Expanded options

Why are we doing this? Well because these are new options that are available for buyers nowadays. Both vehicles may differ in terms of body style but otherwise they are very evenly matched and serve the same purpose- to be large, luxurious, practical yet easy to use city runabouts.

On one side you have a petrol version of the Toyota Fortuner which thanks to the SUV traits is all about presence. Toyota has never offered a petrol variant before and now in the face of growing demand as well as the diesel ban issue its relevance in India seems stronger than ever.

But what if you want don’t an SUV? For similar kind of money you can have the Skoda Superb. It is one the most popular entry-level premium sedans in the country and is a go to option for those who want a strongly built car which is bit discreet but not so much that your presence will go unnoticed. How do they stack up against each other? Read on to find out…

Rear seat space Vs practicality

Before we get into the specifics, here are some numbers to give you an idea of where both the cars stand. The Toyota Fortuner is 4.79-metres long with a wheelbase of 2.74-metres while the superb is longer at 4.86-metres and consequently has a longer wheelbase of 2.84 metres making it the larger of the two.

The Skoda Superb is all about what is happening at the back and is preferred option for those entering the luxury market chauffeur driven space. There is ample amount leg room, knee room and because you sit a bit low headroom also. Sitting in the left rear seat will also give you the option of electrically sliding the front passenger seat forward to give you even more room to stretch out. The car we drove was the top spec Laurin and Klement model whose cabin has been trimmed out in a shade called ‘stone beige’ with piano black plastics. One of the major selling points of the Superb is the boot which is 625-litres and with the seats folded down expands to a massive 1760-litres making it one of the largest in the market.

On the other hand, the Toyota Fortuner is all about maximising the space offered. It is a seven-seater which means it ticks off the mental box in the buyers head about offering more inside the cabin. The third row is quite cramped and is best suited for short journeys and little kids but it’s a third row of seats and that, in our ‘joint family’ India gives you option of taking two or three more people along rather than having to take a second vehicle.

The Fortuner may have a high loading lip but this is made up for with the seats in the second and third row being flexible. They can be folded in a variety of combinations to offer more storage solutions and this is combined with the wide cabin space is a boon as there is sufficient room to play luggage ‘Brick video game’ when you have big bags or boxes.

Moving on, there is very little to separate both the cars in terms of features with the Skoda having a slight upper hand thanks to the presence of a sunroof, ventilated seats and three zones for the climate control. The Superb further manages to edge out the Fortuner in terms of fit and finish. As compared to the Superb’s clean dashboard layout the Fortuner’s feel cluttered and looks quirky. However, regular usage will reveal that most of the elements are ergonomically placed and fall easily to hand.

We felt that the Superb’s screen for the infotainment system is a bit small for a car in this price category. It does though feel more intuitive and richer to use as compared to the Fortuner’s which has too many external buttons and is slower to respond in terms of touch and feel.

Out on the road

The contrast between the two cars is evident under the hood. While the Toyota Fortuner gets an old school naturally aspirated 2.7-litre engine producing 164bhp/245Nm with power going to the rear wheels via a six-speed AT. The Superb on the other hand gets a modern turbo-charged 1.8-litre engine producing 177bhp/250Nm of torque with power going to the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG.

Their very designs indicate two different experiences. The Fortuner by virtue of being naturally aspirated revvs much slower through the range and as a result prefers smoother shifts at higher rpms over quick ones. The six-speed gearbox is actually quite smooth and move from gear to gear in a near seamless manner. However, because the Fortuner is quite big and heavy, overtakes need to be planned in advance. The big and heavy bit also means you find yourself getting on the brakes more often. If you drive the car the way it’s meant to be driven, then once you build up momentum, there is sufficient punch to keep it going, although at high revvs, the engine is quite audible. In terms of numbers the Fortuner did the 0-100kmph sprint in 8.9 seconds while the 20kmph-80kmph roll on took 7.89 seconds while the 40kmph to 100kmph sprint was achieved in 10.24 seconds.

The Superb on the other hand with its direction-injection turbocharged petrol engine feels like a much quicker animal. The gearbox is quick respond when you need to perform a pass and since you hit peak torque at quite a low rpm there is a lot of punch from the word go. On a side note, it also makes a lovely sound when you rev it hard both while upshifting and downshifting. The Superb is for obvious reasons much faster than the Fortuner and took 8.9 to go from 0-100kmph and 4.92 seconds to do the sprint from 20kmph-80kmph mark. Finally, the 40-100kmph roll on time was 5.86 seconds. Our tests also revealed that the Superb achieved 8.9kmpl in the city and 13.1kmpl on the highway as compared to the Fortuner’s 7 kmpl and 9.8kmpl respectively.

We believe that the buyers of these cars will use them in the city much more than out on the highway which means a primary focus would be on the low speed ride. Given that the Skoda sits lower and has a better weight distribution it does ride and handle better despite being on the softer side. Most bumps and imperfections are dealt without sending much back into the cabin while on the other hand the Fortuner is quite audible and sends quite a bit back when you hit a rough patch.

One would argue that the ladder-on-frame chassis underpinnings tends to compound this problem but then again the Tata Hexa is also a ladder-on-frame design but has a much nicer low speed ride and this despite it being on the stiffer side.

Where the Fortuner does manage to come back is with its ability to deal with our less than perfect roads. Its massive 265/55 section tyres and 220mm ground clearance means you can drive over pretty much any obstacle, speed hump or pothole without worrying about scraping the bumper or damaging bits of the underpinnings. The Superb on the other hand at 164mm has just enough ground clearance and will require you to approach things like speeds breakers and large pot holes with a lot of caution.

The Fortuner is also easier to deal with when it comes to navigating your way around in traffic. Because it towers over everything, it is easier to see all four corners of the cars for which the same can’t be said about the Superb. It is marginally wider than the Fortuner but can be handful thanks to poor rear visibility courtesy a narrow glass section. This can be quite cumbersome when you have to deal with our unruly two-wheeler and three wheeler traffic.

Is my choice Superb or will I be Fortunate?

Today, the Superb and Fortuner have completed a significant amount of time in our markets and are sought out by two different buyer groups. The Superb with its quiet and refined looks is popular car among architects and businessmen while the Fortuner with its immense presence is a popular choice among builders, politicians and policy makers.

Given that SUVs are the current flavour of the market, the introduction of a petrol variant has opened the doors for a whole new set of buyers for this SUV. With its ability to go anywhere and massive presence, the Fortuner is a statement maker.

But it should be pretty obvious by now that across our comparo, the Superb has played a strong hand in every round that has been dealt giving us equally strong reasons to call it a statement maker. It feels better built, nicer to drive and in this generation finally exudes a good presence making it a better offering among the two and proving that bigger is not always better.

Photos:Kapil Angane

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