I’m a Toyota Guy — Always Will Be
I’ve been part of the YOTA CULT for over a decade now. My dad and I are die-hard Toyota fanboys we’ve always believed in owning a thing that don’t bluff, don’t break, and don’t back down.
Back in college, I had the 2013 Fortuner. Once drove it solo from Bangalore to Delhi in under 36 hours. No second driver, no naps just a young college going depressed guy and a car that refused to quit. That’s when I truly fell in love with Toyota. That drive made me realise: this isn’t just a vehicle it’s a mean machine you trust with your soul. I toured all over South India in it, from Tirupati to the Western Ghats and along the stunning Konkan coast stays at mangalore and Ratnagiri and munnar. If Delhi didn’t have the 10-year diesel rule, I’d still be driving that car. Letting it go was painful and a really hard she had years of fight and power left in her that sweet 3.0 D4D could easily run for ages.
Now I drive the 2022 Fortuner 4x4 named her Samantha. This time, I took her on a wild Himalayan adventure. Delhi → Shimla → Nako → Tabo → Key Monastery → Langza → Komic → Hikkim (mailed a letter from the world’s highest post office!) → and camped at Chitkul, the last inhabited village of India. Sadly no one in my family or friend group never received the letter.
The toughest part? Kunzum La. No snow, but blasting and landslides while roadwork was going on. Giant rocks were rolling, . I stuck for almost an hour. Switched to 4L and crawled through loose terrain. That’s when you understand why Toyota earns its badge.
But Kunzum was just the beginning. The real test came between Losar and Manali 200 km of pure off-road torture. Dust thicker than delhi smog, axle-eating, sharp rocks, zero visibility at night. By the last 100 km, I was exhausted, broken. I floored it didn’t care about damage. I just wanted to reach Manali, then Delhi.
Reason? Because my dogs Simba and Shadow had stopped being their usual self . They were waiting for me, and I’d been gone too long. Every scratch on Samantha, every Thud, was a kilometre closer to them.
I even saw wild yaks, Himalayan red foxes, and heard sheep dogs barking all night, likely warding off a leopard or a bear that had strayed closer the sheeps. That night still echoes in my memory.
That said, no CAR is perfect not even the *Pharchuner* what we call in Delhi NCR. While it’s a beast when it comes to reliability, road presence, and raw performance, there are a few things I really wish Toyota would fix or just finally add. there’s no automatic rain-sensing wipers, which would’ve made a world of difference during unpredictable mountain weather. Cornering headlights would’ve helped too navigating those tight bends near Key and Langza at night was pure guesswork. And can we talk about the lack of ventilated seats? You spend hours behind the wheel, you’re either freezing or sweating a little cooling wouldn’t hurt. Add in things like adjustable suspension for better comfort on long highway drives, a factory TPMS for safety, and heated seats or steering for high-altitude zones like Chitkul — and you’d have the complete overland-ready machine. Honestly, even a dashcam with GPS trip logging would’ve been a sweet touch it’s not just about security, it’s about remembering the miles. Roof rack and recovery gear mounts from the factory would make it feel like Toyota’s listening to the actual owners out there doing the hard miles. But despite all this she gets the job done. Perfectly. there is this saying ""A Range Rover can get you places, but a Toyota will get you back".
