in most markets.
Pros Updated styling Space for seven Up-scale features
Cons Could be too close to the X-Trail Engine packages might fall short