99% Of Toyota Fortuner Customers Bought Diesel Version Over 1% Petrol Last FY

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The sales of diesel variants dominated the full-size SUV segment with 99 per cent of Toyota Fortuner customers preferring the 2.8-litre diesel engine

As has been the case in previous years, Toyota Fortuner utterly dominated its segment in volume sales. In the Financial Year 2018-19, the Japanese manufacturer sold 21,141 units of the Fortuner. The diesel variants contributed to 99 per cent of the cumulative volume as they were responsible for 20,948 units with 193 units for petrol.

The trend continued throughout the segment as full-sized SUVs definitely need torquey diesel engines to compensate for the high kerb weight and to return decent mileage. This is in obvious contrast to the compact and mid-size SUV segments where the sales of petrol models are indeed gradually catching up with the diesel.

The second-placed Ford Endeavour managed about one-fourth of the Fortuner’s sales with Skoda Kodiaq grabbing the third position ahead of Mahindra Alturas G4 (launched only in November 2018), Volkswagen Tiguan and Isuzu MU-X. The base variant of the Toyota Fortuner is retailed at nearly Rs. 28 lakh and it goes up to Rs. 33.60 lakh for the top-of-the-line variant (ex-showroom).

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The SUV can be had in six variants (two petrol and four diesel) with four two-wheel drive limited to the diesel model. The GD series 2.8-litre diesel engine returns a mileage of 14.24 kmpl on manual and 12.9 kmpl on AT. It produces 177 PS of power at 3,400 rpm and 450 Nm of torque between 1,600 and 2,400 rpm while the manual version generates 30 Nm fewer torque.

A six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters is optional and a six-speed manual comes as standard. The 2.7-litre four-cylinder Dual VVTi petrol kicks out 166 bhp at 5,200 rpm and 245 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm with mileage figures of 10.01 kmpl on manual and 10.26 kmpl on AT. The engine is paired with either a five-speed manual or a six-speed auto with paddle shifters.

Some of the main features in the Toyota Fortuner are powered tailgate, electrically adjustable ORVMs, automatic climate control, eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation, multi-spoke steering wheel with mounted controls, wooden cabin trims off-road modes, engine start/stop button, etc. The seven paint schemes in which the Fortuner is available are White Pearl, Phantom Brown, Avant-grade Bronze, Silver Metallic, Gray Metallic, Attitude Black and Nebula Blue.