For years, different carmakers have tried to make their presence felt in the full-size SUV segment – challenging the cult-like dominance of the Toyota Fortuner, launched on August 24, 2009.
For years, everyone has failed.
But the MG Majestor – unveiled on February 12, 2026 – appears to have the technology, the might, and the size to successfully challenge the Fortuner.
Competitors of the Fortuner
This Toyota SUV has faced three waves of rivals over its 16-year journey.
2009-15: Ford Endeavour was the Fortuner’s bigger rival – it was launched in 2003 – but the Fortuner quickly overtook it in sales. Mitsubishi Pajero was another tough rival, but suffered from Mitsubishi’s poor sales network. Hyundai tried with the Terracan, and Chevrolet with the Captiva, but neither of them had that ‘big SUV’ feel.
2016-21: As the second-generation Fortuner was launched in 2016, the competition moved from size and reliability to technology, and yet the Fortuner prevailed. The toughest rival was the second-gen Endeavour, which came with better technology such as Apple CarPlay, and a far smoother ride and better off-road capability, but Ford’s exit from India in 2021 killed the Endeavour. Mahindra tried with the Alturas G4 – a rebadged SsangYong Rexton – that offered Fortuner’s luxury at a lower price point, but it couldn’t match Toyota’s brand value. Isuzu also tried with the MU-X – a rugged Japanese rival – but failed. Volkswagen drove in the Tiguan and Skoda the Kodiaq, but these proved to be too genteel.
2022-26: The competition shifted back to size, and tech-luxury. The first was the MG Gloster – it had Level-1 ADAS and a massive road presence, but in its five-year journey it has sold just about 12,000 units. The Fortuner, on the other hand, has been averaging 35,000 units every year. Jeep also tried with the Meridian, but its yearly sales are just about 1,200 units.
The Majestor seems different
Standing as the longest (5,046 mm), widest (2,016 mm), and tallest (1,870 mm) SUV in its class, the Majestor has a huge 2,950-mm wheelbase and rides on 19-inch alloy wheels. It has bigger road presence than the Fortuner (4,795 mm length, and 1,855 mm width) – the primary buying factor in this segment.
While the Fortuner is famous for its off-road reliability, the Majestor has advanced mechanical features to exceed it, such as the triple differential lock (found in luxury off-roaders like the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen), 810-mm water-wading capacity (Fortuner has 700 mm), Level-2 ADAS semiautonomous driving capability (Fortuner doesn’t have ADAS), and massage seats in front and second rows (not found in the Fortuner).
Although the Majestor has a smaller engine (2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel), as compared to 2.7 and 2.8-litre of the Fortuner, the MG produces far more power (215.5 PS), compared to 166 PS and 204 PS of the Fortuner.
What the Majestor doesn’t have – as of now – is the bulletproof reliability of the Fortuner, which has made the latter the default choice for politicians and business leaders in India.
Its prices will be announced in April, and expect these to be in the same range as the Fortuner (priced from Rs 34.16 lakh to Rs 49.59 lakh).
