Toyota Kluger KX-R 4x4 2008 Review

Road Test

RRP: $44,490
Price as tested: $46,990 (with seven-seat option)
Crash rating: not tested
Fuel: 91 RON, Petrol
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 11.0
CO2 emissions (g/km): 259
Also consider: Ford Territory (more here), Holden Captiva (more here), Hyundai Santa Fe (more here), Mazda CX-9 (more here).

About our ratings

Imagine the curses at Toyota's Sydney HQ back in 2004 when Ford released the Territory. Here was a car that not only undercut Toyota's relatively new Kluger model on price but also offered the option of a two-wheel-drive model and seven seats into the bargain. Just to really spoil the party, Ford's fossilised-but-grunty 4.0-litre six was installed in a package that was very refined, by the measure of most standards. How often does it happen that Ford dominates a market niche without leaving Toyota a look-in!?

It's now 2008. Territory has been consistently the top-selling medium SUV in the market since its original release, but Ford has rested on its laurels and Toyota hasn't. Enter the new 40 Series Kluger, addressing many of those issues the previous model had ducked, weaved and yet abjectly failed to avoid.

Toyota has introduced the Kluger with front-wheel drive (more here) as well as four-wheel drive, to appeal to a 'typical' SUV buyer that might be more interested in a vehicle for its ability to pack passengers and luggage -- and still look like an offroader -- than for its actual offroad competence.

Pricing is close to, but not quite better than, the Territory's and the third-row seat option is a relatively expensive one. Toyota is banking on buyers wanting a Toyota that will do what the Territory will do and will pay a little more. Conversely, Ford is banking on people wanting what the Territory will do, without it necessarily being a Toyota.

Both companies seem to have a point, since sales are pretty close and yet the Territory doesn't appear to have lost significant market share to the Toyota -- yet. Toyota argues that Kluger sales may pick up further next year when supply improves. We look forward to the contest with some interest.

To compete on an equal footing with the Territory, the new Kluger had to bring some new gear to the ring. That includes the 3.5-litre 201kW V6 that also powers the Aurion. This is a refined engine with decent levels of power and efficiency for its displacement, but it lacks the low down torque that one might require for even softroading.

On the beaten track -- as opposed to blacktop -- the V6 showed no shortage of power, but torque was noticeably absent until the engine approached 4000rpm. That said, for all but the more demanding offroad situations (the sort of situations where you wouldn't take a Kluger anyway!), the engine's output was up to the job.

In the defence of the Kluger, the test vehicle (a 4x4 Kluger KX-R with the option of the third-row seat) made up for its ultimate lack of torque with gearing -- specifically. the quite adept five-speed automatic with relatively low ratios in first and second to optimise the available horses. Be advised though, there's no dual-range transfer (true of its principal competitor also) and this is not the sort of vehicle that you would call upon to slog through deep mud or up and down punishing, rocky grades.

Still, we did experience the Kluger successfully backing out of trouble with one wheel off the deck during our test. The approach angle was just good enough to allow us to get into traction and articulation-related trouble in the first place. In fact, the Kluger's approach, departure and ramp-over angles are pretty decent for a softroad SUV (29.0, 24.0 and 17.0 degrees respectively). Furthermore, the ground clearance, at 206mm, is not bad for such a vehicle either.

In real life, the approach angle was good enough to avoid scraping the lower apron as the vehicle crawled into a moderately testing washaway. But owners will quickly discover that bush excursions in the Kluger will come at the cost of scratched paint and -- potentially -- dented panels. There's little protection for the Kluger's cosmetics.

On the road, handling and steering are both within the bounds of what you'd expect from a 'family' vehicle. Overall, the Kluger combines decent vehicle dynamics with a well tuned ride. For bump absorption and cornering, the Kluger takes the battle up to Ford's Territory.

Despite some criticms elsewhere we found the Toyota's handling consistent and safe. Steering actually encourages relatively harder driving on road and the Kluger feels like it could keep up with cars boasting a significantly lower centre of gravity.

Endowed with reasonable levels of on-road grip, the Kluger provides the moderately enthusiastic owner with a generally comfortable driving position to suit. Probably more importantly to many Kluger buyers, the seating leaves more than enough space for adult head and legroom.

There's loads of space and this leads passengers to conclude that the Kluger must be a very large car to drive. In fact, it's an easy car to drive and place on the road. From the driver's seat, the field of vision is very good and most drivers will almost feel endowed with extra-sensory perception -- it's so easy to park. And that's without resorting to the reversing camera fitted, although once the driver starts using the camera, it's possible to park literally millimetres away from another vehicle.

The view isn't quite so god-like off-road. It's less commanding when you're trying to watch out for the sort of obstructions that might cause vehicle damage or stop forward progress, but everything is relative and the Kluger is still ahead of many competitors.

The one area in which the Kluger falls short, however, is its styling. It's not brutally ugly, but proportions are odd. One of our readers described it as looking like a bloated Forester -- and frank assessment though that may be, we can concur.

Yet for all that, it's a vehicle with presence and solidity. The solidity contributes to the very quiet cabin. It's hard to pick whether there's more wind or road noise. Whichever way you split it, there's not much of either and as for the drivetrain, it's quiet when required, but actually sounds willing and pleasant at higher engine speeds.

Ergonomically, the Kluger is easy to operate. Everything is where it should be, other than the parking brake and the ignition lock barrel, tucked away out of sight under the steering wheel. In the past, Toyota has located the ignition lock in the dashboard and that's easier to find while groping in the dark, although we're not sure it's any safer if the car is involved in a collision.

The parking brake is a foot brake. It's easy enough to use, since pushing it down to the floor engages the brake and pushing it again releases the brake.

The KX-R's seat trim is something for nostalgia buffs. The general look and feel is reminiscent of locally-built Camrys from 1997. Although finished in a two-tone colour scheme (which looks a little dated), the interior seemed slightly on the cheap side generally. As against that, subtle use of chrome highlights helped lift the ambience.

Possibly the most outstanding aspect of the Kluger is its versatile interior. The third-row seat can easily fold flat, as can the second row too. The small mid-section of the second row can be removed altogether, converting from a 2½-seater to two-seater only. There's a removable tray, comprising cupholders and lidded storage bins stowed underneath the rear seat climate controls.

This tray, removed from its receptacle, can be placed between the two outboard seats in the second row, in lieu of the centre seat position, making the Kluger a four-seater with occasional six-seat accommodation or, by replacing the removable tray with the centre seat position module, a five-seater with occasional seven-seat accommodation.

The removeable centre seat position folds with the off-side seat section, in a 60 per cent splitfold. On the near side of the cabin, the remaining '40 per cent' seat section is the one best used for access to the third-row seat, since it slides forward and returns to its previous position.

With the third-row seat raised from the floor, there's not actually all that much room for luggage, which comes as a slight surprise in a vehicle as relatively large as this one.

To comment on this article click

 » Get the best price on a new Toyota Kluger