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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
13 August 2007
Toyota Australia is selling its new generation Kluger in either
4WD or 2WD format. It’s aimed mainly at the people mover market,
though the 4WD is capable of some light- to medium-duty off road work.
We should explain at this stage that Toyota prefers to call the
4WD Kluger an ‘all-wheel-drive’ or ‘AWD’ . That’s
because the company likes to reserve the term ‘4WD’ for
genuine off-road vehicles with a two-speed transfer case – Prado
and LandCruiser are perfect examples. Thus the new Toyota Kluger
with four driven wheels is an AWD in Toyota speak, and the one
with two wheels connected to the engine is called a 2WD. It’s
all a little messy, though we have to admit that Toyota's
arguments do make sense. Particularly as the Japanese giant made
its name in Australia over 50 years ago in the rugged 4WD field
and is still a leader in many market segments with a broad range
of genuine 4WDs.
In any case, Toyota has opted to give the 2WD Kluger the same
ground clearance as the AWD model. Thus giving it a fair bit of
dirt- and gravel-road ability should you wish to go a modest
distance off the beaten track.
For years it has been known that many owners of 4WDs want them
as people movers, rather than as bush explorers, liking the
convenience of a large station wagon. And Toyota has certainly
given them a wagon and a half with the new Kluger. It is
significantly larger than the old, featuring a huge amount of
interior space. The latter being offered in five-seat or
seven-seat configuration.
All seven of the new Toyota's seats can cope with adults, but
six and a child makes more sense as the middle seat in the second
row is on the skinny side. A fascinating feature of the new
Kluger's interior is the ability to convert the second-row bench
seat from three seating positions to two. This is done by removing
the centre portion and either leaving the space vacant or
inserting a small table between the seats.
Even better, is the fact that this centre table and centre seat
can be stowed away in an enclosed area beneath the console between
the two front seats. Meaning you don’t have to find a space for
them in the boot or leave them in the garage at home.
The second row of seats can slide back and forwards on runners.
Put it way back and there is a huge amount of rear legroom. Add
the aforementioned table between the seat and you get stretch out
space for three working executives and their driver.
Even with all seats in use Kluger's luggage space is quite
generous and you can carry a couple of decent sized suitcases in a
vertical position behind the third-row seat. The five-seater not
only gives you a considerably larger cargo area, but also a big
covered space under the floor where the seats third row of seats
would otherwise have been housed.
The centre seat backrests are individually spring loaded so
that they flop down when levers just inside the tailgate are
pulled. You no longer have to go to the inconvenience of opening
the rear passenger doors to fold down the seats.
Kluger has a two-piece tailgate and the glass can be hinged up
on its own without raising the complete ‘gate. A handy feature
in tight parking spots.
Power for the new Toyota Kluger is from a 3.5-litre twin-cam V6
engine that’s a close relation to the one installed in the
Australian-built Toyota Aurion and recently added as an option to
the Tarago people mover. In its Kluger format it produces 201 kW
of power, and 337 Nm of torque at 4700 rpm.
Our road testing showed the engine to be a silky smooth unit
with plenty of grunt at low revs and a willingness to rev to the
top end of the tacho when asked to do so. So the apparently high
4700 rpm where peak torque is generated isn’t as awkward as it
seems on paper.
Unlike the Aurion, which has a six-speed automatic
transmission, the Kluger has a five-speed unit because the
six-speed has yet to be modified to suit an AWD application. It
may come later.
Safety is a high-level requirement for smart buyers in this
class of vehicle and the local Toyota importer has opted for every
major safety feature to be fitted to all versions of the new
Kluger. These include a rear-vision camera for reversing, an
electronic stability program, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and
seven airbags.
This new Toyota is to be sold in three model levels; Kluger KX-R,
Kluger KX-S and Kluger Grande. Prices begin at just $39,990 for
the KX-R 2WD with five seats, and range up to $64,490 for a
seven-seat Grande with AWD. The extra cost of $4500 for all-wheel
drive makes it relatively expensive, particularly when you
consider that the AWD models are classed as trucks under
Australian import regulations and come in at a lower tariff.
On the road the new Kluger is pleasingly quiet and smooth under
normal road conditions. There's some booming in the body and a
slightly harsh ride if it’s driven hard on rough roads, backing
off the throttle generally makes it peaceful again. Particularly
impressive is the way the suspension dampens the sound and feel of
coarse-chip bitumen. Indeed, it’s better that many mega-buck
European sedans in this respect.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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