Toyota has finally understood what its premium vehicle customers need. The Indonesian Toyota Fortuner as well as Innova Crysta have got a new 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Not only does this system look much more vivid than the existing 7.0-inch unit but it also hosts Android Auto as well as Apple CarPlay. Well, yeah Toyota has some catching up to do when compared to its rivals, in terms of infotainment. Even their Lexus brand has non-touchscreen infotainment systems for cars that cost well over a crore Indian rupees.
Toyota India, it is understood, will bring these changes to their cars. The Fortuner and Innova got a new 7.0-inch touchscreen system complete with navigation. However, Apple as well as Android connectivity features were missing from the vehicles. More often than not, a source said that customers prefer to swap their existing units for better aftermarket ones. As it is, the stock speakers sounded tinny and more like an after thought. The Fortuner's rivals like the Endeavour as well as Alturas G4 offer these features as standard. The former's unit is one of the best we have experienced so far in a Rs 40 lakh SUV.
With the launch of BS-VI engines, it is likely that Toyota will add these small enhancements. This will offset the recently spoken about Rs 4-5 lakh high in prices of these vehicles post April 2020. Toyota will not be able to discontinue its diesels here because more often than not, the Crysta as well as the Fortuner sales come from there. The petrol versions of both these vehicles are made-to-order and command a waiting period of three months. Toyota offers both the vehicles with automatic as well as manual transmissions. It is no secret that the fleet market prefers the manuals while the automatics are lapped up by private owners.