2020 Toyota Fortuner Crusade Review

Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

The Crusade has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (130kW@3400rpm /450Nm@1600rpm to 2400rpm), a six-speed automatic transmission, part-time four-wheel drive and a rear diff lock.

It has climate-control air conditioning, 11-speaker JBL audio system, a 220V accessory connector, 18-inch alloys, side steps, roof rails, LED daytime running lights, and its exterior colour is glacier white, a standard colour.

The front seats are heated and eight-way power-adjustable.

It has a few fancy touches like – such as chrome all over the place, paddle shifters, and a power tailgate.

What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?

The Toyota Fortuner for sale’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and six-speed auto generally work adequately together – a pairing that is more slow than smooth. The 4WD system is reliably effective.

How practical is the space inside?

There are soft-touch surfaces everywhere, the interior is leather-accented, there’s a woodgrain-look to the instrument panel highlights, and a bit of hand-stitching in the seats and door trims and around the interior.

The front seats are heated and the driver’s seat is power-adjustable.

There’s a 7.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system – not really big enough or clear enough – and a 4.2-inch colour driver’s display.

The Fortuner does not have Apple Carplay or Android Auto.

There are storage spaces upfront – including these pop-out cup-holders – and enough USB points to keep your phones charged.

The Fortuner’s seven seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration. The 60/40 split-fold second-row seat has a one-touch, tumble feature while the 50/50 third-row seats are stowable. (More about that two paragraphs below.)

Boot space is claimed to be 200 litres with the third-row seats in use. In the boot, you get a 12v socket and cargo hooks.

Stowaway the third-row and cargo space increase to 716 litres.

With the second-row folded forward and somewhat out of the way, there’s a claimed 1080 litres of cargo space.

All three rows get aircon – there are roof-mounted vents – and there are a few handy storage spaces in the third row.

In the second row, comfort levels are great – sitting behind my driving position, I had ample knee room, and head and shoulder room weren’t to be sniffed at either.

The second row has two ISOFIX and three top tether anchors.

There are cup holders in this fold-down armrest as well as controls for the aircon above.

What's it like as a daily driver?

The Crusade is 4795mm long (with a 2750mm wheelbase), 1855mm wide, 1835mm high and has a listed kerb weight of 2135kg.

The driver position is high and there’s plenty of all-round visibilit.

It’s reasonably quiet, but there’s some wind noise around the wing mirrors and engine noise is a constant soundtrack.

Ride is good, with its coil-spring suspension sorting everything evenly, except for more severe bumps when it feels like the bump stops cop a solid bashing.

What's it like for touring?

Before we get stuck into it, here are the Fortuner’s off-road measures: ground clearance (225mm), approach angle (30 degrees), departure angle (25 degrees), ramp over angle (23.5 degrees), wading depth (700mm)

The Toyota Fortuner is very capable off-road.

I took it through some rough terrain – rocky tracks, deep ruts and uphills and downhills – nothing extreme, but tough enough. The Fortuner is no hard-core rock-crawler, but for a suburban-focussed 4WD wagon it does well.

The switchable 4WD system has high (4H) and low range (4L). There’s plenty of low-end torque for smooth low-speed off-roading and the turbo-diesel engine just keeps the Fortuner moving, without fuss.

The mechanicals are all fine – its 4WD set-up is always on song. You do, however, always have to drive to take into account the Fortuner’s inhibiting factors – its big side steps and low stance.

The Crusade’s traction control is effective at limiting wheelspin and helping to keep you trucking along – and if you need more traction you can always use the rear diff lock.

Besides, wheel travel is good enough to drop a tyre to the dirt, even through deeper ruts.

It has a 11.6m turning circle, so it’s not necessarily light on its feet in the bush, but it’s definitely manoeuvrable.

The Fortuner has a 750kg unbraked towing capacity and 2800kg braked towing capacity. Some of its rivals can legally tow 3100kg.

New Fortuners have a diesel particulate filter (DPF) Diesel Particulate Filter switch, so you can do a forced burn-off yourself to hopefully avoid any DPF issues.

How much fuel does it consume?

Fuel consumption is a claimed 8.6L/100km on a combined cycle.

I recorded 9.3L/100km fill to fill after almost 300km of driving, including 15km of low-range 4WDing. The Fortuner has an 80-litre fuel tank.

What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?

All versions of the Fortuner have a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on the latest standards.

Safety gear now includes auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, seven airbags, those second-row ISOFIX child-restraint anchorage points, reversing camera and rear parking sensors (none in the front), Active Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert, Road Sign Assist and more.

The Fortuner does not have blind-spot warning, rear-cross traffic alert, or front parking sensors.

What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?

The Fortuner range has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing intervals are six months/10,000km.

Look for a quality Fortuner for sale at Group 1 Cars, because their vehicles go through a vigorous testing process to ensure top-quality used cars at great prices.