Toyota has launched a new version of their beloved premium SUV- The Fortuner Leader Edition. When road presence is considered, almost all Indians would consider the Fortuner an absolute top dog. It has been an icon and a power statement in the Indian market. Since its initial launch in 2009, Toyota has sold over 2.5 lakh units of this SUV. They want to further up the ante with the Leader version of the Fortuner, which will be based on the diesel 4x2 variants.
The Fortuner Leader Edition does not get a lot of changes over the already rugged-looking SUV. That is except the addition of new accessories that will give the Leader Edition the edge. Slight tweaks have been introduced to the spoilers in the front and rear bumpers. The Leader edition comes in three dual-tone colours - super white, platinum pearl white, and silver metallic, which gets black in contrast. This contrast scheme is continued in the 17-inch alloy wheels, which are also blacked out in this version.
The Leader edition's biggest selling point is its features, which include dual-tone seat covers, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), auto-folding ORVMs, and a wireless phone charger.
Under the hood is the same 2.8-litre diesel engine that produces 204 bhp of power. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic that produces 500 Nm of torque and a manual gearbox that produces 420 Nm. These transmissions transmit the power to the wheels in a 4x2 format.
We expect the Leader Edition to be priced higher than the Fortuner 4x2’, which can be bought at Rs 35.93 lakh-38.21 lakh. While the Fortuner has a single competitor in the form of the MG Gloster, we expect Ford to bring back the Endeavor with the name Everest to rival it someday.
This comes at a very similar time to when Toyota launched a hybrid version of the Fortuner in South Africa that gets a 48V motor along with its engine. We expect that to be the next major upgrade to the Fortuner. You can read more about it here.
