Were you amongst those who wanted to purchase a Fortuner? Well, there’s some bad news. Toyota has increased prices for the SUV in question. Every variant, petrol or diesel, has gotten dearer by Rs 48,000. Here’s how the new prices look like against the older ones:

So, why increase the prices now? That’s a fair question, considering the Fortuner received its BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) range in February 2020. The reason behind this price hike is simple – back in February, Toyota kept the prices unchanged for the Fortuner. In other words, the company decided to sell the SUV at BSIV prices for a while. And now, with everyone getting back to work after the enforced lockdown, Toyota wants to lessen its losses and pass on the costs to the customer.

As the table above depicts, the Fortuner is available with two engine and three transmission options. The 2.7-litre, 4-cylinder petrol mill pumps out 164bhp/245Nm, whereas the 2.8-litre, 4-cylinder turbo-diesel produces 174bhp/420Nm (450Nm with AT). Both power-plants are available with 6-speed automatic transmission and a two-wheel-drive setup. Those who want a manual gearbox have to settle for a 5-speed unit with the petrol engine and a 6-speed one with the diesel. Lastly, Toyota offers only the larger engine with the option of a four-wheel-drive system.

The price difference amongst the variants comes courtesy of the powertrain and drivetrain chosen. The rest of the package remains almost identical. That means each one of the derivatives packs stuff like automatic climate control, auto-dimming IRVM, rear-view camera, touchscreen infotainment system mated to a 6-speaker sound system, cooled glovebox, LED-powered projector headlamps and DRLs, push-button start/stop and seven airbags.

As direct rivals, the Ford Endeavour and the Mahindra Alturas G4 do put up a good fight. However, models like the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace and the Skoda Kodiaq do fall in the same sort of price bracket. Although they aren’t as hardcore as the Ford, Toyota or the Mahindra, they do add a dash of quality into the mix. With a budget ranging between Rs 35lakh and Rs 40 lakh, which SUV would you buy?