The Toyota Fortuner is one of the most popular seven-seater SUVs currently sold in the Indian market. Despite being an expensive SUV, the demand for this vehicle doesn’t seem to diminish due to its reliable nature. It is an international SUV and is also sold abroad. The manufacturer has now introduced the Toyota Fortuner with mild hybrid technology. This new version of the Fortuner has been unveiled for the South African market.
The MHEV, or Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology, was first introduced in the Hilux pickup truck last year. This newly introduced technology is similar to what we have seen in Maruti cars in India. It is a mild hybrid system that assists the engine at lower RPMs and helps improve the overall fuel efficiency.
This technology is available with the diesel version of the Fortuner, which uses a 2.8-liter turbocharged engine. This engine generates 201 Bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque and is bundled with a 48V mild hybrid system. As mentioned above, this technology improves fuel efficiency. The SUV now has a claimed fuel efficiency of 13.15 kmpl, which is slightly more than the 12.66 kmpl of the non-hybrid version.
Toyota is offering this technology with the 6-speed automatic transmission only. Both the 2WD and 4WD versions of the Fortuner get the mild hybrid system. Along with the mild hybrid system, Toyota has also updated the features in the international variant. The South African version of the Fortuner now comes with the Toyota Safety Sense ADAS Suite, 360-degree camera, slightly redesigned alloy wheels, and so on.
The Toyota Fortuner is one of those SUVs in India that has a huge fan following. It has been ruling this segment for years due to its reliability. People currently do not have many choices in this segment, which is also helping Toyota. When Ford relaunches itself in India, we can expect the Endeavour to be priced at almost the same price as the Fortuner.
Toyota might also add more features to the Fortuner if the Endeavour comes back. As of now, there is no official statement from Toyota related to the launch of this mild hybrid system in the Indian version. However, we strongly feel this would be offered when the manufacturer offers the next update.
When is the next update going to be? That is something we’ll have to wait and watch. We are doubtful whether the Hilux would get the mild hybrid tech, as it is not a volume seller for Toyota in India.
In India, Toyota offers the Fortuner with both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol version of the SUV is powered by a 2.7-liter unit, and the diesel version uses the 2.8-liter engine. Both petrol and diesel engine options are offered with manual and automatic transmissions. However, only the diesel version is offered with the 4×4 system.
The price for a Toyota Fortuner in India starts at Rs 33.43 lakh, ex-showroom, and goes up to Rs 51.44 lakh, ex-showroom. The on-road price of the top-end variant is easily going to be over Rs 60 lakh. The Fortuner is an extremely popular SUV and is also popular in the off-road community. We have seen several examples where the Fortuner is seen conquering difficult terrains with ease.
The post Fortuner Mild Hybrid SUV Unveiled first appeared on Cartoq.
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