Earlier than you is a automobile that’s about to get very uncommon – a petrol-powered Toyota Kluger… what?!
The car you see right here is definitely now going extinct; Toyota just lately introduced it will be going hybrid-only on core passenger and SUV nameplates with current hybrid choices.
This 2024 Toyota Kluger GXL AWD with its 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine will quickly be off sale. The Kluger Hybrid will get all of the hype – however is that this petrol nonetheless price a glance?
The turbocharged motor changed the previous V6 as a part of a operating change in 2023, bringing with it some welcome tech upgrades together with a model new infotainment system pulled from premium Toyota and Lexus fashions.
Competitors is heating up within the Kluger’s class Down Beneath. The Kia Sorento just lately acquired a mid-life replace, the Hyundai Santa Fe has obtained a serious overhaul, and the extra rugged Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X are lighting up the gross sales charts.
Does this mid-spec petrol Kluger nonetheless have what it takes to sway consumers from an more and more aggressive set of rivals? And is the soon-to-be-axed four-pot turbo price a glance over the in-demand hybrid?
How does the Toyota Kluger evaluate?
View an in depth breakdown of the Toyota Kluger towards equally sized autos.
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Kluger
How a lot does the Toyota Kluger value?
The GXL AWD on take a look at is priced from $67,940 plus on-road prices.
To see how the Toyota Kluger shapes up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability device.
What’s the Toyota Kluger like on the within?
The general design of the Kluger’s cabin hasn’t actually modified since this era debuted globally in 2020.
Relying on variant, nonetheless, there’s now a a lot bigger 12.3-inch widescreen contact show built-in into the dashboard, and the top-spec Grande additionally scores a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Right here within the GXL you get the previous, not the latter. The brand new touchscreen is a marked enchancment over the previous piddly 8.0-inch unit, and it’s operating the model’s newest linked interface which is shared with a lot of the Lexus vary.
It’s snappy, simple to make use of, and provides actually excessive decision. The consumer interface received’t win any design awards for being visually attention-grabbing, however it does the job and is totally featured.
From wi-fi Apple CarPlay (and wired Android Auto), to digital radio and Toyota Related Companies, it just about has all the things lined. Bar the shortage of wi-fi cellphone charger on this spec, I’ve no complaints.
Much less spectacular is the instrument cluster, with low cost and dated-looking analogue dials flanking a nicer supervision show that’s widespread to many Toyotas.
It’s definitely nowhere close to as fashionable or upmarket because the touchscreen nor the digitised panel obtainable within the Grande. Absolutely Toyota may simply make it commonplace throughout the lineup, or at the least the GXL given its worth.
Consolation and adjustability is nice up entrance, with comfy and supportive chairs for the motive force and entrance passenger that characteristic eight-way energy adjustment within the GXL. The driving force additionally scores powered lumbar assist.
Even with the larger display screen, there are many bodily buttons an switches for capabilities just like the local weather management, in addition to AWD controls and the like. However, it’s not too button heavy both.
Storage concerning the entrance cabin is fairly robust, with loads of nooks and crannies to retailer your odds and ends.
The shelf below the local weather controls lacks a charging pad however will simply home a cellphone whereas in transit, as effectively the nook additional down subsequent to the USB and 12V ports.
Huge cupholders will maintain even the most important Starbucks order (courtesy of the Kluger’s American origins), and there’s a really deep area below the sliding front-centre armrest.
Genuinely it’s like a magicians hat, it appears to go on eternally, and can swallow absolutely anything you may put in it.
As you’d count on of a household SUV measuring 4966mm lengthy with a 2850mm wheelbase, second row lodging is a powerful level of the Kluger.
There’s loads of room for adults to take a seat behind adults, whereas the flat bench and rear flooring means the center passenger isn’t continuously enjoying video games of footsie with their neighbour.
Little ones and their little one seats are catered for with requisite prime tether and ISOFIX factors, and there are many facilities like a 3rd zone of local weather management with roof-mounted vents, in addition to a fold-down centre armrest with cupholder.
You additionally get further USB charging ports on the rear of the centre console, in addition to a sliding and reclining second row.
Transferring additional again, the third row could be accessed by folding ahead one of many 60:40 parts of the second row, and the 40 half is on the proper aspect for right-hand drive markets – effectively completed Toyota.
You would possibly discover the design of the Kluger’s third row seems to have room for 3 seats. Within the USA, the Kluger is certainly an eight seater. Australian fashions are solely seven seaters, although.
The second row could be slid ahead to permit extra room for the rearmost passengers, however the Kluger isn’t a patch on one thing like a Hyundai Palisade, not to mention a Kia Carnival.
It’s actually a kid-only zone or greatest left for smaller adults, because the excessive flooring and upright backrest aren’t tremendous comfy in case you have lanky limbs. There are armrests and cupholders although, in addition to roof-mounted air flow.
With all three rows of seating in use, Toyota claims the Kluger provides 241 litres of storage capability. Whereas it doesn’t sound like a lot, that’s across the identical as a Kia Picanto or Mazda 2.
Fold the third row and you’ve got a claimed 552 litres, and there’s 1150 litres with the second and third rows folded. There are rivals within the phase that quote a lot bigger figures, although not essentially to the identical measurement commonplace.
All variations of the Kluger characteristic a full-size alloy spare as commonplace, which is refreshing given an growing quantity of autos in the marketplace are making do with area saver spares or restore kits – significantly electrified ones.
See under for the size and capacities breakdown.
What’s below the bonnet?
On take a look at we’ve the Kluger 2.4T AWD.
To see how the Toyota Kluger shapes up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability device.
How does the Toyota Kluger drive?
The Kluger is a fairly comfortable and comfy technique to get round.
In step with its North American focus, there’s a particular lean in direction of outright consolation versus a few of the extra dialled in tunes of different Toyota fashions. That’s not essentially a nasty factor, although.
With a torquey turbocharged engine and smooth tuning, the Kluger petrol wafts alongside in each day driving. It’s simply extra relaxed than the silky V6, whereas additionally being extra environment friendly – we noticed between 9 and 10L/100km on the readout in combined driving skewed to metropolis and concrete commuting.
I’d advise towards actually pushing it, as a result of the two.4T’s buzzy tone isn’t significantly participating just like the previous six. It will get going while you want it, so the odd overtake shouldn’t be an issue on a rustic freeway.
Refinement is sweet however not fairly standout. The Kluger’s cabin is effectively insulated from wind noise, although there’s some tyre roar over coarser blacktop. Some rivals do that higher.
The Kluger provides fairly impartial dealing with although like different fashions primarily based on the TNGA platform. There’s a stage of directness which means steering response is fairly fast and correct, although the smooth suspension tuning means it leans by the corners.
In AWD guise there’s heaps of grip so that you typically keep away from lighting up these entrance tyres, however because it’ll default to FWD to avoid wasting gasoline you might discover that 420Nm to the entrance axle can elicit some spinny spinny off the road with a heavy foot.
In any other case, there’s not an entire lot to speak about. The Kluger simply will get the job completed with out a lot fuss, which nearly makes it a bit boring.
I’ll praise the plentiful glasshouse, which helps outward visibility on this massive rig. Sadly the GXL doesn’t get a encompass digital camera, which is reserved completely for the top-spec Grande. There are entrance and rear sensors, although.
Toyota’s newest crop of driver help programs are typically superb.
Adaptive cruise management and Lane Hint Help mix for semi autonomous freeway functionality which helps to take the load off longer stints, and the programs all behave in a really intuitive and unobtrusive method.
Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert additionally turn out to be useful for a car this huge, making slipping into gaps in visitors or reversing out of view-obstructed carparks that little bit safer.
What do you get?
Three trim ranges can be found in Australia – GX, GXL and Grande.
Kluger GX commonplace tools:
18-inch alloy wheelsAutomatic LED headlightsAutomatic high-beamLED tail lightsFog lightsRain-sensing wipersPrivacy glass7.0-inch digital instrument cluster8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment systemApple CarPlay – wi-fi, wiredAndroid Auto – wiredDAB+ digital radio6-speaker sound systemTri-zone local weather controlKeyless entry and startLeather-accented steering wheelLeather-accented gear shifterFabric upholsteryCarpet flooring mats
Kluger GXL provides:
Roof railsPower tailgate12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment systemSatellite navigationLeatherette upholsteryHeated entrance seats8-way power-adjustable entrance seatsPower lumbar assist – driver
Kluger Grande provides:
20-inch alloy wheelsProjector LED headlightsPanoramic glass sunroofPower tailgate with kick sensorChrome grillePainted rear decrease bumper12.3-inch digital instrument clusterHead-up display11-speaker JBL premium sound systemWireless cellphone chargerAuto-dimming rear-view mirrorSecond-row retractable sunshadesInterior ambient lightingLeather upholsteryHeated and ventilated entrance seatsDriver’s seat memoryPremium smooth instrument panelWood-look ornamentation
Is the Toyota Kluger protected?
The Toyota Kluger earned a five-star ANCAP security score in 2021.
It obtained scores of 90 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 88 per cent for little one occupant safety, 76 per cent for susceptible street consumer safety, and 82 per cent for security help.
Normal security tools contains:
7 airbagsAdaptive cruise controlAutonomous emergency braking (AEB)Pedestrian detection – day, nightCyclist detection – dayJunction assistBlind-spot monitoringEmergency steering helpParking sensors – entrance, rearRear cross-traffic alertReversing cameraTraffic signal recognition
Kluger Grande provides:
All the vary additionally now comes commonplace with 12 months of complimentary entry to Toyota Related Companies – learn extra right here.
How a lot does the Toyota Kluger value to run?
The 2024 Toyota Kluger is roofed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, with driveline protection for as much as seven years in case you service inside the Toyota vendor community.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Toyota Kluger
I consider Toyota is making the best transfer going hybrid-only with the Kluger in Australia.
This US-focused household SUV makes extra sense with an electrified drivetrain, the place its benchmark effectivity offers the massive Toyota phase management for bigger households seeking to save on the pump.
Past that thrifty hybrid possibility, the Kluger doesn’t actually have some other space the place it outshines the competitors.
It’s costlier than most rivals, even with the turbocharged petrol engine, it lacks the extra upmarket atmosphere of the likes of the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, and isn’t significantly particular to drive both.
However, it’s a stable all-rounder in typical Toyota trend, and the Japanese model’s low cost capped-price servicing stays an outlier significantly at this finish of the mainstream SUV market.
With the Kluger’s turbocharged petrol possibility on its technique to extinction in Australia, consumers wanting the same drivetrain might have to attend for the brand new Santa Fe to carry its 2.5-litre turbo-petrol late this yr or early subsequent, or maybe take a look at one thing extra premium like a GWM Tank 500 or Mazda CX-90.
To your $68,000 spend, my cash would probably be going in direction of a Hyundai Palisade Elite if I needed one thing massive and American-leaning (with the choice of eight seats), or maybe a high-spec Kia Carnival with the torquey and environment friendly turbo-diesel engine.
The Kluger GXL AWD Hybrid’s lofty $70,440 price ticket places the mid-spec Toyota towards top-spec rivals from Korea, whereas the Grande AWD Hybrid is pushing into premium territory at $82,860 – each earlier than on-road prices.
Whereas it’s a stable effort, there are different SUVs on the market that can do a greater job for cheaper.
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