Mahindra Alturas next to a Toyota Fortuner: Street presence of both SUVs compared

Indian utility vehicle manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra last month launched its largest-ever SUV in India in the form of the Alturas G4. The Alturas G4, which is basically a Ssangyong Rexton with a Mahindra badge and grille, is offered up as a premium yet more affordable offering compared to its main rival, the Toyota Fortuner.

However, for many potential owners, it is the on-road presence of an SUV that helps them make up their minds on which vehicle to buy and the image above which was shared on the 4X4 India India group on Facebook show us the Mahindra Alturas G4 and the Toyota Fortuner standing side by side next to each other as both large SUVs show off their dominating road presence.

Side by side, the two SUVs look to be nearly the same in size with both looking quite wide and tall and almost similar in size. While the Fortuner looks the more modern of the two SUVs with its angular front end it is the Mahindra Alturas G4 with its no-nonsense butch front end that actually looks like the one which would be more comfortable going off-road. Also, it has enough chrome on the front end to keep up with the Toyota’s rather blingy unit.

While at first glance, the Mahindra Alturas G4 and Toyota Fortuner may look to be quite similar in terms of dimensions, there is actually quite a big difference in their actual measurements. The Mahindra Alturas G4 is larger than the Toyota Fortuner in terms of all four parameters used in measuring vehicles.

The Alturas G4 is 4,850 mm long, which is 55 mm more than the Fortuner which is only 4,795 mm long. The Alturas is also 105 mm wider than its Toyota rival at 1,960 mm compared to the Fortuner’s width of 1,855 mm. In terms of height, the Fortuner falls short by just 10 mm at 1,835 mm compared to the Alturas G4 from Mahindra which measures in at 1,845 mm. This difference isn’t that noticeable to the naked eye, which is why both SUVs the same height when viewed by the human eye.

Where the difference will be noticeable is the wheelbase where the Mahindra SUV offers an extra 120 mm in length measuring in at 2,865 mm compared to the Fortuner’s 2,745 mm length. Those in the back seats should definitely be able to enjoy most of the 120 mm of extra space on offer. The Alturas G4 also offers 29 mm extra ground clearance to the best-selling SUV in the segment with 244 mm when compared to the Fortuner’s 215 mm.

The Toyota manages to pull a few punches of its own when it comes to the powertrain department. Unlike the Mahindra Alturas G4. the Toyota Fortuner is offered with both petrol and diesel engine options, while the Alturas makes do with a solitary diesel. The Fortuner also offers both petrol and manual gearbox options, whereas the Alturas only comes in automatic guise.