Head to Head: Ford Everest Titanium+ vs Toyota Fortuner 4x4 LTD

The Pickup Platform Vehicle market is tough. Really tough. There are quite a few options out there that it could get confusing for some. However, there are two PPVs that have been having a consistent dogfight and are enjoying great sales in these last couple of years. 

The Toyota Fortuner was the first mainstream PPV that entered the Philippine market, so that, along with its Toyota badge, was enough to make it an institution that still stands as a popular choice to this day. It is a proven vehicle that has stood the test of time and is easy to maintain.

However, does the Fortuner present good value? The Ford Everest entered the market a bit late to the party, but it came out guns blazing, packed with tech, features, and a handsome design to take on the PPV market. It paid off and is one of the most popular PPVs to date, and with the recent heavy update on the Everest, the Fortuner has its work cut out for itself.

Both the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest are two popular PPVs that offer powerful performance, rugged design, and spacious interiors. In this comparative analysis, we will compare and contrast these vehicles in different aspects to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of both the Ford Everest and the Toyota Fortuner, which could ultimately help you with your next purchase.

While one model exudes confidence with its bulging vehicular muscles, the other is a more tried and tested design that’s been refined for the current generation. Style is subjective, but there are a few objective reasons why confidence can be a deciding factor when determining which one is more stylish—or simply better.  

The Ford Everest boasts a muscular and imposing physique, with its prominent chrome grille, bold lines, and sculpted body panels. It exudes a sense of adventure and ruggedness, befitting of the American brand. We would dare say that its design actually belongs on American roads. It has brawn and brains, like the adaptive LED headlights that look oh-so-good, and DRLs that are heavily inspired by the F150, but more on that later. 

On the other hand, the Toyota Fortuner features a more streamlined and contemporary appearance. Its sleek profile, blacked-out roof, and sharp character lines give it a sporty and sophisticated appeal. The lights on the Fortuner are LED reflectors with LED DRLs and LED projector foglamps, as well as LED bars on the taillights. It’s by no means an outdated setup, but it definitely doesn’t have a few extra tricks up its sleeve. Still, it looks good, especially with that two-tone black roof. 

However, the Fortuner’s design has been around for quite some time now and is starting to show its age. This is where the Everest has a definite advantage in the sense that its most recent update is ready for the years to come ahead. It is much more refreshing to look at than the Fortuner. It’s also worth mentioning that the top-of-the-line LTD is a bit limiting in terms of its color selection, with grey and white two-tone colorways being the only options in the lineup. Ford, on the other hand, has a ton of interesting hues for you, thus helping the nameplate seal its victory here. 

Winner: Ford Everest

When it comes to interior comfort and space, the Ford Everest excels in this aspect. The Everest offers a refined cabin with high-quality materials and a well-designed layout. It provides ample headroom and legroom for passengers making it ideal for families and long journeys., and while its third row isn’t ideal for long road trips, it is still a better place to be than the Fortuner, albeit marginally. 

While the Toyota Fortuner’s cabin is not, by any means, tight, it still falls behind the Everest on space, interior quality, and versatility because while the Everest offers a flat-folding third-row seat, the Fortuner still makes do with the old-school side-mounted third-row that sacrifices cargo space, especially if you plan to haul and fit larger objects. To give you an idea, the Fortuner has 716 L of cargo space with the third-row seats folded to the side, the Everest, on the other hand has 898 L of cargo space with its third-row seats folded flat. That is a  huge difference of 182 L.

Added versatility, better interior comfort, plush materials, and quality trimmings all are in favor of the Everest. Toyota seems to be resting on its laurels a bit with the Fortuner being one of the best-selling SUVs, locally. However, the comprises associated with the Fortuner’s cargo space, and comparatively older interior design leaves something to be desired. All the shortcomings we had with the Fortuner were addressed with the Everest so it gets the win.

Winner: Ford Everest

In terms of technology, both the Ford Everest and the Toyota Fortuner come equipped with a range of advanced technology features. The Everest offers a large 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system powered by Ford’s Sync 4A with smartphone integration and a comprehensive sound system. It also offers a host of safety features, including 360-degree cameras, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, and lane-keeping assist. In addition to its safety features, the Ford Everest also has adaptive active-bending LED headlights that greatly help with nighttime visibility, especially in tough weather conditions and twisty roads. On top of that, you also get a configurable digital instrument cluster that can show the vehicle’s vital statistics at a glance.

Speaking of, The Fortuner, provides similar technology features, including a well-integrated infotainment system and a suite of driver-assistance systems in the form of Toyota Safety Sense (TSS). The Fortuner boasts an 11-speaker JBL audio system that promises a premium audio experience. The other features worth mentioning include a 360-degree camera, which is similar to what the Everest has, but it lacks presentation since the Ford’s infotainment system is massive in comparison.

Both vehicles are similarly equipped in this aspect. However, the Everest does present its features in a much more up-to-date manner, especially with its digital instrument cluster, larger infotainment system, as well as configurable ambient lighting. Yes, the Fortuner does have ambient lighting but is only available in white. In terms of the overall feel of usage and presentation, the Everest has the Fortuner beat.

Winner: Ford Everest

The Ford Everest and the Toyota Fortuner are both available with powerful diesel engines that lead in the PPV segment. The Everest offers a 2.0-liter Bi-Turbo four-cylinder engine that delivers 207hp and 500 Nm of torque mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Fortuner, on the other hand, sports a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine making 201 hp and 500 Nm of torque mated to a traditional six-speed automatic transmission. 

However, while the figures of the Everest are marginally better, the Fortuner makes most of its torque from down low, making it much easier to put the power down, especially in daily use where you will be spending most of your time at the low rpm’s. The 10-speed transmission of the Everest also has the tendency to hunt gears which could occasionally make for jerky accelerations as compared to the Fortuner’s six-speed. Add the complexity of the Everest’s Bi-Turbo setup in terms of future maintenance, we could probably give the point to the Fortuner for sticking with a proven package that still delivers competitive figures and fuel efficiency.

Winner: Toyota Fortuner

In their top-of-the-line trims, the Everest and Fortuner are priced similarly, with the Fortuner having a slightly higher price of P2,545,000 compared to the Everest’s P2,525,000 price tag, for a difference of P20,000. At this level of pricing, a difference in that margin shouldn't really make a difference. 

However, only one can win in this category, and at the end of the day, every peso counts, so the point goes to the Everest.

Winner: Ford Everest 

At this point, it is no surprise that our pick would be the Ford Everest given how it fares with these various aspects.

That said, the Fortuner can never be a wrong choice, given its solid and proven reputation, but it is in dire need of an update both in design and implementation of technology.

However, the Ford Everest gives you more in nearly every aspect, along with a better presentation of its technology, features, and design. The Toyota Fortuner is starting to show its age, especially with a long overdue update, which Ford has done for their Everest. If you want a vehicle that can keep up with the fast-moving world, the Everest is the way to go.

Overall Winner: Ford Everest