INDIA’S MOST-LOVED OVERPRICED SUV

Imagine a premium SUV that lacks features, such as a sunroof, automatic headlamps, lane-change indicator, rain-sensing wipers, and cornering lamps, to name a few. But, in contrast, that SUV holds a strong resale value, has great reliability, and boasts a flawless off-roading capability. 

Would you still buy that SUV? Well, some may and some may not. After all, it’s a subjective question. 

Now, some of you might have figured out the SUV that I’m talking about. If not, it’s the one and only, Toyota Fortuner. 

The Begining

It was 2009 when the Toyota Fortuner first stepped on our Indian shores. Back then, it was priced at Rs 18 lakh for a 4x4 manual variant. Plus, Toyota India was focussing on capturing 50% of the Indian SUV market share, which was also a very ambitious goal.

In the first year of its launch, 3310 units of the Fortuner were sold, followed by 11,500 units in the next year. 

Having introduced the 4×2 and automatic options, Toyota sold 16,250 units like hot cakes, and in its final year of sale (2014-15), Toyota estimated Fortuner’s potential as it not only met the 50% market share in the segment but acquired 75% of it, instead!

Outselling The Rivals

Then came the second generation Fortuner in November 2016. At that time, there was a lot of buzz around diesel-powered vehicles due to the rising pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region. Probably, that was one of the reasons behind the introduction of the new 2.7-litre petrol-powered Fortuner in India. 

The petrol Fortuner was limited to the 4x2 variant, while the 4x4 variant was limited to the 2.8-litre diesel engine only. 

As for sales, 2000 units of the Toyota Fortuner were sold within a month. It outperformed all the rivals’ sales figures combined. However, according to the latest reports (2024), Toyota sells an average of 3,000 units of the Fortuner per month.

Now, as of March 2024, there are seven variants of the Fortuner on sale, priced between Rs 33 lakh and Rs 51 lakh, whereas the Toyota Fortuner Legender is priced between Rs 43 lakh and Rs 47 lakh. All are average ex-showroom prices.

Please note that these prices are subject to change without prior notice. 

Low Maintenance

Another major reason behind the success of Toyota Fortuner is its low maintenance cost. You may think that a vehicle costing above Rs 30 lakh, built on body-on-frame chassis will have high service and maintenance costs. Yes, you are not wrong. But that’s not the case with the Toyota Fortuner. Its service cost is much lower than its similarly-priced vehicles.

Conclusion

Rivals such as Jeep Meridian, MG Gloster, Skoda Kodiaq, ISUZU MUX, etc., have made great attempts to beat the Fortuner, but they failed to do so. Luxury German brands such as Mercedes, Audi, and BMW have a few products at 

comparable prices, but Fortuner buyers are very clear about their beloved SUV.

In my opinion, Toyota Fortuner is an extraordinary vehicle and Toyota should now move on from this thought- “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” and give Fortuner some much-needed features including a sunroof.