Mini Fortuner : The steady rain did nothing to douse my enthusiasm as I crouched with a handful of automotive journalists under a canopy at Toyota’s top-secret testing ground outside Bangalore, Karnataka.
We had been invited to an extremely rare preview of what the company is bleating internally known as the Mini Fortuner – though officials were quick to stress this is purely a working title.
What emerged from behind the temporary walls wasn’t difficult to comprehend: an SUV with unmistakable Fortuner genes, but packed into a more manageable size.
“For a long time, we’ve been hearing from customers,” Rajesh Kumar, a product planning head at Toyota India, said while walking around the camouflaged test mule.
“A lot of people that liked the look of the Fortuner liked everything about it, but just didn’t want a car that was that big – it was just too big for the city, too big for tight off-road work,” Beaumont said.
This new model, set to go on sale no later than the middle of 2026, will be designed to offer all of the genuine off-road capability and premium luxury feel of its bigger brother while not being so big that it scares away commuters who dream about their off-road trips while sitting in traffic.
Because after looking at the prototype up close and speaking with the development team, I’m convinced Toyota may have figured out the formula for what could be one of the most thrilling new entries into the off-road realm in years.
Mini Fortuner The Shrink Ray Effect: Fortuner DNA in a Smaller Package
The car that we saw has retained the beefy profile and the dominating front fascia that has established the Fortuner as a familiar sight on Indian roads.
The size, however, is a different story. Toyota wouldn’t confirm exact detail, but yours truly estimates that would give the car a full length (including the gloriously sombrero shaped spare, see below) of around 4.3-4.4 metres – close to 700mm shorter than a top flight Fortuner, but enough to carry five large-ish adults in comfort.
“The wheelbase is crucial,” explained Vikram Singh, a member of the engineering team, emphasizing the well-proportioned stance.
“We have done everything possible to preserve the interior space so we have reduced the length of the car by modifying the front and rear overhangs. In fact, the off-road ability is enhanced because it increases approach and departure angles.
Those angles — said to be around 30 degrees on approach and 25 on departure — are indeed pretty impressive for this size of vehicle, better than most compact SUVs, and even more than a few purpose-built off-roaders. The 210mm ground clearance below also highlights the off-road sincerity of this vehicle.
Its design language is unmistakably of the evolved variant of the existing Fortuner, featuring similar-style LED headlamp signature, a high set bonnet and strong wheel arches.
However, there are certain features which set it apart as well, such as a sleeker windscreen, a slightly sloping roofline and what looks like a floating roof with a blacked-out D-pillar.
What’s visible of the 17-inch alloy wheels on the prototype were shod with aggressive all-terrain tires, although production versions are likely to come with a number of wheel and tire choices.
“It’s not merely a shrunken Fortuner,” said Anand Kulkarni, a senior designer. “We’ve distilled what makes a Fortuner immediately identifiable and made it unique to this new segment. It had to be able to hold its own while still clearly being of the family.”
Mini Fortuner Genuine Off-Road Credentials
Arguably the most surprising thing we uncovered when we went in for a preview (you know, back when seeing a car live was a thing) is the fact it’s not a Fortuner clone built atop a car platform.
Body Its high strength and low weight elevates the TSS onto a scale that other manufacturers haven’t been able to follow; most of the competition uses monocoque platforms
Subscribe a Body Structure Traditional body-on-frame construction in this segment is rare, but Toyota has succeeded in scaling its architecture to a smaller package.
“The ladder frame was non-negotiable,” Kumar said flatly. “It (must be) worthy of wearing any sort of Fortuner (name), even unofficially. No compromises.”
This strategy places the Mini Fortuner leagues ahead of rivals such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and newly introduced Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara.
And while those vehicles can go on mild off-road adventures, they aren’t as capable of actually off-roading as a solid body-on-frame design would be.
The prototype prototype had a proper 4WD system transmission with a transfer case that featured high and low ratios – further proof, if any were needed, that Toyota is serious about how much off-roading this thing can do.
As we watched the camouflaged mule run its way through a series of obstacles on a Toyota test course, it tackled a steep articulation ramp, complete with a crosseyed combination of wheel and suspension travel that would undoubtedly leave most compact SUVs high and dry.
“We did not compare it to its actual direct competitors; we benchmarked cars from segments above,” Singh said.
“We weren’t trying to be a little bit better than other compact S.U.V.s off-road; we wanted to offer what it takes to make enthusiasts happy who might otherwise have to step up to a much larger vehicle.”
Mini Fortuner Powertrains: A Mix of performance and efficiency
The powertrains were kept under the cover by Toyota, but we learned from sources close to the project that at least two power units are being studied for the Indian market.
The base powertrain is expected to be a 1.5-liter turbo diesel making about 115 bhp and 300 Nm of torque – shy numbers on specsheets, but perfectly adequate for the off-road situation where low-end pull counts more than all-out power.
More intriguingly, there is potentially the option of a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit with hybrid assistance, which has been created primarily for markets where fuel costs and emissions restrictions are getting more demanding.
The powerplant had potential for about 170 bhp overall via the electric motor adding torque at low speed – a win-win for off-road crawling and city efficiency.
Transmissions available will be a 6-speed manual and a new 8-speed automatic, and either will have revised gears for off-road.
The automatic, on the other hand, is claimed to get a unique feature in the form of low-speed ride mode which will help in offering precise control for technical off-roading.
I also discovered that the engineering team has dedicated much time and effort to make the 4×4 system more user-friendly than the ‘overwhelming’ system you get in the full-size Fortuner.
The new electric control will feature pre-set terrain modes that can optimise traction control, throttle mapping and differential locks according to conditions.
“The idea, really, is to democratize off-roading,” Singh said. “A lot of peepz are scared of stickin or complicated cases.
We want to empower the real capability to be in the hands of all, whether you are a beginner or an advanced user.”
Mini Fortuner Interior: Rugged Premium
Although we weren’t allowed to take photos inside, I was able to take a quick peek inside the prototype.
The cabin draws inspiration from modern Toyota models such as the Urban Cruiser Hyryder and the Innova Hycross and comes with a floating touchscreen (my guess would be 9 inches on the production model) with a semi-digital instrument cluster.
What impressed me most was how much the designers elegantly balanced premium touches with no-nonsense ruggedness.
The surfaces you’d regularly touch – steering wheel, door handles, gear selector – were treated to high-quality materials, and those expected to get wet and muddy, scuffed and touched ugly, where given hardwearing, easy-clean finishes.
“We were briefed on the interior design as being ‘accessible premium,’” Kulkarni told me.
“We wanted materials and design that are special, but can take the abuse that comes with real adventure use. Nothing so precious that owners would shy away from using the car as it was designed.”
There were a lot of clever storage solutions, you know, the things we tout (and laugh) about here on PCarF; multiple slots for cell phones, reconfigurable cupholders, and what looked to be a cooled center console big enough for small water bottles.
The rear seats also had a 60:40 split, and the seats slid and reclined, quite something for a car of this type, which ought to help maximise passenger comfort (or space) and luggage carrying.
Mini Fortuner Market positioning and proposed pricing
Toyota is clearly looking to slip into a gap between premium compact SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta, and more hardcore off-roaders such as the Mahindra Thar.
While pricing was not confirmed by officials, sources in the industry indicate a price bracket of around ` 15-20 lakh (ex-showroom), placing it above mass-market compact SUVs but below the larger Fortuner.
“There’s a huge untapped opportunity in this area,” said automotive analyst Vikram Gour, whom I’d called for context after the preview.
“A lot of buyers are looking for Fortuner ability and brand image but are intimidated by its size and price. A smaller offering would open Toyota up to a whole new customer base.”
Toyota, as per the dealer sources, will retail the Mini Fortuner through a premium focussed dealer chain and not regular outlets, hence also reiterating it’s positioning as a premium offering despite a relatively smaller form factor.
Mini Fortuner The Road Ahead
While the vehicle we looked at was still in early developmental stages, Toyota said it’s wrapping up development and it’s expected to launch in the middle of 2026.
It’s a timely arrival too with more stringent emission norms that could put some of today’s diesel-powered off-road machines into the shade.
“There is a growing interest for adventure lifestyle-based vehicles,” Kumar told me in our last conversation. “People are getting to the point where they want to explore again and be outside — especially now that we’re post-pandemic.
This truck is for the people who want to go that step further off the beaten track but don’t want the limitations of a bigger truck.”
If the production version is this polished, Toyota may have struck the sweet spot between real capability and real-world usability that a lot of people who think they’re weekend warriors have been looking for.
The new little Fortuner – whatever you want to call it – may well set a new standard for small SUVs, and introduce some real 4WD capability into a class that’s been more about looking the business.