I'm considering buying a Fortuner, is the diesel version realy worth the extra cost.

Would welcome any comment/advise from Fortuner owners

Thanks

Fortuner owners would probably say yes, and for multiple reasons.

Petrol version has one little known advantage - you can buy 2wd version. All diesels are 4wd.

4wd ftw! Extra traction and of course diesel probably gives you a better milleage than petrol..

Agree with Plus as to the advantage on the petrol version...2WD is all you need. Four wheel drive is just more money, more parts to worry about and it takes more fuel. However, diesel is a BIG advantage, so perhaps 4WD isn't something to be too concerned about when looking at the Fortuner. Diesels give more power and better fuel economy than gas engines. They also tend to run much longer before needing an overhaul. There are no plugs/plug wires to worry about and diesel is also very safe as it won't explode if you spill some near a heat source. Diesel is a bit viscous like motor oil which means it also helps lubricate the engine in addition to the regular engine oil. Diesel powered vehicles also consumer hardly any fuel at idle and are very unlikely to overheat compared to gas engines. This is a good thing in BKK traffic jams; you can see the temp guage going up on a gas vehicle, but the ones with diesels keep cooler.

I am very happy with my petrol Fortuner.. And not worried at all about parts and that it uses more fuel.

Also not scared that my car will go up in flames by any kind of explosion

We are talking about cars from the 21st century not the 50's.

Also when i'm in a traffic jam in Bangkok i never see the temp. gauge going up.

I also have a Vigo 3.0 diesel but i do prefer the Petrol engine of the Fortuner.

It's smoother, makes way less noise and it has enough power. It's an Suv not a sportscar.

I don't regret it at all that i bought the Petrol version.

Personally, I don't mind that little diesel rattle. In fact I kind of like it. The diesel will give you about 30 percent better efficiency and I suspect you will get quite a bit more for it when you trade or sell it.

The only advantage I see to petrol(and it's getting to be a nice advantage), is that it's convertible to LPG. Huge fuel cost savings can be appreciated with LPG.

The Fortuner is (was?) the first diesel motor I have ever driven. I was knocked out by it (literally and metaphorically ).

The engine is very quiet, even at very high speeds - much quieter than my petrol Ford Escape that I used to drive), accelerates very well, and for a 3 litre engine is not bad on fuel consumption.

However the main reason I went for it is that I like to change out my vehicles every 3 years or so, and the diesel version has a much higher resale value that the petrol version. It's all down to supply and demand.

Pesonally i'm for petrol engines, but the 2.7 liter of the Fortuner is much underpowered, but smoother (no rattles lika a tractor) they should make a 6 cylinder instead of a 4 cylinder and everything would be fine. If you want to buy a automatic, buy the diesel, if you want manual gear you have "just enought power" with the 2.7 liter petrol, wich you can convert to LMG anytime.

Diesel every time...especially with a pick up or derivative.....the only place that doesn't offer diesel on everything is the states....oh yes and Oz

Agree on that...many service stations in the USA don't carry diesel and you may have to cruise past a few more exits on the highway to find it. The exit signs will have "disel" written under the service station logo if they carry it. Years ago when diesel was cheaper than most gasoline grades, it seemed that a diesel vehicle was the way to go fuel wise. Trouble is, diesel vehicles in the States are all large trucks or vans unless they're imported. In Thailand, you can have a Ford Ranger or some other small pickup with an inline 4 diesel. In the USA, you'd be looking at a V8 in the 6.0 to 7.3 liter range. The Ford F-250 can be had with a diesel but the common F-150 models are gas.

Has anyone had any experience of converting a petrol Vigo to LPG? ...I'm considering buying one, just for that reason.

I think they don't sell the Vigo in Petrol version any longer..

At least a friend of mine went to the Toyota dealer a few weeks ago and the Petrol version was no longer on the pricelist.

Btw love my Petrol Fortuner.. Underpowered?? I dont think so.

Can tow our boat without problems. Also acceleration is not bad either.. 0-100 km/hour in just over 12 seconds.

Btw love my Petrol Fortuner.. Underpowered?? I dont think so.

Can tow our boat without problems. Also acceleration is not bad either.. 0-100 km/hour in just over 12 seconds.

Err....did you use an hourglass to time it?

I think they don't sell the Vigo in Petrol version any longer..

At least a friend of mine went to the Toyota dealer a few weeks ago and the Petrol version was no longer on the pricelist.

Btw love my Petrol Fortuner.. Underpowered?? I dont think so.

Can tow our boat without problems. Also acceleration is not bad either.. 0-100 km/hour in just over 12 seconds.

How big is your boat?

Its 32 feet so approx 10 meters. It weighs including the engine about 2700 kilograms.

In Dubai I had a V6 Fortuner, thats the one you want, shame you can't get it here.

Has anyone had any experience of converting a petrol Vigo to LPG? ...I'm considering buying one, just for that reason.

No (sensible) answers to my question

Sorry, Geoff, I missed it.

Our insurance guy has converted his Vigo to LPG. Works like dream, he said.

He used injection system that cost about 35k, not the cheaper vacuum mixer.

The main problem is VVTi engine - vacuum mixers inevitably cause backfiring. I've heard of a new box that improves timing in VVTi+LPG even further but it's not on sale yet (approx. 5k).

To the OP. If it helps our diesel Fortuner gets 9.9 km per litre with an average speed of 38 kmph. That’s a mix of highway and city driving along with keeping the engine running for aircon while I wait to collect the boss from work.

With news reports of diesel rising to 38 baht per litre and petrol to 45 Baht per litre I know what I would choose.