Fortunate Son

Not What CCR Had in Mind, but Apt Nevertheless.

- Raunak Ajinkya

I’ll cut right to it — the new Toyota Fortuner is a solid effort. It’s got the proportions just right, it’s got a bunch of engine and transmission options that can get pretty confusing quite fast, and it feels thoroughly updated from the inside and out.

From the moment we walked into the briefing right before the drive, Toyota’s representatives kept harping on about the balancing act they’ve been through with the new Fortuner. They’ve been taking customer feedback into consideration and have since been working on an update for the Fortuner that makes it as butch as the previous iteration but also a lot more attractive. Based on what they showed me, it’s a bit of a tight-rope that can be likened to running through an entire bottle of vodka and not questioning your will to live the next day. Has it managed it? In my eyes, it’s an interesting approach Toyota’s adopted for sure, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s on my list of cars that I’d deem pretty. It works, though. The Fortuner’s meant to be big and intimidating, and it manages the same with ease. It’s not as rounded as the previous one, either. Smart cuts and creases adorn the car and while the front looks a bit over-the-top with all that chrome, the rear tail-lamp integration and the profile in general are spot on. The one thing I didn’t quite appreciate was the way the headlamps constantly remind me of that bit of crust that forms in the corner of your eye in the mornings thanks to that large vertical chrome slat. Some people seemed to like it, while the others concurred with my highly under-developed mind’s image.