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Toyota has introduced a mild-hybrid version of the Fortuner SUV in South Africa. The Fortuner MHEV shares its mild-hybrid tech with the Hilux MHEV that was revealed late last year. Following its introduction in South Africa, the SUV is also expected to go on sale in other markets in the coming months.
Visually, the South African-spec Fortuner MHEV looks very similar to the Fortuner Legender that's sold in India. However, in that market, the SUV gets more exterior paint shade options; India just gets the dual-tone, white and black colour option.
Just like the Hilux MHEV, the Fortuner MHEV is powered by the familiar 2.8-litre diesel engine, coupled with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The hybrid system provides an additional 16hp and 42Nm for a total output of 201hp and 500Nm of torque. Toyota says the Fortuner MHEV is 5 percent more fuel-efficient than the standard Fortuner 2.8 diesel. The Fortuner MHEV comes with a 6-speed automatic gearbox as standard, and has both, 2WD and 4WD variants on offer. Additionally, Toyota claims the Fortuner MHEV now gets better throttle response and a smoother engine restart with its new idle start-stop feature.
Apart from the mild-hybrid tech, the Fortuner now also gets the Toyota Safety Sense ADAS suite and a 360-degree camera, along with some minor interior cosmetic tweaks.
The Fortuner MHEV and the Hilux MHEV are being gradually rolled out internationally. India, however, is continuing with the regular Fortuner and the Hilux, for now. Toyota currently sells petrol, petrol-hybrid, petrol-CNG and diesel-powered models in India. It remains to be seen if and when Toyota decides to bring its diesel mild-hybrid tech to the country. Toyota will also introduce its first mass-market EV in India sometime next year, which will be a sister product to the Maruti eVX SUV.
Autocar