We had broken the story earlier that Toyota will be launching a new variant of the Fortuner with a 2.5-litre diesel engine this year. We now know that the Fortuner 2.5-diesel will be launched in the first week of October. Mated to a manual transmission, this 2.5-litre engine will make 142bhp. This two-wheel drive variant will be positioned below all the current 3.0-litre offerings from the Toyota stable.
Besides the new 2.5-litre engined Fortuner, Toyota is also planning to launch a 3.0-litre 4WD Automatic version that will sit at the top end of the range. The power output remains the same at 168bhp.
The 4x2 Automatic has been a hit with the customers and accounts for 50 percent of all Fortuner sales. The Japanese carmaker is expecting a good response from the 4x4 Automatic variant as well. While the next-gen Fortuner was spotted testing in Thailand earlier this year, the new 2.5-litre and 3.0-litre 4WD Automatic Fortuners have been lined up by Toyota to hold the interest of potential SUV buyers.
ARPIT PHILLIPS