The Toyota Fortuner facelift is headed on its way to India and perhaps the Legender variant too. Until then, enjoy some serious off-roading action along with the Fortuner Legender as it makes its way through the wilderness of Thailand.
We have already reported to you that Toyota will soon be bringing a facelift for the Fortuner SUV to India later this year or early next year. The Toyota Fortuner facelift was launched in Thailand earlier this year and along with the facelifted SUV, Toyota also introduced a new Fortuner Legender variant with some added cosmetic enhancements. There has however been no word from Toyota about bringing the Legender variant to India but going by Toyota’s track record, it could eventually make its way to India.
Based on a ladder-frame chassis, the India-spec Toyota Fortuner is already a very capable off-roader, perhaps even a tad bit better than its rivals – the Ford Endeavor and the Mahindra Alturas G4. The upcoming facelifted Fortuner is essentially just a cosmetic makeover and it continues to be underpinned by the current ladder-frame chassis. And that means it should continue to be plenty capable off-road, and so should the Fortuner Legender. Here we have a video showing the Toyota Fortuner Legender doing some hard-core off-roading in the wilderness of Thailand.
This off-road course looks challenging right from the onset. First up, the Fortuner Legender can be seen rolling down a hill and it makes it seem like a breeze. There’s also a section which tests the wheel articulation and suspension travel of SUV nut the Fortuner takes it all in its stride. The SUV can next be seen approaching a really tricky situation of slush and muck. While it goes over the muddy surface with quite some ease, the steep slope ahead really put the four-wheel drive and the electronics on the SUV to test.
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By the time the Fortuner has made it to the slope, the tires of the SUV are completely covered in mud and there’s no traction at all on the wheels. It is here that the four-wheel drive system along with the locking differentials and all the electronics on the SUV come into play to keep the SUV moving forward even without any traction at the wheels. Here again, the Fortuner proves that it is one of the best off-roaders around and with good reasons. In fact, the surface is so slippery that the Fortuner can be seen sliding from side to side in several places but it quickly gathers composure and gets going.
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For good off-road drivability, you also need a powerful engine to get you through. The Toyota Fortuner facelift will continue to be powered by a 2.7L petrol and a 2.8L diesel engines when it comes to India. The former engine produces 164bhp and 245 Nm of torque while the latter produces 174bhp and 450Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The Fortuner comes in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants. The facelifted SUV is also expected to bring some more features on board when it launches in India.
