2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL review

Perth Now

5 days ago

The Toyota Fortuner is still alive and kicking in Australia, despite being axed in other markets.
WATCH: Paul's video review of the 2021 Toyota Fortuner Crusade
This diesel-powered four-wheel drive SUV comes with seven seats as standard, is more off-road-capable than many of its competitors, and it has the famed Toyota badge – which is akin to investing in better resale value and reliability, in many customers' minds.
But is it the best choice you could make if you're in the market for a three-row all-terrain SUV in 2025? That's going to depend on a few things – read on, and you'll find out why.
There are three grades of Fortuner on sale in Australia, all featuring seven seats, an automatic transmissionand part-time 4×4. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Compared to some of the rivals, hopping into the Fortuner is like winding back the clock a few years. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
That's because bugger-all has changed here for a long time, and that is perhaps the most evident difference between this off-road SUV and its contemporaries.
You've got an 8.0-inch touchscreen media system, and that's comparable to some other cheaper SUVs, but between the dials is just a 4.2-inch display (thankfully with a digital speedo).
The infotainment system includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via USB cable, and thankfully the screen is decent in its responsiveness. There are buttons and dials to make things even easier and, if you want it, GXL variants and above have built-in sat nav, though the graphics for it and the screen more generally are pretty ancient.
And while you might be tempted to step up to the Crusade grade for the heated seats, if you do you'll have to settle for fake wood trim finishing. Not so in the GXL tested here. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
It is a black-on-black-on-black affair inside, and none of these plastics or trim materials are going to win prizes for plushness. But they are rugged and durable in their intent, and that fits the need.
Even the steering wheel feels a bit rough in the hand, despite a polished wood-look bit at the top.
The controls are simple for the steering wheel, cruise, and climate systems, with the latter featuring dual-zone adjustment dials and buttons for the crucial controls.
Storage is sorted by way of a pair of cupholders, a covered centre bin, bottle holders in the doors and a dual glovebox setup. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
The second-row feels narrow, just like the front seat space. There is enough room for two adults in there, or two child seats.
There are ISOFIX anchor points in the window seats and top-tethers for all three positions, but be mindful of the fact that the centre top-tether is a ceiling-mounted job, so if you plan to have anyone in the back row, it'll be a less-than-ideal situation for them. The centre seatbelt also flops down from the ceiling.
There are some good things in the second row though, including a climate control system with fan controller, a pair of map pockets on the seatbacks, and some clever bag hooks on each of the front seatbacks. Door storage is okay too, and even for someone my height (182cm/6'0') it is decently spacious.
And unlike some rival 4x4s in the segment – including the Isuzu MU-X and top-selling Ford Everest – the second-row slides forward and aft in a 60:40 split, meaning you can tailor the space for more third-row room if you need it. And you probably will. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
The second-row bench seat offers a drop-and-tumble mechanism to get into the back, but it doesn't slide forward when you do that.
I could barely fit in the very back row with the second-row seat back in its standard place, and with it all the way forward there was still minimal room to fit my feet in, and my knees felt like they were up around my earlobes.
Headroom is super cramped too, so don't go thinking that you'll fit adults back there unless they're very short of stature… and you won't be fitting kiddos in the third row either, as there are no ISOFIX or top-tether points in the back.
If you plan to use this as a five-seater full-time, I'd highly suggest you remove those seats altogether. They aren't the sort that drop into the floor of the vehicle – instead, they fold up into the rear window space and must be latched in place. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
Make sure they're up there tight, because in the past I've had one crunch down on some luggage over a rough road as it wasn't secured correctly.
Toyota doesn't list an official number for the boot space with all three rows in play, but independent figures state it has 200 litres of cargo room. There's also a published number of 716L with the third row stowed, and 1080L with the second-row down.
Under the body of the vehicle is a steel spare wheel.
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
You can have any engine you like in the Fortuner, as long as it's Toyota's 2.8-litre turbo-diesel. And in this instance, there's no 48-volt mild-hybrid technology, as is now offered in the donor HiLux ute and also the more upmarket Prado 250 Series. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
The thing about this powertrain is that it's a cracker. It's powerful and pretty efficient too; on test I saw an average of 8.3L/100km over a mix of urban, highway, freeway and boring driving.
No off-roading in this test, but in my experience you'll still only use around 10-12L/100km if you head off the beaten path.
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
It had been a while since I last drove a Fortunert, and maybe it was just because this test car had almost 12,000km on it, but it didn't feel quite as terse and uncomfortable as I remembered. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
Look, it's no magic carpet, but the sharpness and unpleasantness of earlier Fortuners seems to have eased, and while it is still abrupt over rough patches of road, you should be able to make do with it in most situations without it being too twitchy. If you're wondering, it has a double-wishbone front-end and a five-link coil-spring rear.
The steering, too, has a decent responsiveness to it, but it is quite heavy, so it can feel somewhat hefty when you're trying to park or change directions. But it does offer some feel to the driver's hands, and in off-roading that makes a big difference between this (with its hydraulic rack-and-pinion) and some other SUVs (with electronic power steering).
The engine is a strong point in some ways, with heaps of urge once things are moving, and it's certainly going to be able to manage overtaking moves and urban hustle without a problem.
It is a bloody loud engine though, not to mention a vibey one. And that makes it somewhat tedious, because you never really get a break from it. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
The six-speed automatic is decisive with its shifts, and it's mostly predictable in its behaviour. It'll aim to use the engine's torque and keep things in the sweet spot, and while there are a few drive modes to choose (Eco, Normal and Power) it is mostly easy to get used to… once you get past the starting-point turbo-lag.
But annoyingly, if you have the adaptive cruise control set and encounter a downhill section, it won't maintain pace for you – instead, it'll just beep to tell you that it can't slow you down, even if it has engine braking working to do so.
What is also worth noting here is the visibility from the driver's seat. It's a tall and narrow vehicle, and your over-shoulder vision is hamstrung by the third-row seats and thick rear pillar.
And the fact you've got to spend a whole heap more to get into the Crusade just to get blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a surround-view camera might be a deal-breaker for some, considering the spec wars are heating up. Fortuner Crusade Credit: CarExpert
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
The GXL on test here sits on the middle rung of the three-variant Fortuner range. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
2025 Toyota Fortuner GX equipment highlights: 17-inch alloy wheels
Full-size steel spare
Locking rear differential
Automatic LED headlights
Side steps
4.2-inch instrument cluster screen
8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
6-speaker sound system
60/40 tip and tumble second row
Split side stowable third row seats
Air conditioning
Air-conditioned cool box
Keyless entry and start
Tilt and telescopic steering column adjustment
Fortuner GXL adds: Downhill assist control
Chrome exterior door handles
Rear privacy glass
LED fog lights
Roof rails
'Premium' steering wheel
Satellite navigation
DAB digital radio
Paddle shifters
Dual-zone climate control
Fortuner Crusade adds: 18-inch alloy wheels
Door courtesy lights
Leather upholstery
Heated front seats
Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
Power tailgate
11-speaker JBL sound system
8-way power-adjustable front seats
Woodgrain interior trim
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
The GXL is available with an optional interior package which was fitted to the vehicle on test here. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
Premium Interior Option Pack: $2500 Black leather-accented upholster
8-way power adjust front seats
The Fortuner has a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2019 testing of the related HiLux ute. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
Standard safety systems include: Adaptive cruise control (high speed)
Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
Lane departure warning
Reversing camera
Road Sign Assist (speed signs only)
Fortuner Crusade adds: Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert
Surround-view cameras
Most rivals now offer at least blind-spot and rear-cross traffic standard on all variants.
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
Toyota offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for its vehicles. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
The brand offers a longer powertrain warranty, out to seven years, if you maintain it on time. You don't need to service it with Toyota – just make sure it's done by the book by a licensed mechanic.
And you will be seeing that mechanic (or the Toyota workshop) fairly regularly, with service intervals of six months or 10,000km (whichever occurs first).
The service cost for the first six services or 60,000km is $305 a pop, but beyond that it gets more expensive.
You don't get roadside assistance included either – it's a pay-as-you-go option. But you do get access to the biggest network of dealerships and workshops in the country.
To see how the Toyota Fortuner lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool
If you need a 4×4 wagon that's ready to go off-road straight from the showroom floor, with a dependable diesel engine and better access to servicing than any competitor in the segment, the Fortuner could be a goer. 2025 Toyota Fortuner GXL Credit: CarExpert
But you'll have to put up with an ancient feeling interior, poor packaging and a higher-than-it-should-be price tag.
What would you do? Have your say in the comments.
Interested in buying a Toyota Fortuner? Get in touch with one of CarExpert's trusted dealers here
MORE: Everything Toyota Fortuner Strong turbo-diesel engine
Great reputation for reliability
Terrific off-road Lacking safety gear in lower grades
Feels ancient inside
Annoying third-row packaging Power: 150kW
Fuel Type: Diesel
Economy: 7.6L/100km
CO2 Emissions: 201g/km
ANCAP Safety Rating: 5