Its a quiet work day back in October 2015, my phone is buzzing in my pocket, I pull it out and glance at the caller ID, the wife, better answer quick.
'Hel' before I can even get out the word I get 'I've won a car' yelled down the line. I manage to get out a 'what' before I get the details from the wife. 'I won a raffle and I've won a Toyota Fortuner.'
And that's how I came to know about Fortuner's, the great news was the wife had indeed won a Fortuner, the bad news was it was only for the weekend and then we had to hand it back.
So the weekend finally came in February 2016, we had won a weekend away including tickets to A Day On The Green. We went to the local Toyota dealership before we picked the kids up from school on that Friday afternoon. The first thing I noticed, after driving our regular drive, a Toyota Aurion, was having two kids all the way in the third road was fantastic. The wife and I could actually have a conversation without having to yell at each other. The next thing I noticed was it felt fantastic to drive a new car, our Aurion was aging, and I remember commenting to the wife, partially joking, that if might be time to retire the Aurion.
Well fast forward a month, the Aurion had developed a bad ticking noise. Had I spoken to loudly? Did the Aurion hear me and decide to give in after years of reliable service. I didn't have to wait to long for an answer, thirty minutes after dropping the car off, the mechanic called and informed me parts were needed from Japan and most likely the cost would almost be the same to as its second hand value.
Back to the local Toyota dealership we went, and that's how we came to the owners of a new 2016 Toyota Fortuner Crusade in Nebula Blue.
So lets time travel 2 years and 50000kms to present day and lets get into some pros and cons. Let's start with the good.
Smart key entry, this is so helpful when your hands are full with shopping bags or school bags, definitely something I can't live without in future cars.
Fixed price servicing, for a diesel vehicle it's fantastic to have the first 6 services capped at $180. Do I dare talk about this at dinner parties? Absolutely, my friends don't seem as impressed as me though. Definitely another big tick in Toyota's favor.
Room for seven. Sure the third row is really only for small kids but for our family this has come in handy so many times to transport extra family or friends. Maybe that one should go in the cons section on second thoughts. The front row seat are comfortable and supportive and I have no issue when we have taken it on longer drives
The 2.8L is mostly smooth, in my opinion I would love it to have some more power but at the end of the day it gets the job done and is reasonably economical to drive around town. The Fortuner does present some issues selecting the right gear but only when going down steep gradients.
The dash layout, I think is stylish and everything is in easy reach.
So lets flip the coin and talk some cons.
Lack of equipment. Safety tech is extremely limited, if not totally non existent and things like heated seats, sunroof, dual climate control are all missing. Comparing to the competition in this class you get much more bang for your buck with cheaper competitors
No need to hire a smoke machine for parties, maybe that's a pro. But seriously issues with the DPF have made this thing at times a smoke machine, Toyota seems to have addressed all the issues with my particular car but not the best when you leave school kids in a cloud of smoke at pick up time.
Overall I am satisfied with the Fortuner, it's provided safe and reliable transport for my family. It's good for the occasional towing job but Toyota does need to up its game. Yes I realise you pay for the dealer network and brand but in a changing car environment Toyota risks getting left behind if it rests on its past achievements.
Finally addressing the canary in the coal mine, this car has never gone off road, it is a 'soccer mum' SUV so I can't comment on it's performance off road.
Happy motoring.
2022 Toyota Fortuner Crusade review
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