Toyota Fortuner GUN156R (2015-2019)

just ticked over 110,000 klm. Overall happy with car. Seats are a little hard as is suspension. So run pirrelle tyre's at 30psi. For better ride. Towes well, 2500kg boat very well. Nice and nimble on twisty roads unlike Prado. 8.9l p/100 constantly. Have had PDF white smoke issues from new. Toyota have been very good in Hobart trying various things. Second replacement unit coming. Feel like I'll get 350,000klm easy as motor seems refined. Not sure what to get next. Love the discovery series 5 looks, but dam they have a bad reputation. So may well hang onto this for a few more years.

Its been 1.5 years and 24,000 kms since purchasing this vehicle. Reliability wise, I doubt I can find anything better.
The Good:
1. Spacious 3rd row and sliding 2nd row makes for a comfortable ride for all.
2. Ample cupholders all the way up to the 3rd row(more than what you can find in the Prado)
3. Effective Airconditioning and vents in all three rows.
4. Great off-road capability(rear diff lock & high ground clearance)
5. Decent fuel economy.
6. Decent styling (doubt I have heard anyone complain about the looks when compared to other SUVs out there)
7. Very good throttle response and negligible turbo lag.
8. Very direct steering.
9. The side folding rear seats makes removing them easier to make more space at the rear.
10. People have complained about DPF issues. Although mine does not the DPF fart button, I have not faced any problems. (might have been fixed by a software update) I don't know any other car other the Toyotas that have the fart button.

The Bad:
1. Noise, Noise and more Noise. Very little sound insulation when compared with the Prado. Fortuner will take the prize for engine & road noise intrusion into the cabin.
2. People have complained about the cushioning on the driver's seat losing shape. Haven't experienced that yet but given more time I am sure I will also join them. Every other part of the vehicle feels built to last.
3. Top end crusade does not justify the price and is out of place(Toyota should have at least put in the Sunroof as an option on the crusade).
4. Premium Steering is not premium enough when it comes to touch and feel. Isuzu and Prado have much nicer leather feel steering wheels. Fortuner has the stitch but it feels like plastic.
5. Front seats lack the ergonomics of other competitors. I personally find it hard to find a comfortable setting.
6. The radio and navigation are the most complicated I have used in 30 years.

Own one for a year now, mostly local commuting with 3 trips off-road so far. I love the shape, drive well offroad, highway cruising is ok for a truck.
Interior is not bad however the third-row seats fold up, look awkward, couldn't fit a large box that would fit in a Mitsubishi Colt. I guess the only good thing about the third-row seats is that you can remove it.
The infotainment has no Apple or Android connectivity, the navigation is frustrating with map way outdated for a vehicle made in 2018, I use smart-phone instead.
Things I wish Toyota would include:
- All round cameras (like Pajero Sport)
- Noise-canceling (like Everest) to reduce the engine/tyres noise
- Optional driving mode (sands, snow ...)
- Maybe trailer reverse assist (but it would be too expensive option being Toyota)

Bought a 4x4 for the occasional family camping but mostly used in the city. It's a very easy car to drive, doesn't feel bulky or overly large (I'm a petite 5"2 lady). What I actually love the most about it is their maintenance flat rate/cap. I think it's only like 160-250$/service? My compact jeep renegade SUV (Not 4x4) costs me at least $400/service! Toyota is always a reliable choice. Highly recommended!

Bought for a long distance drive towing a heavy trailer it performed almost without incident. The wires connecting the ABS must be exposed as one got broken in a road driving situation. While this didn't affect the handling we lost ABS for the rest of the trip as a new part was quite expensive. The drive and take off is good and it's ability to tow is great. There was no tie down points in the rear so we had to fit some ourselves for the fridge and then the fuse blew that powers the socket that the fridge plugs into. We found it was a very dodgy wiring fault. The wires to the plug had positive and negative bare wires next to each other and had shorted. I also found that the head rests for the front seats lean forward and this tilts your head forward uncomfortably. It also makes it impossible to wear your hair up while driving without siting forward which is also uncomfortable. However these are minor faults and generally the car has been great.

We purchased the top of the range toyota fortuner 2017.
Really loved the car especially the 4w driving side of it.
Spacious leg room , comfortable and luxurious leather interior. This car has also a built-in reverse camera and GPS.
We would say that the car is extremely reliable as we havent had any issues with it since purchased date.
Added the steel bulbar and it is just amazing.

After having 2 versions of Toyota Kluger in the last 10 years we looked at other options in the market with a minimum of 7 seats. The Fortuner came up trumps in terms of value for money and running costs. We bought the top of the line Crusade that came with all the bells and whistles (power rear door, leather interiors, navigation, digital radio, etc). It is noiser considering it is diesel but overall we are extremely satisfied.

What can I say.. wow this car has exceeded my expectations for a $50000 or around 4wd and Toyota's reliability and great builds long lasting cars. Great on sand, dirt, rocks, mud (with the right tyres) this car has gone thru it all.. quite fuel efficient for a 4x4 (city driving most days $75per tank)

Recently bought a new 2017 Toyota fortuner . So far have had a good ride not to mention the fuel economy visited great ocean road , on a full tank and still had enough fuel for commuting to 3 days to work mentioning I travel at least 25 km each way , am really happy I chose this car ,the diesel 2.8 engine gives you enough power the car is modest in comfort

The engine is powerful for climbing. The car is pretty high and has a good design. The interior is also good. The seat is on brown leather and all interior light is LED. But, the shock breaker is a bit hard and a bit unstable in highway if you travel over 120.

Driven this SUV about 2 years now 60,000km on the dot.
-Fuel economy about on 60litres nearly 650km to 700km on Maxxis AT980 standard size.
-Suspension is too soft but good enough to tackle some rough terrian.
-Driven on sand on 21psi for fishing.
-Towing a small boat around is easy.
-Breaks are good stops too well I have to say.
-3rd row seat are useless maybe good for really small adults or children. However the seats folded up it takes up alot of room also causes rubbing that makes a stupid black mark on your interior easy clean put pillows there.
-this model lacks lots of fancy stuff however its simple and still does the job well.
-good products for aftermarket accessories for later purchases.
- Toyota advantage in Australia is great when comes to trade in
-engine power is ok Australia speed limit is 110km/h so you dont need lots of it. Torque is good for towing and uphill climb.
-no problems with motor and drivetrain.
-one issue watch out for the DPF burn off is a killer in your fuel usage however it will release lots of white smoke and be back to normal over 50km or so uninterrupted.
-Drives easy not like a truck its agile and has light steering
-The service is simple and still have lots hydraulic parts that i can fix and repalce myself. Beside the throttle body
- That's my review not a great writer and stuff but that's my info for you all

I would say it's handling is much better than Ford Endeavour 2016 but the performance is just the same in feel. Noise is little bit more in the diesel version ( From Singapore ). But yet It's really good car and I would never sell it as it act as my second Home. Really big and comfortable. It's also very stylish.

I test drove the car and loved the throttle response, I was very impressed with the suspension and the car handling while steering around a corner.

The interior is nice, I wish they could give you a more flexible option to get electric car seat and sat nav in the GXL.

The third row leg space is one of the smaller I seen in most compared cars and the side folding makes it a bit weird and takes a bit of space.

Decided to get this car as a friend has one from 2009 and he said not a single issue with it and his father owns other fortuner, also in family we had some toyota before and not a single one gaves us an issue, so I will stick to the well know.

Also like the price reduction going on now, Looks like is due to a new fortuner coming out but I can not afford more, so happy with this model.

I've owned this vehicle for a year now after buying it new, I've done 22000k's in that time, some dirt roads, some off road, some highway cruising, some while towing and some around town. I often have had several of my grandkids and family on board and have found it more than capable and comfortable, the engine is quiet and powerful while being economical and the interior is comfortable and spacious even when carrying seven people and the tech all works well and adds to the experience, the 6 speed manual gearbox is nice and light and the cruise control is easy to use and makes highway cruising a pleasure. I can highly recommend this vehicle to anyone looking for a family all round vehicle or as a workhorse to with plenty of room and grunt.

Very comfortable car - leather seats lots of options (8) to adjust. Excellent fuel economy with the Diesel 2.8 litre turbo. Tows well. The rear suspension is a little bit jumpy but car shines in 4WD mode. Brakes like a sedan. I feel very safe. Just had a 2nd battery installed by TJM, bull bar and snorkel wedge. Looks awesome. Make sure you upgrade the tyres to A/T when you do the deal with the dealer. Remove 3rd row seats a must to maximise space. Automatic tailgate very nice.

Update to my original review...see below:

Toyota Australia customer service still leaves a lot to be desired.
The vehicle now has over 60 000km and for the first time since owning brand new vehicles I’ve had to replace rear brake pads before the front. As Toyota quoted me a small fortune to have this done, I went to a local mechanic. He was also surprised that the rear brakes would need replacing but the good news is that I now have a functioning handbrake, something Toyota could never sort out, even after their factory trained technician had a few goes at it.
I also needed to replace the tyres at 60000km, which is 30000 km short of my Mazda that I had before. I’ve gone for a more aggressive off road tyre and the cabin insulation does a good job of keeping the noise out.
The white smoke when the particulate filter burns off is interesting...probably not a good advertisement for Toyota vehicles seeing a near new vehicle billowing white smoke as it drives down the road. It is temporary but man, it smokes! A lot!
I have noticed a slight increase in fuel consumption over time.
Besides having to deal with Toyota, I feel a bit better about the vehicle as the handbrake now works properly. However, it will be up for sale soon...unfortunately, Toyota Australia have put me off and can’t see myself owning this vehicle long term.
Would I buy Toyota again...not likely!

My first Toyota bought new.
The Good: Great to drive and tows a 1700kg boat really well. Has lots of go and very capable off road. I'm 6'6" and I'm comfy and a small adult can still fit in behind me. I removed the third row seats so I have loads of space, even with my fridge permanently installed. I average around 9l/100km, except when towing where this will jump to around the 12-13 mark. I like the dash layout and all controls are within easy reach. Big touchscreen can be a bit of a distraction at times and I rate the aircon as "Arctic".
The Bad: Handbrake is totally useless. Does not hold my vehicle very well, even on a minor decline when in drive. I have to exert a lot of force to engage it to a point where it holds the vehicle. This means that the same amount of force plus a little bit more is required to disengage it. Impossible for my wife! So she refuses to drive it.
The Ugly: Toyota's attempts at customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Still waiting for someone to get back to me with regards to my handbrake issue. It's been months. I have given up and as soon as it becomes economically viable, I will return to either Mitsubishi or Mazda. Nothing but exceptional customer service from them!
In conclusion, it's great vehicle and does everything I need it to do except the one thing...making sure it's where I left it and hasn't rolled away, once the automatic gearbox stop has worn away due to excessive use. But there are a lot of vehicles in this price range to choose from so Toyota should lift their game.

Brilliant car, handles well, reliable, comfortable... quiet to drive and lovely suspension for a 4WD. So pleased I chose this car over the Kluger.
For the size of the car it is impressive how easy it is to manoeuvre. I'm also impressed with fuel economy (but I have a manual!)
The only complaint I have is the rear seatbelt are hopeless!! Craziest design I have ever seen and they certainly didn't test them with children!!

The earlier review is further down..
Since the earlier review I have found that my vehicle experiences what is generally described as 'shift shock'.

I have tried to have Toyota address this issue in my 2015 Fortuner and the experience has been most unsatisfactory. So bad in fact that I would recommend that potential owners do not purchase a Fortuner because of the issue itself, and also because of the attitude and approach of Toyota Australia to the issue. In summary I'll describe what happened.

The issue ..
On steepish downslopes and the vehicle is coasting down at around 80 km/hr (in automatic drive mode). Any slight touch of the brake will cause the vehicle to suddenly down shift (with resultant slow down) to what feels like 3rd gear (around 3500 rpm) and sometimes to what feels like 2nd gear (4500 rpm). Then the vehicle cannot be induced by attempted acceleration to move up through the gears until the vehicle reaches the bottom of the downslope. Under certain circumstances (eg a vehicle behind you) this behaviour could be quite dangerous. Not to mention the 'shock' to the engine and transmission.

This has been reported on a number of occasions to the dealer with an eventual request for a new transmission (as has happened overseas). The dealer's service manager stated that he would do an analytical test on the vehicle and provide the results to Toyota. I requested that I accompany the service manager on the test. Request denied. The 'test' was done and the results provided to Toyota. Supposedly their technical department then analysed the results and stated that this behaviour was 'normal' and within 'design intent'. I then requested to view the report and the results. Request denied. I then requested to be provided with a technical explanation (by someone from the technical department) of how this behaviour could be described as 'normal'. Request denied.

So, we have situation where there was supposedly a 'test' at which I was not allowed to be present, a report and set of 'results' that I couldn't view, and an analysis outcome that I cannot confirm. That's transparency for you!

So, there are a number of issues here. First, I cannot confirm that a proper test was done to produce the event that I have described. Second, even if the event was produced, then to describe this as 'normal' completely beggars belief and is suggestive of an attempt to whitewash the issue. Third, as I understand it some Fortuners experience this issue and others don't. How can both experiences be 'normal'?

I will be writing more about this, but in the mean time I would hope that other effected Fortuner or HiLux owners contact Toyota and demand a satisfactory solution.
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Earlier review..

Traded in a 2001 Nissan Patrol 3.0L Turbo Diesel on a new (demo) 2015 Toyota Fortuner 2015 GX 2.8L Turbo Diesel Auto (base model, with 6 speed transmission). At this stage, after 3 months, we (my wife and I) are reasonably happy. Note that we had the extra cargo area seats removed as they were not needed.

Pros..
1 .. Very easy to drive. Sufficient power, and handling is reasonable. Much smoother and more responsive than the previous Nissan.
2 .. Reasonable amount of room for the size of the vehicle. Plenty of room in the cargo area.
3 .. Good fuel economy .. for mostly country driving around 9.1l/100km
4 .. Very good headlights
5 .. Tows well
6 .. 4WD handles various terrain quite well. It has rear diff lock that hasn't been used as yet.
7 .. It has a HiLux engine and chassis so it should be able to handle the rough stuff.

Cons..
1 .. For tall people the drivers seat adjustment is not quite enough i.e. insufficient legroom. Compensated for by fitting brackets to extend seat further back.
2 .. Issues with the transmission i.e. the auto transmission would suddenly shift down about 3 gears when going downhill and braking. This may be what has been described as 'shift shock'. Appears to have been rectified after returning vehicle to dealer.
3 .. At times the transmission can feel as if it doesn't have the right gear.
4 .. The associated internal features and display are dated compared to similar vehicles by other manufacturers. Sat Nav should have been a standard item in all Fortuner models. It's only available in the more expensive models.
5 .. At the listed new vehicle price it is rather expensive compared to other makes for the same type of 4WD vehicle. I would assume that you are paying for Toyota reliability and durability. In my opinion the more up market models (GXL and Crusade) would appear to be too expensive when considering the fitted extras.
6 .. Servicing is every 10000km compared to 15000km for some other makes.
7 .. Warranty is only 3 years.

Maybes ..
1 .. Durability and reliability is yet to be assessed.
2 .. Tyre wear and performance is yet to be assessed. Hopefully the fitted tyres wear better than the tyres that are often fitted to new vehicles.