Mario James, Gleaner Writer

Seven seats are all the rage these days; most manufacturers have at least one in their stable. Some have two or more. The new platform represents what the station wagon is on a larger scale - a people mover that can take you anywhere and be comfortable.

Toyota's Fortuner has been around the block for more years than we'd like, but we finally got our grubby mitts on it for a day's worth of cruisin'.

The first thing we did was to scope out those rear seats, cuz that's its market edge. If you are a little frisky and end up with more than the industry standard 2.2 children, you are going to need more than your average hauler to haul your brood from Champs, right? Especially if you have more than one in high school at the same time. They have friends. They always have friends.

And the Fortuner rear seats are good for that. They accommodate a couple of high schoolers pretty well, as long as they're under five foot five, and the person in the bench before isn't much taller. But those in the third row have their own air, seats that recline - their own little world.

Dials are Toyota-esque

Fortuner and Toyota's Hilux share the same chassis; they also share the same basic suspension, engines and interior - except for that aforementioned third row, of course. So the dials are very Toyota-esque, seating is plush and supportive, the ergonomics fine and the interior is very quiet - until Fortuner is under way. Then a cacophony of sound is emitted from the folded up rear seats whenever the SUV encounters Jamaica's most prevalent road occupant - the pothole. Mercy! Toyota should have done better here. The noise really gets old quick. Solution? Drive with the seats down - which negates the trunk, part of the reason one buys SUVs in the first place.

But the 2.7-litre, 160-hp, 2TR-FE four-banger is a willing, rev-happy chunk of aluminium. A diesel version is available, but for some reason the spec pushes the price into Prado range, and we all know Jamaicans won't buy a Fortuner over a Prado. So while you will see specs for that option on the excellent www.toyotajamaica.com, it is really not stocked.

As rev-happy as the combo is, the 2TR-FE is pulling against nearly 4,000 lb. The automatic's first and second gears are scintillating, but ebb oozes away after that. Supervised trials by overseas journalists reveal that Fortuner will not pass 150 km/h. And it is not known whether or not Toyota's least expensive seven-seater is electronically limited to that speed. What is known is that, it is way stable at speeds that we cannot really write about here!

Our jaunt up to Plantation Heights, from Ferry, proves how flexible the engine is; second and third were OK for most of the corners, with only the steepest hairpins necessitating low gear. While we were lightly loaded, the chassis was a terminal understeerer, which is expected because of its height and girth.

It is by no means a sports car, but exhibits stable and predictable handling at the limit and beyond. No surprises here. Astonishingly, the rear drum/front disc set-up was fade-free on descent, and the brakes were ridden all the way down. Ride is acceptable for vehicles in this class.

Fortuner really shines when the road ends. Our beach run was just spectacular. But it should be, as the SUV shares the same underpinnings as the Hilux, which also was a star performer in the rough. Sand to most vehicles is like quicksand to humans - the weight and low mounted suspension parts cause the vehicle to dig a hole and put its proverbial head in the sand. Four-wheel drive is better, much better than two-wheel drive, but that's not the only attribute that counts when playing in the dunes.

Car can 'float'

Clearance is just as important, as well as having the power low down to keep the wheels turning so that the car can 'float' on top like a hydroplane. Also of great import is the wheel tyre combo, as bigger wheels/knobbier tyres have more grip in the sand than street tyres.

Streeters get their tread pattern filled with grit and essentially turn into slicks - not good off road. With the added weight over the rear suspension, Fortuner glided around the beaches of Palisadoes like nobody's business. I have never been in a modern SUV this capable! We were doing sandy power slides all day, throwing up rooster tails like we were power boating. The 220 mm of clearance under Fortuner meant that there was a lot of room for error, so even beginners won't get stuck.

No surprises here. At $5.9 million, its only real competition is the new Montero Sport from Mitsubishi. It is a complete package, but then again, so is the Montero. Which really delivers the better value?

Watch this space — that question will soon be answered!