Toyota Kluger 2003 review

The car world is heading for the biggest change since the rise of four-wheel-drives. You only have to look at the new Toyota Kluger, with its combination of tough styling, soft-roader cabin and comforts, to see what's happening.

It's called a crossover and it's the overdue development that's going to put style, safety, comfort and economy into vehicles that appeal to buyers who want a 4WD high-rider driving position and the promise of getaway grip at all four corners.

The Kluger isn't the first of the breed. The Lexus RX330 and the Honda MD-X arrived early this year.

But it's the start of a big shift that could eventually see the Kluger built at the Toyota factory at Altona.

Ford will also rock the crossover world next year with its Falcon-based Territory. Nissan has a newcomer called the Murano and Mitsubishi has its Murano.

Holden is also playing mix-and-match with its Adventra and Cross8.

So the crossover cars are coming and the Kluger proves they offer plenty for families.

The Kluger comes with five or seven seats in a body that won't have other mums and dads sniggering on the school pick-up run.

It combines the basic chassis of the Camry and the running gear of the Lexus RX with a body that's the same size as a LandCruiser Prado and styling that looks like a puffed-up Subaru Forester.

All of those vehicles are successful, which points to a good future for the Kluger.

Now, about the name: it should have been called Highlander in Australia, as it is in the US.

But Hyundai had already grabbed that badge, so local customers have been given the second-choice Kluger tag from Japan.

Mechanically, the car comes with a V6 engine set across the nose.

The five-speed automatic gearbox has permanent four-wheel-drive controlled by a viscous centre coupling and a limited-slip differential.

The suspension is fully independent and it has four-wheel disc brakes.

Toyota has done its usual thorough job, spreading the Kluger message through three models that run from five-seat basic to seven-seat luxury.

Prices range from $43,990 for the CV to $48,990 for the mid-level CVX and $58,990 for the Grande.

Toyota has also held the line well below the RX330 and the classy Honda MD-X, the toughest opponent for the mid-sized Lexus.

The starting price is line-ball with the Prado, which is a serious four-wheel-drive, and well above the $38,180 chosen by Subaru for its all-new car-style soft-road car, the Outback.

The rest of the Kluger's package runs from the inevitable alloy wheels, airconditioning and electric windows/mirrors to CD sound.

But Toyota says it has true car-style safety and is predicting at least a four-star NCAP crash-test rating.

It has a monocoque body, twin front airbags, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist on the four-wheel discs.

The tyres have been chosen with far more emphasis on bitumen grip than traction on sand or stones.

On the road

WE KNEW what to expect from the Kluger after our time with the Lexus RX330.

We were more than impressed by the Lexus, which converted us to the strengths of crossover cars in less than a day.

We had also tried and really liked the Honda MD-X.

The first few kilometres with the Kluger showed that Toyota has tightened the suspension settings, and toned down the luxury stuff from the Lexus. It stands a bit straighter in turns, rides bumps with less deflection, but doesn't have the fully-loaded look or feel of the RX.

We liked the ride and handling, which has a more sporty feel. That's probably not the right word for a 1700kg people mover with a centre of gravity that's still well above a Camry, but you get the idea.

The first few kilometres with the Kluger shows that Toyota has tightened the suspension settings and toned down the luxury stuff from the Lexus.

It stands a bit straighter in turns and rides bumps with less deflection, but it doesn't have the fully loaded look or feel of the RX.

We liked the ride and the handling, which has a more sporty feel. That's probably not the right word for a 1700kg people-mover with a centre of gravity that's still well above a Camry, but you get the idea.

It also brakes a bit better than the RX and, in the very mild off-road work we did, it seemed to keep its feet planted a bit better.

The soft-road ability of the Kluger should never be threatened by most owners, who will probably tackle only an occasional gravel road or a bit of sand at the edge of their favourite beach.

The 3.3-litre V6 pushes the Kluger along pretty well. Toyota claims a 0-100km/h sprint in 8.1 seconds.

You would have to be pushing right to the redline to get it to go that well, but it is a smooth performer that also manages a respectable 11.4 litres/100km at the pumps.

The gearbox is nothing special, without any super-quick Formula One change system, but it keeps the Kluger moving along well and has good kick-down response for overtaking.

Inside, the Kluger has everything you need for comfortable and relaxed family travel.

The dashboard design has a slightly 4WD flavour, but otherwise it is the usual Toyota job without the flair of the Lexus.

But it is a lot cheaper and still has CD sound, a trip computer and steering that's light and easy to use.

We also find the Kluger easy to park and our five-seat test car has plenty of luggage space.

We're not convinced it would be as huge a bundle of fun as a seven-seater, but the third-row seats do fold away to boost carrying capacity and it would be no worse than a lot of other full-family four-wheel-drives.

Where the Kluger should really score – and we didn't test this – is in safety.

It easily came through a full-scale crash test we saw in Japan last month and the more car-like dynamics will make it easier to brake or steer away from a problem.

So we like the Kluger and can see a lot of people choosing it when it comes to their next 4WD.

The new Toyota proves you don't have to drive a truck to get the benefits of a tough-looking people mover, and we reckon that's excellent news.

We're even happier that the Kluger is going to have a lot of rivals in coming years.

That should put a much-needed soft-roader slant into the four-wheel-drive world.