Amil Umraw — the 20-something bloke
DRIVING the Fortuner made me feel like I owned
the road, sitting high above just about everything else.
It was the perfect combination between the
hardcore off-road rigidity of a Landy and the elegant sophisticated interior of
a Mercedes.
But taking the Fortuner’s wheel in the dark for the first time, I
had no idea where to disengage the central diff lock. The buttons where these
controls are normally positioned are not back-lit and of course Toyota further
confused this newbie driver by requiring the 4x4 short lever to be pulled into
the traditional engage position in order to disengage the
central diff lock.
central diff lock.
And while probing around underneath the dashboard, looking for that
elusive button in the dark, you also find the Fortuner’s roof lights are
definitely more for romantic mood lighting than illumination.
Luckily there are apps that turn smartphones into torches!
Alwyn Viljoen — the 40-something oke
AS a member of the neighbourhood watch I
note at night how Mahindras are parked outside while the Fortuner flock huddle
behind locked gates.
For that is the sad reality of owning SA’s most
popular ute — you also own a vehicle that is on top of car thieves’ shopping
list. And then there is the huge key to start the Fortuner with. You cannot
stuff it into your pocket for fear of it poking a hole in the lining. At half a
bar for the Fortuner, I’d want a fold-in key fob like those the competitors use.
But over 700 people who buy a Fortuner each month cannot all be wrong, as a
quick drive along a selection of gravel and tar convinced me.
Where other firmly-sprung 4x4s judder over the
cement section of the N3 highway near Cato Ridge, the Fortuner just sits, ditto
around gravel corners. Just don’t tap off!
Toyota’s Bluetooth system is another big plus,
as it pairs with any smartphone in less than five key presses.
Brian Bassett — the venerable madala
A DRIVER of German cars for many years, sweeping corners are my
forte, not 4x4ing.
Which is why my colleagues waited with baited breath as I prepared
to surmount our usual steep, rock-strewn slope.
The last time I had tried to get up there in a competing ute, I
returned with a flat tyre. But with the Fortuner’s central and front diff lock
engaged, this terrified 4x4 novice was king of the hill in no time.
If I have to nitpick — and the editor said I do — the Fortuner’s
sheer size makes it difficult to park. I wonder how the thousands of petite
women who use this ute as a mom’s taxi cope with this issue on a daily basis.
From a design perspective, the air intake on the bonnet also spoils
the lines for me.
I think Toyota could have enabled the engine to breath in more
attractive ways, as its 86 sportscar shows.
