The new fourth-generation Toyota Kluger has landed in Australia bearing fresh styling,
new technology and safety, and a hybrid option for the first time. On paper, it has all the
makings of a family-friendly, seven-seat SUV. Let's see how that translates to reality.
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On sale abroad since 2019, Australian consumers have had to wait two long years for the
fourth-generation Kluger to hit showrooms, but it does so this month making quite a statement,
adopting Toyota's latest TNGA platform and introducing larger proportions,
more tech and hybrid power for the first time. The starting price for the nine-variant Kluger range
is up by almost $3000. That's for the front-drive, V6 petrol
GX. Entry into the hybrid range that is expected to dominate sales starts at $54,000 for the GX
hybrid all-wheel-drive model driven here. Well, what a huge step forward in terms of interior
presentation. The fourth-generation Kluger is much better resolved in terms of its layout,
in terms of its technology, and just its general convenience as well.
Gone is the predecessor's clunky foot-operated park brake. It makes way for a new electric
park brake. There's all sorts of new technology as well. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, five USB
points across the first two rows, and air vent access to all three rows as well. There's no
child seat anchor points in the rearmost seats, but space is generous across
all three rows. It's a really well-resolved space. It ticks all the important boxes for
families. There's additional safety across the new Kluger range including road sign assist,
emergency steering assist and intersection turn assistance, among many other features.
Now, with all that said, there is no doubt that the biggest improvement
with the fourth-generation Kluger is the way that it drives. That extension in wheelbase,
the new TNGA platform, the wider front and rear tracks all conspire to make this a much
more poised and much more refined on-road proposition. It means that there is none of
the occasional heaving and pitching that the predecessor used to encounter. It feels much
more controlled on the road, and dare I say it, a bit more enjoyable behind the wheel as well.
Although hybrid versions of the Kluger tip the scales at more than two tons,
the truth is, it still feels approachable and user-friendly.
New multi-link front and rear suspension ensure smoother passage on all surfaces while light
low-speed steering and a suite of in-car cameras help offset the Kluger's longer 4.96-metre length.
There's definitely more intent with the way that the Kluger drives. There's much more
accuracy and finesse to the steering. It sits flatter through corners, and the big
undulations that are common on these B-grade roads that I'm driving at the moment, it soaks
them up. There's no more pitching and wallowing and moving around in a way that tended to induce
car sickness in the old vehicle. It now feels more controlled. It soaks them up. The car sits
flat on all surfaces and outside noise is really well insulated compared to the previous vehicle.
The big talking point is the hybrid drivetrain, which teams a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol
engine with three electric motors to deliver a maximum combined output of 184 kilowatts,
and an official fuel average of 5.6 litres per 100K's is claimed. Not surprisingly,
given how popular it's been in the Camry, the RAV4 and other Toyota variants, it is the hybrid Kluger
that really makes a headline statement. We've done about a 100 kilometres of driving so far,
the magic figure that we've arrived at, six litres per 100K's, which is quite incredible for a large
two-ton plus vehicle. The hybrid, like those other models, works really effectively. You've
got battery power from lower RPM to get the car up and moving, and when the 2.5-litre,
four-cylinder engine does have to chime in, it does so fairly benignly and effectively.
Of course, being such a small engine, do ask a little bit more of the petrol and
it can become quite audible from within inside the cabin. And it's never gonna set
any new land speed records, but the system works really well. It's really well suited
to the Kluger's size. I think the only question mark that remains is how it would cope with
a full load of seven people and all their luggage.
Thankfully, the hybrid version of the Kluger imposes no real compromise in terms of packaging,
other than a 3.0-litre smaller fuel tank. Elsewhere, the Kluger's longer proportions
have liberated an additional 30 millimetres in passenger space, which is said to be
concentrated on the third row. The cabin space feels contemporary and full of storage options,
also fit with decent materials that go some way in justifying the higher purchase price. Re-affirming
the Kluger's family-friendly appeal is a full-size spare wheel, five-year warranty, and the option
of capped-price servicing, which amounts to $250 every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres.
I gotta say, quite impressed with our first impression of the fourth-generation Toyota Kluger.
Huge leaps forward in terms of technology, styling,
safety, but most of all, driving dynamics. It feel as though,
this is a real breakthrough for Toyota's seven-seat SUV. It's enjoyable to drive, it's
refined and it's poised on the road. I can't see any reason why it won't be a huge sales success.