It was only earlier this year that Toyota updated the Fortuner with a facelift in its current, second-gen avatar for our market. However, it is understood that Toyota has been working on the next-generation Fortuner for some time and as per reports, it could see the light of day in 2022. The Toyota Fortuner is the undeterred king in the large-size 7-seater SUV segment in India, and given its popularity in our market, we expect the new, third-gen Fortuner to make it to India within a few months of its global debut in 2022 itself. Although details are still scarce, here's what we know about the next-generation Toyota Fortuner so far.
2022 Toyota Fortuner - What To Expect?
The next-gen Toyota Fortuner will continue to be underpinned by a ladder-frame chassis as that's one of its core concepts. However, the platform is expected to feature quite a few upgrades, with a majorly revised electronic and electrical (E/E) architecture. The next-gen Fortuner will likely ditch the hydraulic steering setup of the current model and adopt an electric power steering to significantly improve the driving experience. Another major upgrade will be much greater levels of digitization and possibly the introduction of ADAS features as well.
The current-gen Fortuner is already sold with certain ADAS features such as radar-guided cruise control, pre-collision safety system and lane departure warning in international markets. With the next-gen model, Toyota is expected to bring these features to India as well. We also expect some major upgrade on the powertrain front. With ever tightening emission norms, Toyota is unlikely to meet regulations with pure diesel powertrains. So, some sort of electrification is bound to come in, possibly in form of a hybrid-diesel powertrain. There is, however, no clarity if it will be a strong hybrid system or a mild-hybrid system.
Also Read : New Toyota Fortuner 33% Costlier Than Last-gen Model, 18% Quicker
2021 Toyota Fortuner Facelift in India
As for its 2021 update, the Toyota Fortuner facelift came with revised LED projector headlamps and a completely new grille which is larger than before but gets far less chrome as standard than the outgoing model. The biggest change on the 2021 Fortuner is the new bumper that looks sportier with deep set fog lamp housings and large air dams. It also gets new a design for the 18-inch alloy wheels and slimmer LED taillights at the rear. Toyota also introduced a new Legender variant of the Fortuner in India that gets a completely different face with its own unique bumper that looks even sportier along with a blacked-out split grille. On the inside, Toyota updated the Fortuner with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system that now comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Under the hood, the Toyota Fortuner facelift continues with the 2.7-litre petrol engine that produces 166hp and 245Nm of torque. This engine comes mated to a either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The 2.8L diesel engine too has been carried over but with certain changes. It continues to produce 177hp and 420Nm of peak torque when paired with the 6-speed manual gearbox. However, if you opt for the automatic-diesel variant, the 2.8L engine has received a healthy upgrade to now produce 204hp and an impressive 500Nm of torque with the 6-speed torque convertor unit.
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