The Toyota Fortuner has been the king of Indian SUVs since its launch in 2009. Over the years, many automakers have tried but have fallen short. However, these 3 upcoming SUVs could finally cause the Japanese SUV some trouble. Here is what you should know about it.
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Upcoming Fortuner Rivals – Skoda Kodiaq RS
Skoda announced it will bring the Kodiaq RS to India via the CBU route. This would make the Kodiaq RS quite expensive, and its price tag is estimated to be around Rs 65 lakh (on-road, Mumbai). Performance was one of the few things that set the Kodiaq behind the Fortuner, and now that won’t be the case anymore. Its 2.0-litre TSI engine will be getting a performance boost. At the same time, minor tweaks would be made to the suspension and aesthetics. After all, it is a Skoda RS.
Skoda recently added an ADAS suite with the Kodiaq, making it as feature-rich as possible. The Kodiaq RS would have the same feature list as the standard version. Some of the features include a 360-degree camera, massaging front seats, wireless charging, panoramic sunroof, etc. Importantly, it is all set for launch this month.
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Volkswagen Tayron
A few months ago, Volkswagen launched the Tayron R-line. The R-line implies that it is the top model. However, to make it more accessible, Volkswagen could launch a lower variant for the Tayron by late 2027. Its pricing would be lower at around Rs 45-55 lakh (on-road, Mumbai).
While the engine spec for the 2.0-litre TSI would remain the same, the feature list would see some omissions. With the lower variant, the Tayron could miss out on ADAS, a panoramic sunroof, and a 360-degree camera. It could also get a smaller screen than the 15-inch one from the R-line.
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Kia Sorento
Kia may have capitalised in the mid-size SUV segment, but it is yet to experiment with a full-size SUV. It could now be finally stepping into Fortuner territory with the Sorento. It has been spotted testing a couple of times, suggesting that the launch is near. We could see the production-spec model on Indian roads by mid-2027.
Kia has officially announced that the Sorento hybrid by 2028. But we expect the lower variants to be offered with a 2.2-litre diesel. The hybrid could be powered by a 1.5-litre NA petrol. As a Kia, it would be packed with features like a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, level-2 ADAS, a panoramic sunroof, an electric tailgate, a 360-degree parking camera, and much more. As for the pricing, we expect it to be priced around Rs 40-50 lakh (on-road, Mumbai).
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