2025 Toyota Fortuner Legender Neo Drive First Drive Review

It’s been a while since Toyota rolled out the current generation of the Fortuner Legender. To keep it ticking, we now get this Neo Drive update. Don’t mistake it for a full-blown hybrid, though. It’s a mild-hybrid setup with a 48V integrated starter motor that lends a touch more efficiency and grunt. Offered on both the regular Fortuner and the sportier Fortuner Legender, the latter’s Neo Drive variant comes in at Rs. 50.09 lakh (ex-showroom). Pricey? Sure. But this is that Toyota SUV whose sheer presence makes it so sought after. Stand next to it and you’ll know what we’re talking about!

Phew, let’s address the elephant in the room - Design. From the front, the Legender continues with its bold face, complete with a sharply cut bumper and an aggressive grille design that sets it apart from the standard Fortuner. The side profile is largely familiar, with its upright stance, squared-off wheel arches, and a floating roof effect that lends an air of authority. At the rear, it’s business as usual too, save for the subtle Neo Drive badging on the boot lid. Viewed as a whole, though, the Legender still comes across as the sportier, more striking avatar.

Climbing into the Fortuner still feels like an event, and that’s true for all three rows. It reminds you that this is no soft-roader but a proper ladder-frame SUV that demands respect before it lets you in.

Once inside, the ambience is rugged and built to last. Everything has that robust, indestructible feel that reassures you it’ll outlive decades of punishment. But at about Rs. 50 lakh, you can’t shake the thought that maybe Toyota should’ve dressed it up better. The cabin feels everlasting, yes, but luxurious? Not quite.

The infotainment is where the illusion really cracks. The screen belongs to another era, the UI resembling Nokia’s old Symbian interface. Functional but painfully dated. It feels like an afterthought rather than something designed to delight. Add to that an average display resolution, a sound system that doesn’t exactly excite your ears, and suddenly the word ‘premium’ feels like a stretch.

The air-con controls are thankfully straightforward, but the lack of a sunroof, ventilated seats, or even a HUD at this price point is glaring. Even the reverse camera resolution is below par, making you squint where rivals offer crystal clarity. Soft-touch bits are restricted to the arm-contact sections of the door, central armrest, and a slim strip of the central console. Everything else is hard-wearing plastic.

As for the front seats, they're large and accommodating, though lacking in thigh support. Again, the backrest, seat squab, and cushioning all lean towards firm rather than plush. You get electric adjustment with recline and height, plus my favourite - adjustable seatbelt height. The steering adjusts for rake and reach, but the armrest doesn’t.

The second row fares better. There’s loads of shoulder room for three, acres of knee and footroom, and even more headroom to spare. The backrest reclines infinitely, seat base is supportive, and while thigh support is slightly short, it’s still a solid place to spend hours. You also get roof-mounted vents, centre armrest with cupholders that protrude oddly, and only a mildly intrusive transmission tunnel.

The third row, however, makes no such promises. Access requires tumbling the second row through a tight gap. Once in, two smaller adults can fit. Shoulder space and reclinable seatbacks are adequately comforting, and you even get vents and cubbyholes. But legroom and headroom are cramped, especially if tall passengers occupy the middle row. As for boot space, it’s usable for a shopping trip or four to five laptop bags, but not much more once all rows are up.

Features-wise, it has everyday conveniences like smart entry with push start/stop, kick-sensor bootlid, wireless charging, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, electrochromic IRVM, and cruise control. There's also a JBL 11-speaker system with subwoofer, while leather seats and heat-rejection glass add to cabin comfort.

But Toyota holds back where rivals shine. No ventilated seats, no sunroof, no full-digital cluster, and no ADAS at this price point. The eight-inch screen feels basic, and the 360-degree camera is an accessory. Thankfully, safety is strong with seven airbags, ABS, VSC, traction control, and hill assist.

Toyota’s 2.8-litre, four-cylinder diesel has been a workhorse for years now, and in the Legender Neo Drive it still belts out 201bhp and a mighty 500Nm, paired with a six-speed torque converter automatic. What’s new is the 48V mild-hybrid setup - a lithium-ion battery neatly placed under the floorboard, starter generator, and a DC-DC converter that together promise marginally more fuel economy. It also gives you about 11.4bhp of electric shove as torque assist, regenerative braking, and start-stop efficiency. Toyota even allows you to shut it off with a button if you don’t want the engine to cut out at traffic lights.

Off the line, you feel some of that torque assist, as the big Fortuner steps forward with less drama and effort. There’s still the big tug of torque, and responses are smooth if restrained. But it doesn’t exactly sound refined, particularly at lower speeds or when you’re hard on the throttle. Once you’ve cleared the 30kmph mark, though, it’s business as usual. Beyond that, the turbo begins whistling, and the SUV feels far more alive. Throttle responses are predictable but linear, and for sheer urgency, you’ll want to flick it into S mode. That’s when overtakes turn effortless. The gearbox in D shifts seamlessly but lazes around if you’re in a hurry. Shift to S, pull the paddles, and suddenly you’re calling the shots.

Eco, Normal, and Sport modes are available, as are terrain modes like Sand, Mud, Rock, Dirt, and Snow. The Fortuner may be a civilised city commuter when you need it to be, but it’s built to get its tyres dirty. Upfront visibility is surprisingly good, with a commanding view over the bonnet and minimal obstruction from the A-pillars. But swing it around in a tight basement, and the chunky C-pillars coupled with a poor-resolution reversing camera make life unnecessarily difficult.

And then comes the suspension. This is Fortuner DNA in full swing - Rugged, unbreakable, and built to take a pounding. Potholes? Flattened. Broken patches? Eaten up. It feels indestructible. On the flip side, ride comfort is choppy at slow speeds, with constant side-to-side jiggle. Unless you find an ultra-flat stretch of tarmac (a rarity these days), it never really settles down.

Then, the steering. It’s heavy at slow speeds, vague off-centre, and those 3.25 turns lock-to-lock mean your arms get a proper workout when parking. Things improve as speed piles up, where it feels more direct. It returns effectively after a U-turn, too, though you’ll need more space thanks to its 5.8m turning radius. In a straight line, it’s rock steady, and the highway is where this SUV finds its stride.

Corners, however, remind you of its ladder-frame origins. There’s lean, no doubt, but that planted stance does enough to keep you comfortable pushing harder than you’d expect. Especially when you have confidence-inspiring deceleration skills through strong braking, regenerative braking, and wide tyres. Just expect some nose-dive under hard braking.

At the end of the day, the Legender Neo Drive’s biggest limitation is its singular 4x4 AT format. It's bound to keep flexibility-seeking buyers on the fence. Add to it the absence of features like ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof, ADAS, or even a larger infotainment unit, and the price tag does look bloated. This is not the SUV for someone hunting sheer value.

But here’s the thing. The Fortuner Legender was never about value alone. It thrives on a stance that makes everything else on the road shrink, a reputation for being indestructible, and Toyota’s bulletproof reliability that’s second to none. The brand equity is so strong that buyers will continue to line up regardless of what we have to say. And truth be told, I like it too, with all its flaws. You see, sometimes, presence and dependability are all the justification you really need!

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi