India’s First Toyota Fortuner with CNG Kit: Kitna Deti Hai? [Video]

The Toyota Fortuner is a popular SUV in the Indian market. It has been one of those SUVs that have dominated this segment since its launch. It is known for its reliability and road presence. Despite its shortcomings, such as missing premium features and an expensive price tag, people still prefer it over its competitors. We have seen several modified examples of Toyota Fortuner SUVs from different parts of the country. However, we have not seen one with a CNG kit until now. Here, we have India’s first Fortuner with an aftermarket CNG kit. How efficient is it? Let’s check the video and find out.

CNG Fortuner: Kitna Deti hai?

The video has been shared by Sai Fuel Vadodara on their Instagram page. In this video, we see a Toyota Fortuner petrol variant fitted with an aftermarket CNG kit. This is claimed to be India’s first Fortuner with such a kit. The Toyota Fortuner is a large SUV, and the petrol version is not something we would call fuel-efficient.

With the rise in fuel prices, many owners have been looking for alternative options, and aftermarket CNG kits have become a popular choice. In this video, the installation process of the CNG kit on the Toyota Fortuner is not shown. However, the video mentions that they have installed an imported kit from Poland. This kit is specifically designed for such SUVs and is compatible with the Fortuner.

As part of the testing, the driver took the Fortuner SUV to a nearby CNG filling station. After installing the kit, the owner filled almost 1 kg of gas and drove the car on the highway to test its fuel efficiency. The video was continuously recorded throughout the test.

In this short video, we see that the trip meter was reset, and the SUV was driven on a busy highway with speeds varying between 70-80 kmph. The SUV was running smoothly without any issues. Most of these aftermarket kits are sequential kits, which automatically switch from CNG to petrol when the car runs out of gas. The Fortuner here also has a similar kit, and after driving for almost 13.9 km, the SUV ran out of gas. This means the Fortuner can actually return around 14 km per kg when running on CNG.

Worth It?

One question that many may ask themselves after watching this video is whether all these efforts are worth it. The cost of CNG in many states is lower than petrol, so the owner will have a lower running cost. However, from a fuel efficiency perspective, we don’t see much of a difference.

We checked online and found that a petrol 4x2 Fortuner returns around 10-12 km per liter in mixed driving conditions. The Fortuner CNG here offers only around 14 km per kg. It might offer more if driven with a light foot, but we feel that most Fortuner drivers rarely do that.

The Fortuner is a three-row SUV with a small boot. With the installation of a CNG cylinder, the boot space is compromised. Additionally, the performance of the vehicle will not be the same as before. The added weight of the CNG cylinder will also impact performance.

So, if you are ready to compromise on all these aspects, you can definitely opt for a CNG kit in an SUV like the Fortuner. However, if not, it is better to drive it on petrol.