SPY PICS: Next Toyota Kluger spotted in Melbourne

It’s a vehicle Toyota Australia wanted to build here, but while that hope has been dashed at least we know the 2014 Toyota Kluger has been tested in local conditions.

That’s because motoring.com.au spotted this disguised version of Toyota’s all-new seven-seat SUV headed east in Melbourne Citylink traffic yesterday afternoon.

Most likely, it was on its way back to the Toyota Technical Centre on the fringes of Monash University in south-eastern Melbourne after a hard day’s testing at the Australian Automotive Research Centre near Anglesea.

Our glimpses of the new Kluger were only brief through city traffic, and our hurried smartphone photos managed to capture only partial images. But we can tell you this; the new Kluger is a big vehicle.

Just check out the size and height of that raked nose in relation to the Iveco van in the foreground, the HSV Grange behind it and the current Ford Territory following behind – and possibly travelling with it.

Intriguingly, a BMW X5 can also be seen further back in the uncropped version of this shot.

Both the Ford and BMW would make logical back-to-back test rivals for the new Kluger, given their reputations as dynamic leaders in the full-size soft-roader segment.

The current Kluger has been roundly and rightly criticised in this department and their presence could be an indication Toyota is aware of the issue and attempting to fix it.

Certainly, both the Kluger and Territory were covered in dust, suggesting the Anglesea 4WD tracks had been getting some work.

The shot of the Kluger heading away down the freeway also emphasises its size. Those must be at least 19-inch wheels it is rolling on (the current Kluger offers 17s and 19s).

While difficult to really pick from the photography, our glimpses of the Kluger also showed off an exterior shape with definite links to the current generation, albeit more rounded in its side profile.

The more aggressive grille featured a row of slats crowned by a Toyota badge and cross bar. The front and rear screens also looked more raked than the current car.

So what do we know about plans for the next generation Kluger? Firstly, that it was the vehicle Toyota Australia boss Max Yasuda had hoped would form the basis of a third model line at the Altona plant.

But instead Toyota has confirmed our production sourcing would shift from Japan to Indiana in the USA with this new model, which is due to start production in the third quarter of 2013.

US media reports suggest the new Kluger – or Highlander as it is known there - will continue to be based on the Camry architecture and be powered by petrol four-cylinder and V6 engines and a petrol-electric hybrid.

In Australia, the current XU40 Kluger went on sale in 2007 and was updated in 2010. It is sold as five and seven-seater and with front and all-wheel drive, powered only by a 3.5-litre V6 engine mated to a five-speed auto.

Despite the Kluger’s age and lack of diesel option, it is riding high on the SUV boom with sales up 26.5 per cent year-on-year in Australia.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…