2026 Toyota Fortuner imagined

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the next-generation 2025 Toyota HiLux ute, which is already being tested on Australian soil, but what about its subsequent off-road SUV sibling, the 2026 Toyota Fortuner?

Expected to be released within 12 months of the new HiLux – so within about a couple of years – the all-new seven-seat off-roader will be the sixth hard-core large SUV to be based on Toyota’s latest GA-F ladder-frame platform following the upcoming Prado 250 Series and Lexus GX, the existing LandCruiser 300 Series and Lexus LX, and the Toyota Sequioa (not sold here) – not to mention the new Tundra pick-up, HiLux ute and its US cousin, the Tacoma).

And the new Toyota Fortuner will be looking to emerge from the doldrums of the large off-road SUV segment, in which it’s long been overshadowed by the Prado and other ute-based go-anywhere SUVs like the more accomplished Ford Everest, value-packed Isuzu MU-X and trusty Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. So far this year the existing Fortuner has also proved less popular than the new GWM Tank 300.

There are no official details around the next-gen HiLux, but it’s expected to share a lot in common with the bigger new Toyota Tacoma released in North America last year, including its platform, exterior and interior designs, technology and perhaps even its powertrains.

But what about the Fortuner?

To that end, digital automotive creator Theottle this week revealed a couple of next-gen Fortuner renders that essentially put a wagon body over the top of a Tacoma shell – and the result is pretty cool.

Featuring most of the same lumps, bumps creases and folds as the US pick-up, the speculative Fortuner certainly looks the business compared to the rather round current model.

Naturally, the wheelbase has been reduced, the rear doors and roof extended and the tub filled in, with a particularly nice touch being the retention of the Fortuner’s signature elevated hip line, now emphasised by the Tacoma’s thick rear haunches.

With the new HiLux tipped to feature the same mild-hybrid 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine as the upcoming Toyota Prado (and selected variants of the outgoing model from this year), it’s likely the same will apply to the new Fortuner in Australia. As per HiLux, that means the biggest advances will be in the design, chassis and technology departments, which should bring big improvements to the driving and ownership experience.

Credit where it’s due, however. The Fortuner has long been one of the best in its class when it comes to sheer off-road capability and we expect the second generation to build further on that and evolve into a genuine cut-price Prado sibling.

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