FORTUNER – Second Gen

The bigger changes are to be seen on the inside. The utilitarian dashboard has been replaced with a, new, premium dashboard with matching door trim. The instrument console is all new and looks contemporary. The prominent centre console houses the touch screen and HVAC controls. The steering wheel is nice to hold and the driving position is good. Some parts of the dashboard and door pads look average in quality. You get numerousequipments, like leather seats, cruise control, paddle shifts, up and down hill assist, ESP, seven airbags etc. But, the Fortuner misses out on features like sunroof, dual zone climate control etc at this price.

One the driving department, it is massively improved with better steering response and nicer body control. There is less body roll and the car feels more eager to turn into a corner despite the additional weight. Straight-line stability has also improved and unlike the earlier car, you can now confidently carry more speed on the highway- thanks to massively improved brakes. There are also several areas that could have been better.The ride quality is still bouncy and has only seen marginal improvements. The car is never really settled on the move. The four-wheel drive variant gets 18-inch rims instead of the 17-inch ones on the two-wheel drive variant, while both get adequately grippy 265 section tyres with different aspect ratios.

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