After much speculations and spy pictures floating around, Toyota have finally unveiled the 2011 facelifted Toyota Fortuner in a glitterati in Bangkok, Thailand. What the pictures or rather the spy ones with all the camouflage running across it, showed were actually true and there is an all new nose job for the Fortuner which makes its lines similar to the Ford Endeavor. The new bits also include the swooping head lamps as also an aesthetically designed bonnet containing a wider scoop with provision for more air intake. Resemblance to the Toyota’s other bigger offering, the Landcruiser cannot be ruled out now due to the tons of chrome adorning the front grille. The tail lamps also benefit from this facelifting generosity and are now of the clear lens variety. The side profile in the meanwhile remains the same with the only visible change being the pattern of the alloy wheels. Scuff plates and roof racks are also available as optional accessories.
On the interiors front, the SUV gets a different hue than the so called Innova one. The seats have also being changed from the current version and by the look of it, feel very comfy. Under the hood, things remain pretty much the same with the Fortuner boasting of a state of the art common rail 3.0 liter diesel engine churning out 170 Bhp of power. Though this same motor also powers its bigger brother, biggie has got a lot more torque under its hood. For the Indian conditions though, torque may be increased to be in line with the Landcruiser. Like all the other things, emissions have been reduced and fuel efficiency has been bumped up. This could have being achieved via the use of a more advanced ECU which in turn uses a “Diamond Tech” resource which helps in improving the fuel injection system and also monitoring it for continuous load conditions. Amongst the other new things, an auto transmission is also on the anvil. In a bid to price the Fortuner in India even more competitively, Toyota were looking to localize many of the components and the arrival of the facelifted model in early 2012 would just be the chance that Toyota needed. As with other things, expect a slight price revision than the current version.
