NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW: Toyota facelifts Kluger SUV

UPDATED: 10:00am 15/03/2016: Toyota Australia has confirmed the revised Kluger will be launched locally in the first half of 2017.

"Sales of close to 14,000 units made 2015 Kluger's best ever year in Australia," said  Toyota Australia executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb.

"Its combination of performance, space, safety and efficiency has made it an Australian family favourite, and these upgrades to the current third-generation version will help further cement that position," he said.

----------------------------------------

Toyota has announced that it will reveal a facelifted version of its Highlander at the New York show in a few weeks’ time.

Releasing a selection of pictures of its updated big SUV, Highlander, known as the Kluger in Australia, looks almost identical to the current car but is said to have subtle exterior tweaks that include the addition of new upper and lower grilles and more chrome accents on high-spec models.

Inside, the revised Kluger is said to offer four more USB ports and an upgraded infotainment system.

The big news is the full-size SUV comes equipped with new safety kit like autonomous emergency braking that includes pedestrian detection and pre-collision warning, plus active cruise control and lane departure warning.

As well as the safety kit, Toyota has announced the Kluger’s 201kW/337Nm 3.5-litre V6 will offer a “greater level of performance” and come with a new eight-speed automatic transmission that’s said to boost efficiency and offer idle-stop capability.

The facelifted Highlander is set to go on sale later in 2016 some time in the fourth quarter. It’s not known when we’ll see the updated Kluger in Australia, but it’s likely to arrive early 2017.