smitty_r51
Well-Known Member
I looked at the fortuner as a possible replacement on the pathfinder... Same car...
The payload on the fortuner was awful
The payload on the fortuner was awful
Is there any downside to getting a Fortuner?
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BlueCollie
Well-Known Member
This is my two cents worth and may not be of a concern to you but I really dislike the way the 3rd row seats fold up against the windows rather than flat into floor like every other seven seater. Toyota's also have woeful infotainment systems compared to most other brands which would annoy me and of course you have to pay the toyota tax to get one.
Ziggy
Well-Known Member
Could you tell us some more about this?
It was on my short list till I heard about the cracks.
Actually Ziggy, that's what I thought when my neighbour first looked at these. But I think it has more in common with the 70 than the Kluger.
Diesel only
Low range with center diff lock
Rear locker
More clearance than a Prado
Off road TRC etc
Ok towing rating
Accessories available like Bullbar, Snorkel, dual battery under the bonnet
Huge availability of LT tyres ( 265 65 17)
Prado offset and wheel pattern for large availability of wheels and compatible trailer set ups
The Kluger has none of these characteristics. The chassis really is a Hilux chassis. Toyota's IMV SW4 platform but for rear coils.
The more I look at it the more I think it is a credible 4wd.
Ziggy
Well-Known Member
Sure. The specs are good but how tough is it?
My mechanic, who has a thriving 4WD servicing business, says it's not built like a Hilux.
Lot of people would say the DMax and MU-X are tough but my MU-X like others has developed body cracks.
I appreciate your neighbour isn't looking for Tojo 76 tough. I don't see any Fortuners outback or on rough high country tracks so maybe the news isn't in yet, and at the best of times bad news stories like body cracks don't get a wide press.
My mechanic, who has a thriving 4WD servicing business, says it's not built like a Hilux.
Lot of people would say the DMax and MU-X are tough but my MU-X like others has developed body cracks.
I appreciate your neighbour isn't looking for Tojo 76 tough. I don't see any Fortuners outback or on rough high country tracks so maybe the news isn't in yet, and at the best of times bad news stories like body cracks don't get a wide press.
There is a lot of info on pradopoint, from memory I think the prado from 2010 to 12 had the issues with the body cracking In the front wheel arches. There is also the issue of cracked pistons in the 3L engine. Go and check out pradopoint, all the info is there.
I bought a 2016 prado from new, it’s got 26k on the clock and no issues. It has the new 2.8L engine but it also has a DPF. There has been complaints about the DPF which is in the prado, hilux and fortuner but nearly all manufacturers have been having DPF issues of some sort. Ford rangers have been catching on fire because of their DPF.
If you google any vehicle you are bound to find some sort of manufactured fault.
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Ziggy
Well-Known Member
Thanks.
I did a search on PP a few months back and found little.
I recently contacted an automotive engineer who specialises in 4WD cracks and when I said I wanted to talk about cracks in my wagon he said 'Got a Prado?'.
So Tojo will have needed to change something in recent models. Any idea what?
I did a search on PP a few months back and found little.
I recently contacted an automotive engineer who specialises in 4WD cracks and when I said I wanted to talk about cracks in my wagon he said 'Got a Prado?'.
So Tojo will have needed to change something in recent models. Any idea what?
Pretty sure they just made the body in the wheel arches stronger/thicker.
When they were cracking i think it was mostly due to the weak design over corrugated roads and vehicles with a bullbar and dual batteries.
https://www.pradopoint.com.au/forum...150-series/18537-150-cracked-inner-guard-list
I had a quick read and it seems the issue was with the original 150, which was from 2010 to 14. They fixed the issue in the facelift model from 2014 onwards.
Seriously? Do you really think that Toyota are going to change body panel thickness for identical panels on two different models? Or are they going to change assembly or maybe construction methods between models using identical panels? What you are suggesting is not an economical proposition for two almost identical models.
Is your mechanic also an automotive design engineer? If not, his opinion is as useless as yours and mine.
Tink
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I dunno Ziggy. I wouldn't buy one, but i wouldn't buy a Hilux either.
70 series. I nearly got a dual cab, but after driving in my mates Troopie for 500 km on the Connie Sue, I was glad to rest my ass in my 200 soft roader for the next 3000kms
So have a few Dmaxs. Mostly due to front end accidents, like yours Ziggy, or the fitment of aftermarket bullbars, also like yours Ziggy.
But thankfully, the issue has been fixed on the production line so there should be no more issues for the Isuzus.
Tink
phs
Well-Known Member
I think you will find these cracks are all related to ones fitted with duel batteries and a lot with poor trays / poor installation that see corrugated off-road use.
Use a good tray, limit battery size / weight to manufactures specs, ensure the battery is fastened down and cross braced
Piranha off road use a decent size battery but the top is cross braced to stop them rattling around
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/684/31829885693_2088d0f4dd.jpg
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Ziggy
Well-Known Member
heheh, yeah, they're pretty agricultural.
Your mechanic is wrong to say it bluntly. They are identical to a Hilux mechanically except for the coils in the rear, other differences are just cosmetic.
Toyota, and my eyes. They are not a new vehicle, the previous Fortuner which just like the current one is just a wagon version of the Hilux was sold in Asian markets and South Africa for a long time and are hugely popular over there. I'm not quite sure to be honest why your mechanic would say they are not built as well, perhaps he just has no idea.
Exactly. As I said earlier, unless your mechanic is also an automotive design engineer, then his opinion is useless.
Tink
Ziggy
Well-Known Member
My mechanic sees more broken fourbies in a month than we'd see in a lifetime. He knows the systemic faults and weaknesses.
Now, what have your eyes told you about chassis rail and panel thickness, about suspension durability over tens of thousands of kms of outback corrugations, about CV joint failure and about whether the air filtration copes with 5 micron particles?
And you believe Toyota's advertising claims. That's comic given its history of cover ups.
Now, what have your eyes told you about chassis rail and panel thickness, about suspension durability over tens of thousands of kms of outback corrugations, about CV joint failure and about whether the air filtration copes with 5 micron particles?
And you believe Toyota's advertising claims. That's comic given its history of cover ups.