Toyota revealed the Fortuner facelift in the Thailand market about half a year ago, and the brand plans to bring the update to the Indian market as well. A new report suggests that the some Toyota dealers have already started to accept bookings on the much-popular SUV in India and that Toyota Kirloskar Motors has already stopped production on the current-generation model in India.
If the rumours are to be believed, the new Toyota Fortuner facelift could be just around the corner and Toyota is also expected to bring a high torque engine option in the diesel avatar of the SUV. The higher torque generating engine could be the one sold in the international market – a 1GD-FTV series 2.8-litre inline four-cylinder diesel engine upgraded to belt out 204 PS of power and 500 Nm of peak torque.
Currently, the Toyota Fortuner is retailed with a BS6 emissions-compliant 2.7-litre four-cylinder 16-valve dual VVTi DOHC petrol engine that makes 166 PS of power and 245 Nm of torque coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox and an optional 6-speed automatic unit with sequential shift. Diesel aficionados are also offered with 2.8-litre in-line four-cylinder 16-valve DOHC diesel engine that produces 177 PS of power and 450 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed manual transmission with iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) or a 6-speed automatic gearbox with sequential shift. Both the powertrains have been upgraded to conform with the latest emission norms and the high torque option could come as a special edition model such as a TRD edition targeted towards off-road partisans and outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts.
In terms of styling, the Fortuner that was unveiled in the South-East Asian market features a reworked front fascia, a black finished grille with new chrome surrounds, new LED headlamps with integrated LED daytime running lights, silver-finished skid plate, newly designed 18-inch alloy wheels and new design sleek LED tail lamps. On the inside, the new Fortuner is likely to retain the dashboard design and layout but feature the latest technologies and upgraded equipment such as a larger 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with integrated Apple CarPlay. The Optitron instruments cluster is also expected to be mildly tweaked for 2021.