Comparative Review Prado vs Fortuner over 1400km trip to Gawadar from Karachi.
Comfort & space:
Prado has softer suspension setup than Fortuner and handles potholes better but being bouncier toss passengers alot more specially at the back... Wiggles more while on gravel and uneven rough roads Fortuner is far superior in stability, curbing vibrations & super quiet cabin. Small potholes rough road patches Fortuner performs strong and wont let one notice much while on high speed but on a sudden big pothole will transfer jerk. Prado on the other hand being bouncy tends to jump a little to much making a comparatively less stable noisier, more vibrations prone ride while absorbing sudden jerks better bouncing over them.
Head room is clear advantage for Prado specially for those 6ft.2in + in the Second row even in the middle. If you are less than 6ft tall you are more than comfortable in Fortuners second row though in the middle the roofline dips a bit but its fine.
Prado 3rd row is aweful and even 2 short highiet men will be uncomfortable as almost no thigh support and leg space is there for long journey due to seat design & centre gap. Fortuner on the other hand shines in 3rd row with proper seat design witg reclining and dedicated carves in the floor for proper leg hang and thigh support with ample headroom.
Front seats are without doubt better in Fortuner being more hugging gripy & commanding in position though prado being fabric is softer to feel.
Fuel economy & Drive Performance:
Not a huge difference between the two machines as observed over 700km stretch each way while bothbeing driven on constant high speeds 150km/hr + apart from the hilly area of hingol national park.
They share same engines with a little tweek in Fortuners adding dual vvti ,3 more bhps and 5 more nm of torque. But astonishingly Prado has a lighter more responsive initial throttle response. Prado is 4 speed auto gear while Fortuner is 6 speed auto cruisetronic. Both perform almost equal but to me Prado feels slightly punchy & light to take off while fortuner smoother but acceleration is neck to neck uptil 130km/hr and then there is clear edge with fortuner being smoother and powerful. Prado feels maxed out after 160 topspeed while fortuner did 175 almost 180 often with considerable ease giving significant gap vanishing infront of Prado.
Prado took 90 ltrs approx while Fortuner 85 over 700kms almost same fuel economy negligible difference.
Prado riding 265/65/17 michellins while fatter 285/60/18 on fortuner.
Fortuner is less bouncy stable ride at high speeds where Prado scares you and also more confident at curves and bends.
Steering is strangely stiff hard on fortuner where as Prado has light easy one. At high speeds it makes sense for fortuner to have hard heavy steering but in city its nagging after a while if you have to maneuver quite often. Steering is definitely better in Prado and provides better city handling and easy parking.
Visibility:
Both have out standing drive visbility and for passengers too but Fortuners uphill road visbility is better while having poor rear view mirror visbility when all 3 passengers are onboard in the 2nd row. Fortuner has Theatre style seating for excellent allround visibility for all passengers as 2nd row is higher than the 1st and 3rd row is higher than 2nd.
Prado has also excellent visibility but Fortuners have slight edge.
Bi xenon headlamps as standard with drls.
Air-conditioning & amenities :
Dual AC climate control and headup vents are way more convenient. Coolbox and 8inch full tech Nav unit is also a plus with steering controls and imid. Prado lacks all as standard. 18 inch alloys looks cool too. Speakers are JBLs and are awesome no match with Prado ordinary entertainment system.
Off-road capabilities:
Both have low range. Prado have traction control while fortuner comes with rear diff lock. I personally prefer traction control over rear difflock.. So in every day light to medium off-road Prado have edge and even on wet rainy roads while fortuner lacks traction control which is beyond any valid reasonable excuse for Indus. Ground clearance is better in fortuner and feels slightly big bossy to drive and will better overcome rocky climbs. Rear differentials lock shine in extreme off-roading which we seldom do.
Verdict :
A neck to neck competition with slight edges and marginal advantages over each other but 2 years 50000km warranty brand new and 25 lacs cheaper compared to 2012 oldy with ease of maintenance and parts and outstanding better looks.. Fortuner is a solid value for money and leaves you with no reason to buy used Prado now anymore. If you have budget for Prado better a buy brand new fortuner with a brand new oriel or Grande a solid package in the given budget. Why waste 7.5 millions+ over used machine instead in the given budget enjoy 2 brand new top of the line under warranty machines.
