Generic Car Comparison: Toyota Fortuner vs two of its competitors

By Martin Pretorius 

The Toyota Fortuner is still the sales leader in its market segment, but it's facing increasingly stiff competition. We compare the Fortuner to two of its opponents.

For many years the Toyota Fortuner has essentially had its market segment to itself. Every once in a while, a serious opponent would appear, but somehow, the Fortuner always managed to out-sell them. This tendency only came to an end when Ford finally launched a properly-developed Everest, and with some niche competitors now also muscling in on its territory, the Fortuner is facing challengers on all sides.

We selected the Fortuner with its largest diesel engine, an automatic gearbox, and four-wheel drive, and then chose two competitors with similar power outputs and configurations. The Isuzu mu-X would be a viable opponent as well, but not having tested it yet, it will be difficult to say in which ways it differs from the old Chev TrailBlazer, so we'll leave that one for a future article. Instead, we'll take a look at a Ford Everest and a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, both of which probably pose the strongest challenge to the Fortuner's dominance yet.

	Toyota Fortuner 2.8GD-6 4x4 Auto	Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2.4D 4x4	Ford Everest 3.2 4WD XLT
Engine size (cyl/size)	4-cyl, 2.8-litre, turbo-diesel	4-cyl, 2.4-litre, turbo-diesel	5-cyl, 3.2-litre, turbo-diesel
Power/Torque	130 kW/450 Nm	133 kW/430 Nm	147 kW/470 Nm
Kerb Weight	2 049 kg	2 035 kg	2 340 kg
Length (mm)	4 795	4 785	4 892
Wheelbase (mm)	2 745	2 800	2 850
Airbag count	7	6	7
Ave Consumption *	8.5 ℓ/100 km	8.1 ℓ/100 km	8.2 ℓ/100 km
Warranty	3 yr/100 000 km	3 yr/100 000 km	4 yr/120 000 km
Price	R 653 300	R 599 995	R  655 000

*Manufacturer's official figures.

Analysis

Do not be deceived by the fact that the Pajero Sport has the smallest engine in this comparison, because this is an engine which punches quite far above its weight. 133 kW puts it ahead of the Fortuner's larger powerplant, and while it's about 10% down on power compared to the Everest, that difference is easily compensated for by the fact that the Ford is heavier by a similar percentage. Seen in this light, the Pajero Sport deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as the other two titans.

And then we get to their four-wheel-drive systems and gearboxes: both Everest and Fortuner employ 6-speed automatic gearboxes and selectable four-wheel drive systems, but the Pajero Sport goes even further. There's an 8-speed automatic transmission between the engine and transfer case (complete with shift paddles behind the steering wheel), and the transfer case also allows the driver to select a full-time all-wheel-drive mode with a dynamic torque split between the front and rear axles. This makes it more useful on slippery roads or gravel surfaces, and combines with a terrain response system (also employed in the Everest) to make the Mitsubishi just about unstoppable.

It's interesting to see how closely the spec sheets of the Mitsubishi and Toyota follow each other: They weigh about the same, and they're about the same size as well. Meanwhile, the Everest is significantly larger, which translates into a more spacious cabin and a larger luggage compartment. While they're all 7-seaters, the Everest's extra space certainly makes the rearmost seats that little bit more useful.

The Pajero Sport shares one advantage over the Fortuner with the Everest, and that's the fact that its rear seats fold down, opening a wider load bay. By contrast the Fortuner's third seating row folds upright and to the sides of the load bay, restricting the width of the luggage compartment and obscuring vision towards the rear three-quarters.

As far as equipment goes, there really isn't much between them. They all have touch-screen infotainment systems, electric adjustment for the driver's seat, and at least 6 airbags (Fortuner and Everest each have an additional driver's knee airbag). Their warranties are similar as well, with the Ford getting an extra year and 20 000 km of factory cover. But then there's the value proposition, where the Pajero Sport makes a fair bit more sense than the other two. With a discount of more the R50 000, similar specifications, yet with a better AWD system and more-sophisticated gearbox, there's no reason to ignore the (relatively) bargain-priced Mitsubishi. The others are good as well, but the Pajero Sport offers excellence at a lower price point, and that makes it the winner in this comparison.