The new 2023 Toyota Fortuner is destined to remain at the top of the medium SUV segment. Featuring a bold catamaran-inspired design language, accompanied by significant updates to the interior colour palette, and more safety and convenience features than its predecessors, the new facelifted Fortuner is a stylish and comfortable option for SUV enthusiasts.
Nearly two decades ago, my then six-year-old son joined me and his oupa on his first-ever trip to the Kruger National Park. Since then, it has become a family tradition for the three of us, spanning three generations, to visit the iconic park for a week, every year. On one of these earlier trips, my son commented that the Toyota Fortuner seemed to be the most popular vehicle in the Kruger National Park. He promptly added the Fortuner to the list of South African national species.
My son did not know it then, but he was not far from the truth. Toyota Fortuner’s highest market share was recorded in 2020, with a staggering 57%. It still commands the largest slice of the medium SUV segment by far, averaging sales of more than 800 units per month.
More recently, Toyota hosted us for the launch of the new 2023 Fortuner in the Klein Karoo, a fitting landscape for South Africa’s “national car”, now boasting a bolder, more aggressive design language.
BOLD NEW STYLING
The new Fortuner has a more striking design direction with catamaran-inspired elements. The vehicle’s extremities mimic the twin hulls of a catamaran, and the all-new, sharply angular front and rear bumper treatment is complemented by black trapezoidal fog lamp housings upfront and L-shaped reflector inserts at the rear, reinforcing the new-found style aggression. A more aerodynamically efficient front fascia with a slimmed-down black mesh upper grille and considerably inflated lower aperture highlights the car’s more assertive attitude. A bespoke, grey contrast skid plate adds to both the aesthetic and functionality. The exclusively designed headlamps, comprising split-quad LEDs with a waterfall LED Line Guide Signature, in combination with the LED L-shaped daytime running lamps and apron-framing LED indicator lamps, tie up the front end’s more modern look. The rear styling is more delicate, with reworked elements such as the bumper treatment, a new design for the taillight clusters, a piano black number plate garnish, and a black badge treatment.
SUBTLE INTERIOR REFINEMENTS
The new Toyota Fortuner comes with subtle but impactful interior updates. Leather is standard across the Fortuner range. However, the 2.8-litre variants come with a new dual-tone colour palette that features black and maroon leather, adding a striking counterpoint to the predominantly black trim. The revised instrument cluster features all-new graphics, new black background ornamentation, and a revised opening animation for the TFT display. The Fortuner 2.8-litre customers can also specify the new bi-tone colour option that pairs a black roof with the exclusive Platinum Pearl White exterior.
ENHANCED SAFETY & CONVENIENCE
The 2023 Toyota Fortuner boasts several safety and convenience features. It comes with a comprehensive list of standard safety kit that includes a full set of airbags, including driver knee and curtain bags. In addition, the 2023 Fortuner also features the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistance technologies, which includes a Lane Keeping System with Lane Departure Alert (LDA), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Adaptive Cruise Control, and a brake-synchronised Pre-Crash System.
ENGINE LINE-UP & TRANSMISSIONS
As before, the Fortuner is offered with two engines headlined by the strong and durable 2.8-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine, developing a meaty 150 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque, and mated exclusively with the six-speed automatic transmission. The 2.4 GD-6 produces a healthy 110 kW and 400 Nm and is available in six-speed manual or six-speed auto transmission configurations. The fuel index ranges from 6.8 to 7.9 l/100 km depending on the variant and transmission type selected.
LAST WORD
With the rising popularity of SUVs, Toyota ensures its position in the market with four-model offerings servicing the B- and C-SUV segments, the Urban Cruiser, Corolla Cross, C-HR, and the RAV4. Positioned as an off-roading SUV, the Fortuner is the transition for urban crossover-type SUV owners to move up to larger SUVs such as the Prado and LC300. With over 40% of the medium SUV market share and average sales of more than 800 units per month, the Fortuner remains at the top of the bestseller list.
Subtly updated to cater to customers’ changing needs, the 2023 Toyota Fortuner is set to remain the iconic SUV it has been. With a bolder, more aggressive design language and a range of interior updates, the 2023 Fortuner is guaranteed to maintain its top-selling status in the medium SUV segment.
Overall, the 2023 Toyota Fortuner is an excellent choice for customers looking for a reliable, safe, and stylish SUV that can handle any terrain.
Report by WILHELM LOOTS | Images © RYAN ABBOTT
