Here is something you won’t see on other American automotive websites, mostly because there was no press release issued for it and there was no first drive at a fancy resort. Pictured above is a new Toyota Fortuner, an Australian cousin of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150. For those not familiar, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150 is the platform on which the current American market Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX 460 are built. What this could mean is that the next generation of the 4Runner and GX might look something like the Fortuner. Or they might not, but the hardpoints and most of the hardware will be the same, as they have been in previous years. What it really means, is that Toyota is committed to having mid-size body-on-frame utility vehicles in its line-up for the foreseeable future.


With the recently shown upgrades of the big Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX, it’s no surprise that Toyota is now focusing on the smaller vehicles. The last time those vehicles were updated was for 2010 model year and historically Toyota has been updating them every five-to-seven years. In 2010 they weren’t exactly an all-new vehicles as many parts are directly interchangeable between fourth and fifth generation 4Runners, as well as the Lexus GX 470 and the GX 460.
Based on the pictures, the hardware philosophy does not change much: body-on-frame, obviously a longitudinally-mounted engine, probably a six-speed automatic, two-speed transfer-case, live axle with optional locking differential. Specific hardware, things such as terrain response or adjustable suspension systems will vary with markets and trim levels as they have thus far. The Fortuner is available with the same 4-liter DOHC V6 that is currently in the 4Runner as well as three different turbo-diesels, none of which are unlikely to make it to our shores. But perhaps Toyota should reconsider a diesel for the U.S. market, as Audi Q7, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mercedes, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Toureg, and now Land Rover have SUVs with available diesel power on the U.S. market.

Speculating based on this Fortuner, expect both of the future vehicles to be available with three rows of seats, likely standard on the Lexus and optional on the 4Runner, as it has been thus far. Like on the current cars, interior choices will likely vary tremendously, from base manual cloth interior to heated/ventilated leather massaging seats. Expect significant infotainment upgrades and cameras everywhere. All vehicles are also likely to have Toyota’s crash prevention features with active breaking. Further improvements will likely be made to handling, ride comfort, and cabin noise reduction.
Not to say that unibody SUVs are bad, but this is a good thing. Range Rovers and Jeeps have been using unibodies for some time and their off-road abilities and overall functionality has not suffered. But Toyota seems to have the rugged-will-never-die-SUV-truck market mostly to itself. I’ve had my 4Runner for a few months now and I love it. It’s far from perfect; turning radius is big, it’s a bit loud, and it guzzles gas, but in the world of jacked-up bubble boxes, it feels special. Long live BoF.