adminbut for years Toyota has been controlling the truck and SUV market in Africa. Any seasoned driver and car owner has been through one or two Toyotas. When you think of large SUVs I’m sure that many of us will think of this vehicle especially if you are in Africa, Southern Africa to be specific.
When I took the car from Toyota Zimbabwe for the day, I was impressed with how the soft leather was all knit together on all seven seats . . . yeah that’s right it comes with seven seats.
This makes it perfect for a large family, with sports days, holidays and school runs, space is very important. The kids will enjoy the ride and mommy too won’t struggle for space to pack the groceries and bags.
I thoroughly enjoyed this vehicle and I wished I had had more time to really test its capabilities.
Listening to Carl Vargas’s music collection, volume out loud with big sunnies on, I cruised down Mutare Road, taking in what the Japanese vehicle manufacturer has perfected over the last few years.
It’s available, in both manual and automatic transmission, also for those who enjoy the grunt of diesel, it’s available in that and petrol too in 4×2 and 4×4.
At least for me I get to enjoy these vehicles and give an opinion, I get to drive and not day dream about one of the winners in the large SUV category in these parts of the world (Southern Africa), the Toyota Fortuner 3.0 D-4D 4×4 x FAR.
That’s funny because that extension is a Land Rover line.
Anyway we can always borrow such statements for the fun of it right!
This vehicle is a roadrunner for sure.
Ever seen that chicken they call a road runner?
Almost always found in your grandma’s yard, doesn’t get locked up or fed but still grows from eating anything and everything around the yard.
And even from what we call maraini, tackling different challenges on its quest to survival until the day a visitor comes and it has to be dinner. Someone has to chase it for a long time because it’s tactful in its evading being caught.
Well, the Fortuner and the road runner have one thing in common, surviving a challenge even though the latter never succeeds.
Some may be mildly surprised why I and a few other people still follow Toyota’s 3.0 D-4D Fortuner as one of the most value packed offerings in the SUV market, given the numerous reports of instability over corrugated surfaces that have emerged of late. Toyota has since admitted that when the vehicle was first launched, their research indicated that over 90 percent of Fortuners were unlikely to be used on gravel or in off road situations.
A bit of naivety for sure, but it does explain their initial fitment of more road biased, all-weather General Grabber tyres (If you don’t know those, one of these days I will enlighten you more), coupled to a coil sprung multi link rear suspension instead of leaf springs in order to improve on road dynamics.
The great news is that these problems have since been rectified.
The improved Grabber tyres now being fitted have strong side walls that can handle the rough stuff far better. This means your road runner Fortuner is now more equipped for rougher roads than when it was originally introduced.
The facelifted Fortuner features ESC (electronic stability control) for further peace of mind.
I personally feel that the 3.0 litre D-4D is the best option in the range.
Well also because diesel is a little cheaper.
While its cousin the Prado has a bigger fuel tank and feels more premium inside, with more leg room ne kamhuru on the seats, and a little tougher, for its price the diesel Fortuner is still very hard to ignore in terms of value.
It offers great versatility, more interior space and better resale value than most SUVs with far higher price tags.
As it’s assembled right next-door in South Africa, and built off the same platforms alongside the Hilux, spare parts and servicing costs are far lower than other premium models in the SUV category.
Zimbabwe is fast becoming a Toyota country like South Africa, Botswana and Namibia who have Toyota sales increasing with every new model released.
So, that’s food for thought. The next time you want to invest in an economical SUV, think of this brief and Toyota Zimbabwe in Msasa for test drives and more information.
They have stock available and Carl Varga and his team will be glad to assist.
Till next week, explore in the all Japanese Fortuner. Ciao.
l Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows, rallies and has written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on [email protected], Facebook: Torque with Fact Jeke.
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