NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Bigger new Toyota Kluger breaks cover
Toyota’s strong selling seven-seat Kluger SUV enters its fourth generation and will come here next year with V6 and hybrid powerThe bigger new fourth-generation Toyota Kluger seven-seat SUV has been revealed in New York today and is due on sale in Australia next year with petrol V6 and -- for the first time -- petrol-electric hybrid power.
To be released this year in the US, where it's manufactured and known as the Highlander, the 2020 Toyota Kluger will be one of five all-new hybrid models Toyota plans to release in Australia by early 2021, starting with next month's new RAV4 and including the small C-HR SUV and Corolla sedan, and a redesigned Yaris.
The Japanese manufacturer says its all-new family hauler is safer, more comfortable and more advanced than before, the newly designed SUV measuring 60mm longer than the outgoing model.
Based on the same modular Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA-K) platform as many new Toyota models – including the new RAV4 – the Kluger boasts 30mm of added interior space.
Legroom has increased in the second and third rows, the large SUV’s cabin bringing a “premium ambience with softer padded surfaces and a more tailored appearance”, Toyota says.
Infotainment upgrades include a largest-in-class 12.3-inch multimedia screen -- finally with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility -- but in the US the big-screen infotainment system is reserved for the top-shelf Platinum variant, which also offers a panoramic sunroof, up to eight seats and, for the first time, a head-up display and 20-inch alloy wheels.
But even base US models come with LED headlights and tail-lights, an 8.0-inch touch-screen, three-zone climate-control, eight-way powered driver's seat and the latest Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 technology suite.
The latter comprises autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, all-speed adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, high-beam assist, lane departure alert with steering assist, a reversing camera and new lane trace assist and road sign assist functions.
The new Kluger continues to be powered by Toyota’s 3.5-litre D-4S V6 petrol engine, upgraded to 220kW and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission as standard.
A hybrid version will be produced in right-hand drive for the first time, powered by 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine combined with two electric motors that together develop 180kW and consume 6.9L/100km -- 17 per cent less than before.
Front and all-wheel drive versions of both powertrains will remain available, the latter now available with Dynamic Torque Vectoring.
DTV co-ordinates electric power steering, throttle control, transmission shift control and drive torque distribution. It is also equipped with a multi-terrain select control dial that offers maximum traction over mud, sand, rock and dirt. The AWD system can send up to 50 per cent of the engine’s drive to the rear wheels if required.
“The new-generation model expands Kluger’s role as a genuine crossover vehicle, offering the comfort, convenience and safety of a passenger car combined with the off-road ability of many traditional 4WD vehicles,” said Toyota Australia vice president sales and marketing, Sean Hanley.
“Kluger’s new platform and driver-assist technologies dial-up the fun-to-drive factor by making it even more agile on all road surfaces as well as being more surefooted with its ability in the bush.”
In Australia, where the existing model is already in run-out priced from $45,990 drive-away, the Kluger has found more than 170,000 homes, including record sales of 14,743 vehicles in 2018, when it was again the top-selling large SUV in its class.
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