Toyota Kluger Grande 2022 Review

As you’d hope given its flagship status, the 2022 Toyota Kluger Grande V6 AWD comes with a long list of standard equipment, though it’s worth a closer to look at just what the Grande gets you over cheaper variants.

Like all Kluger models, the Grande is available as a V6 2WD petrol (from $69,158 plus on-road costs), V6 AWD petrol as tested here (from $72,261) or an AWD Hybrid (from $75,700). In each case, the Grande asks a substantial premium of between $11,111 and $12,050 over the equivalent mid-spec GXL.

Our V6 AWD test car also adds premium paint ($675) and a rear entertainment system ($1500) for a grand(e?) total of $74,436 plus on-road costs.

Grande-specific equipment includes 20-inch wheels, projector LED headlights, memory power mirrors, powered tailgate with hands-free opening, panoramic glass roof, leather-accented seats, ventilated front seats, rear sun shades and ambient lighting, an 11-speaker JBL sound system, head-up display and 360-degree camera.

This is on top of GXL features such as tri-zone climate control, powered and heated front seats with power lumbar support, synthetic leather seats, a powered tailgate, roof rails and a 7.0-inch information display between the standard instruments.

The interior is a mixed bag, impressive in its size and scope but lacking the sense of quality and luxury you might expect in a vehicle costing around $80,000 (once on the road) – the smattering of wood/stone effect plastic isn’t particularly convincing.

A couple of useful cubby holes are incorporated into the dash in front of the passenger and under the central vents for odds ’n’ ends, but while the central storage compartment is an impressive size it works in a strange manner.

Rather than the whole lid folding up like in most vehicles, the top slides back like a sunroof, making it awkward to insert larger items in there.

The driving position is very good, the seats are very comfy with, as mentioned earlier, the option of heating or ventilation and the leather-wrapped wheel is nice to hold.

Space in the next two rows somewhat depends on the configuration of the adjustable middle row. With it slid all the way back there is a gargantuan amount of space; the back rest also reclines to a naptastic angle and combine this with separate rear temperature controls, a pair of USB-A inputs and that optional rear-seat entertainment screen and you have the ideal place to while away a long road trip.

Doing so does eliminate the usefulness of the third row, however. The lack of any child seat attachments in the rearmost row effectively limits it to older children, those old enough to have outgrown a car seat but young enough to fit in the space provided.

Thankfully, the Kluger is sufficiently commodious that with the centre row slid fully forward five children of the appropriate age – three in the centre row, two in the rear – should fit with few problems. Aside from elbowing each other going around corners.

With all three rows in place there is a moderate 241 litres of luggage space, enough to stash the cricket gear after practice or squeeze in some shopping, but this expands to a voluminous 552 litres with the third row folded.

Drop the middle row as well and there’s an enormous 1150L cavity that could swallow all manner of furniture if needed, yet a full-size spare wheel is still retained, located beneath the rear of the car.

The Kluger is covered by Toyota’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which includes seven years of coverage for the engine and driveline, while the first five services are capped at $250 with intervals of 12 months or 15,000km.

As a recently released family SUV, the 2022 Toyota Kluger Grande is packed with all the latest safety gizmos, though it must be said these are common to all Kluger variants.

Kudos to Toyota for including them across the range and not limiting certain features to high-spec models.

There are seven airbags littered throughout the first two rows and Toyota’s Safety Sense system includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, intersection turn assistance, emergency steering assist, adaptive cruise control that can slow for curves, lane keep assist with departure alert, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and road sign assist.

Helpfully, these systems aren’t too overzealous so the driver isn’t subjected to constant phantom beeps and interjections which reduces the likelihood that the assists will be deactivated through frustration.

A reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors is also standard, though the Grande adds a panoramic camera as well as a helpful head-up display to help keep eyes focused on the road ahead.

Currently, the Kluger’s technology offering is sub-par, a small 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen surrounded by small buttons that all looks a bit messy. This will change for MY23. The button layout more or less remains, becoming slightly more legible, but the screen swells in size to 12.3 inches which should make it much easier to use.

Toyota Connected Services will also be included across the range, an in-built data communication module able to offer automatic collision notification, SOS emergency calling and stolen vehicle tracking.

Overseas imagery also suggests the instrument cluster will become digital, though local information has not yet confirmed this.

This extra equipment would suggest it’s a no brainer to wait for the updated MY23 model, but be aware Toyota has not yet announced pricing so keep an eye on the carsales site for this news.

Choosing the right powertrain for the 2022 Toyota Kluger Grande should be a relatively simple affair, with a clear choice depending on the driving you primarily do.

The situation is made slightly more complex by the fact that the 3.5-litre V6 option will be discontinued for MY23 in favour of a new 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, but the findings will almost certainly carry over.

The V6 is a great engine, smooth and powerful. Its 218kW and 350Nm outputs wouldn’t be out of place in a much more performance-oriented vehicle, and while a large, naturally-aspirated engine in a heavy SUV has the potential for scary fuel consumption, neither its 8.8-8.9L/100km combined claim nor the circa-11L/100km we achieved in urban driving prompt too much concern.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of obvious conclusions to draw. If you do choose the V6 then it also makes sense to choose AWD. On paper the front-wheel drive is the pick, being fractionally more frugal (by 0.1L/100km), a little quicker to 100km/h (7.5sec vs 7.8sec) and a useful $3100 cheaper.

Attempting to put this amount of power through just the front wheels, however, is a tricky affair. Granted, in most circumstances it will be no issue, but there will be times – such as leaving a junction in a hurry, especially in the wet – where the security of all-wheel drive will pay dividends.

The other obvious conclusion to make is that if you spend the majority of your time driving in the city then the Kluger Hybrid makes more sense. Performance is still adequate and the efficiency benefits will only increase the heavier the traffic becomes.

Given the Kluger Hybrid’s claimed urban fuel consumption is almost half that of the V6 AWD (6L/100km vs 11.8L/100km), at $1.50/litre it would take only 40,000km to recoup the $3500 price premium, even taking into account the hybrid’s need for 95RON premium fuel.

If you live and drive in a more rural setting, the easy power of the V6 will be useful in overtaking manoeuvres, and on the open road the hybrid’s fuel consumption advantage shrinks to just 1.5L/100km.

We won’t drive the new turbo four-cylinder Kluger until it arrives locally in early 2023, but at this stage we’d expect the recommendations to be the same.

Maximum towing capacity for both drivetrains is 2000kg (braked).

Climbing behind the wheel of the 2022 Toyota Kluger Grande was illustrative for an unexpected reason. It was booked directly after spending some time in a number of Australia’s best-selling utes and it showed that as family transportation there really is no comparison.

Dual-cabs are obviously much more versatile, but in terms of on-road comfort, refinement and performance a conventional SUV really is far superior.

There’s not a whole lot to mention about the way the Kluger drives as it performs its role with a minimum of fuss.

Despite its size it doesn’t feel unwieldy or cumbersome, the steering is well-weighted and accurate, it’s quiet and the soft suspension provides a very absorbent ride.

It’s possible the suspension may be a touch too soft, as the degree of body movement fore-aft and side to side over a long journey may not agree with sensitive stomachs, but not being able to secure a carload of children for an interstate trip, that’ll have to remain a potential warning.

The only other observation is that the brakes need a fairly firm press but that’s something an owner would likely adjust to over time.

If you’re after a safe, comfortable and roomy large SUV to carry your family and others then there is plenty to commend the 2022 Toyota Kluger as it possesses all these attributes in abundance and so is a vehicle we’d certainly recommend.

There are a couple of caveats, however. The first is that, as long as Toyota doesn’t increase the price tag significantly, the updated MY23 Kluger is likely to be worth the wait, both for its updated technology and the fitment of the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which should match the performance of the 3.5-litre V6 but with better economy.

The second is that it’s the GXL, not the Grande, that stands out as the pick of the range. The flagship scores some nice convenience features but the GXL still has all the good stuff – heated seats, power tailgate, the new large infotainment screen – and the Kluger’s interior makes more sense at about $65,000 than nearing $80,000.

Stay tuned for our full reviews of the 2023 Toyota Kluger variants when they land.

How much does the 2022 Toyota Kluger Grande V6 AWD cost?
Price: $72,261 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 petrol
Output: 218kW/350Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 205g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2021)