Inside Toyota's new Fortuner

When Toyota Australia staged the simultaneous world debut of the all-new Fortuner SUV last week in Sydney, it announced full details but kept the vehicle's interior under wraps.

Now Toyota's Thai subsidiary, which will produce the seven-seat off-road wagon that arrives here in October, has presented a full range of interior images on its public website, revealing a vastly different cabin to the new HiLux on which it's based.

Although the new multifunction steering wheel is almost identical to the one that will appear in Australia's new HiLux, the Thai-spec Fortuner flagship's tiller comes with gearshift paddles.

That's where the similarities end, however, with these images revealing a totally different dashboard design to the HiLux, even if some switchgear like the rotary 4x4 selector and a chilled glovebox are common between the two.

Gone is the new HiLux's 'floating' tablet-style central infotainment screen, replaced by a multimedia monitor built into the centre stack flanked by a pair of trimmed vertical pillars.

As evidenced here, the Fortuner will be available with three rows of leather-lined seats, roof-mounted air-conditioning outlets and a powered tailgate.

Toyota Australia has confirmed it will release a three-model Fortuner family range in October (GX, GXL and Crusade), as  direct rival to the other ute-based wagons such as Ford’s upcoming Everest, Mitsubishi’s soon-to-be-replaced Challenger, the Holden Colorado 7 and the Isuzu MU-X.

All Fortuner variants will be powered by the same new 2.8-litre turbo-diesel that will be fitted to the new HiLux and upgraded Prado in September, producing up to 130kW and 450Nm in six-speed automatic form.

The manual version's braked towing capacity will be a competitive 3000kg, while the auto’s is 2800kg.

Mechanically, the primary difference in the underpinnings compared to the HiLux are the swap from leaf spring to coil spring rear suspension. It will retain a part-time 4WD system, including low-range transfer case. The suspension package includes development and tuning by local engineers.

The Fortuner is 4795mm long, 1855mm wide and 1835mm high. It rolls on a 2745mm wheelbase, has 225mm ground clearance and an 80-litre fuel tank.

Toyota has confirmed a reversing camera will be standard across the range, along with seven airbags, hill-start assist control, trailer sway control and emergency stop signal.

However, it's unclear whether it will be offered with the extensive range of advanced driver aids Ford is promising for its Ranger-based Everest.

All variants will feature front and rear air-conditioning, large touch-screen audio displays, Toyota Link connected multimedia, side steps, 17- or 18-inch wheels, disc brakes front and rear, and an air-conditioned compartment that helps keep drinks and food warm or cold.

The two higher-grades will come with roof rails, fog lights, reverse parking sensors, keyless entry and start, and downhill assist control.

The top-of-the-range Crusade, a pre-production version of which was shown in Sydney, features include bi-LED headlights and LED daytime running lamps, a powered tailgate and 18-inch alloys with highway tyres.

The Fortuner will be Toyota’s fourth model in the booming large SUV segment, joining the top-selling Prado, the Kluger crossover wagon and the niche FJ Cruiser, and is expected to be priced from under $50,000.