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World premiere for seven-seat
Toyota Fortuner
Toyota today staged the simultaneous global reveal of a new seven-seat family SUV
that will arrive in its Australian dealer showrooms towards the end of October.
Known as Fortuner, the new SUV will expand
Toyota’s market-leading SUV line-up to six
vehicles - joining RAV4, Kluger, FJ Cruiser,
LandCruiser Prado and LandCruiser 200 Series.
Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and
marketing Tony Cramb said the world premiere,
heralds a stylish and refined vehicle that is super
tough and offers genuine 4WD ability.
“Fortuner’s strength and refinement ensures it
is equally at home on the school run as on the
toughest off-road trails found in Australia,” Mr
Cramb said.
“Fortuner shares the rugged underpinnings of
the ‘unbreakable’ HiLux, allowing owners to
travel to - and return from - places many other
SUVs simply can’t go.
“At the same time, Fortuner’s unique design
suits the advanced tastes of modern SUV buyers
while being equipped with a comprehensive list
of features appreciated by families and business
owners.
“Fortuner provides a diesel alternative to the
petrol-only Kluger range as the new entry point
for customers after a large Toyota diesel SUV.”
Toyota sells more SUVs in Australia than
any other brand, having delivered more than
50,000 in each of the past three years. No other
company has sold 40,000 SUVs in a single year.
Fortuner will be offered in Australia in three
grades - GX, GXL and Crusade - all powered
by Toyota’s new 2.8-litre direct-injection four-
cylinder turbo-diesel engine that develops up to
450Nm of torque^.
A new six-speed manual gearbox includes
‘intelligent’ technology on GXL and Crusade
grades to ensure smoother shifting by matching
engine speed to transmission speed. A newly
developed six-speed automatic transmission is
also available.
All variants are fitted with trailer sway control,
which is designed to assist if a towed vehicle
becomes unsettled by crosswinds, bumpy roads
or sharp turns of the steering wheel. Maximum
braked towing capacity will be three tonnes for
the manual and 2.8 tonnes for the auto*.
A part-time 4x4 during day-to-day driving,
owners can turn a dial to access Fortuner’s
impressive four-wheel-drive ability in high or low
range.
The suspension package was developed and
tuned by local engineers to meet Australia’s
harsh conditions, with double wishbones at the
front and a five-link, coil-spring configuration at
the rear for impressive handling stability and ride
comfort on all surfaces. Front and rear stabiliser
bars suppress body roll.
The vehicle’s off-road prowess is enhanced by
a rear differential lock with the componentry
placed within the differential housing for greater
off-road protection.
Significant local development was also applied
to ensure optimum tuning of the stability and
active traction control electronics for local
conditions, particularly for use on gravel. Drivers
can disable the electronics for specific off-road
situations, such as driving in slippery mud or
sand.
A reversing camera is standard across the
range, as are seven airbags, hill-start assist
control and an emergency stop signal. Toyota
expects Fortuner to attract the top five-star
safety rating.
TMH Torque
I
17
1800 425 438
