BHPian CEF_Beasts recently shared this with other enthusiasts: With the Innova coming into our garage, the Fortuner’s usage had dropped significantly. Initially, the Innova was to replace the Fortuner but we held onto the car for some more time. With me working in AP, it was decided that it’s best I have a car here since I require one here considering it’s a remote location with the nearest shops or town 15kms one way. One option was to sell the Fortuner in Mumbai and buy a pre-owned sedan/hatchback here or get the Fortuner here. Went the Fortuner route considering the car had only done 1.15 Lakh kms. This is our first car to have crossed the 1 Lakh kilometres mark and also having crossed the 10 year mark (parents had bought the car when I was a teenager), so I have a particular emotional connection that cannot be described in words. The car has never stranded us anywhere, except one time at the Mumbai Airport , when the car was indicating it still has 1/4th tank of Diesel and 134kms of range left but in reality it had completely ran out of fuel due to a faulty fuel gauge. The faulty fuel gauge is common in this generation of Fortuners and Hiluxes (not sold in India), the low fuel (yellow) warning also doesn’t appear. Was a good learning for me as well, since I learnt where the diesel pump is and how to pump it (thanks to BHPian dean5545). It’s not a sensor fault in the fuel tank rather an instrument cluster issue. Haven’t got it fixed, just use the Trip A/B method to see how much the car has run since the last fill-up and mostly fill the tank as soon as the gauge starts coming below the half-way mark. Before getting the car to AP spent some big money on getting the car sorted out: The reverse camera had conked off atleast a year earlier and we were using the car without one, but in such a big car not having a reverse camera is risky especially with kids playing around. We asked Lakozy Toyota how much does the OEM camera cost, it costs a bomb at 35k. The SA recommended we get a new head-unit itself considering the edges of the existing OEM head-unit was not accepting touches. With that we decided to go the aftermarket head-unit route (I wanted Apple CarPlay especially for Maps/GMaps as well), the Accessories dept. at Lakozy suggested the HyperSonic BigDaddy system, which I absolutely hate, maximum type-1 or type-2 Fortuners have this system installed. I had been eyeing the Sony XAV AX series for sometime now, asked the Lakozy accessory dept whether they could arrange one for me, to which the response was affirmative. At the end paid 33k for the XAV AX3200 system, wiring and external reverse camera. For the reverse camera, a hole was drilled into the rear bumper, much to my dismay. Yes the cost is higher than what an aftermarket shop would’ve charged, but I’m not comfortable leaving my car unattended at an aftermarket accessories shop. – Leaks were observed in the front suspension bushes, got them duly replaced. – Also got the engine mounts replaced, since the SA a few services back had mentioned about increased vibrations and shake on start-up. – Also got the servicing done. Total Bill was around 75-80k, over the last 1-1.5 years ever since the car crossed the 1 Lakh kms mark have spent close to 1.5 – 2L on getting all the wear and tear parts replaced including the clutch and flywheel assembly. Other than the tires (which still has around 35-40k kms of life left, were changed at 70k kms) almost everything is practically new including the battery. I was busy with work so my driver and his friend drove down the car from Mumbai to Kadapa Dist, AP roughly ~1100kms in a span of two days. The car arrived at my workplace in the afternoon of 9th October. In 5 days have already driven ~500kms , the roads here are almost traffic free and with long distances between two towns/cities the kilometres are raking up very quickly. The manual gearbox + long travel of the clutch pedal in Mumbai, was one of the major reasons for deciding to sell the car. Here in remote AP, nothing of that sort, I can use 4th gear from 40 to 100kmph without the car detesting at any point of time or 5th gear from 50 to 120kmph, basically like an automatic, which was just not possible in Mumbai. 343Nm of torque comes in at just 1400rpm making it an absolute breeze to drive. Even after 10 long years, the 3.0L D-4D engine continues to bring a smile on my face, the rawness, the effortless power and sheer tractability of this engine make it a great weapon on open roads. Rural India just loves Fortuners! People turn back to stare at the car like it’s a spaceship. And everyone stops and gives way to it, including bikers and autos, unlike in Metro cities. Neither is my Fortuner white nor are my glasses tinted, yet the attention it gets is absolutely crazy. Of course there have to be negatives! First and foremost the most disappointing point of the Fortuner has to be the Ride Quality! You can adjust the tire pressure how much ever you like, the stock suspension just won’t save you on bad roads. I have traveled in my company’s yellow plate Bolero Neos, newest B6 Boleros and Scorpio Classic; all these car are far more comfortable than my 1st Gen Fortuner, yes you read that right, a Bolero is more comfortable than a Fortuner !! No doubt the Bolero continues to rule in rural India. Not to forget how refined BS6 Mahindra Diesel engines have become, in comparison the 3.0L Fortuner Diesel feels nothing short of a truck. The second negative point is again common in first gen Fortuners, the bloody brakes! The brakes don’t instil an iota of confidence, hence on the highways I always keep the car in check and within 100kmph or at max 120kmph for a few seconds. The brake travel is a lot and you have to get used to it since the bite point takes time to get accustomed to. Anyways, I would still buy an used 1st Gen Fortuner over the sub 4m crossovers masquerading as SUVs, irrespective of the above mentioned negatives. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
