I just test drove new Pakistan assembled Toyota Fortuner 2013. Here's my review of the vehicle along with some pictures I was able to take.
Exterior: 7/10 - I saw the one in dark gray mica color and it looked pretty nice. It has a fresh design with nice curves and style. I would personally prefer white color though.
Dashboard: 5/10 - Those driving Civics, Premios, Mark X and Surf are not going to be excited about it. It's pretty basic. Although they have given leather steering and black piano trim it still doesn't spark. DVD, gear and speedometer is also average. Nothing stands out.
Interior: 6/10 - Tan leather seats and overall ambiance inside the cabin gives it a nice look and there's nothing out of ordinary. However, it feel pretty congested and 3 normal sized people would be tight sitting in the 2nd row. 3rd row is very tight and only 10-12 year old children would fit in there.
Drive: 5/10 - It felt quite stiff and heavy. You cannot compare it's ride to Prado or Land Cruiser. At a speed of 100 km/hr it didn't feel very stable on a bumpy road. I believe it will have stability issues on motor way where there are heavy gusts of wind in some areas as well as on curvy roads at high speeds.
Engine: 6/10 - The engine isn't under powered; it's just about the right size. It didn't feel sluggish. You won't be able to drag race it with Corolla or Civic though. I know we are going to complain about fuel consumption because it's all time 4WD which isn't going to be a good idea since it's a city car.
Price: 4/10 - Now it all comes down to the price which IMC hasn't announced yet but most probably it's 5.2 million. So the question is how much are you willing to throw away for a car that's 6/10 in Pakistani market. Since we have seen comparison of prices of Fortuner with other countries in different threads I am going to repeat the same thing. After seeing and driving it I am more convinced that this car belongs in around 4.2 million bracket. My limit to purchase this car would be 4.5 million. There's no way I am spending 5.2 million on it and after taxes and registration it would be around 5.8 million. Sorry, IMC but I am not up for that.
Bottom line: All in all it's not a bad car to own and drive but it felt like an upgrade or big brother of Vigo and then it all comes down to value for money. You need to see what you get in return of the money you spend. I would personally either prefer a Surf or a Mercedes in 4 million range and if I have to spend close to 6 million then I am going for a Prado. Yes, there are people who would buy it for even 7 million and consider it a good price for a "brand new" car but I am not willing to go down that road. IMC would have difficult time selling it over 4.5 million. The Sales Manager at Toyota dealership also said that this car will sell itself at 4.5 million but at 5.2 million it will be very difficult. Initially they might get a good response but it will eventually slow down.
Price Comparison: I did a small price comparison with different countries. I used current foreign currency exchange rate. I wonder why is there a minor difference in the price of Altis and Fortuner in other countries and why do we have to pay almost 3 times in Pakistan for Fortuner? I believe that's because Fortuner is not considered a luxury car in other countries and they think of it as an upgrade to a pickup truck. You can see Altis is cheaper in Pakistan than most of the countries then why not Fortuner?
[TABLE="width: 425"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Country[/TD]
[TD]Altis 1.8L[/TD]
[TD]Fortuner 2.7L[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]India[/TD]
[TD]2,616,838[/TD]
[TD]4,041,730[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Thailand[/TD]
[TD]2,957,710[/TD]
[TD]4,158,560[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]UAE[/TD]
[TD]1,909,050[/TD]
[TD]3,404,250[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Philippines[/TD]
[TD]2,795,100[/TD]
[TD]3,334,760[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pakistan[/TD]
[TD]2,084,000[/TD]
[TD]5,175,000[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
