Toyota Kluger 2022: hybrid-powered SUV arriving in June to replicate RAV4 success

John Law

Contributor

Toyota has revealed the all-new Kluger for the Australian market, packing a must-have hybrid powertrain and plenty more standard kit.

The all-new 2022 Toyota Kluger has been detailed and priced from Australia starting from $47,650 (before on-road costs), with the first examples due to land in June 2021.

While the new car is all-new and utilises Toyota’s new global architecture (TNGA), the news getting Aussie families excited is the addition of a frugal hybrid powertrain to the range. That engine is available from $54,150 before on-road costs.

Toyota Kluger 2021 Snout — The new Kluger retains a familiar appearance, but with much better execution than the outgoing model.

Toyota will be hoping to replicate the successes of the RAV4 medium SUV with colossal customer demand likely for Kluger hybrid variants.

The new Kluger also looks plenty sharper than the vehicle it replaces, which had been on the market essentially unchanged since 2013 in Australia.

Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia vice president of marketing, said of the new car “the stylish new look, improved safety and high level of advanced technology makes the Kluger the perfect SUV for the modern family.”

Toyota Kluger 2021 Kid — The 2022 Kluger has grown in size to better accomodate the whole family.

Toyota’s new Kluger will go head-to-head with seven-seat SUVs, including the Hyundai Santa Fe and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. The Kluger will also face up against another hybrid competitor in the shape of the new Kia Sorento PHEV.

The choice to move to Toyota’s TNGA platform has allowed the Kluger to grow by 60mm in both length and wheelbase for more passenger space. Toyota has also developed a new multi-link suspension system at both the front and rear of the new Kluger.

Toyota has made the intelligent decision to offer plenty of choices, with buyers able to select from the petrol V6 with front or all-wheel-drive as well as the 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain across all grades.

Toyota Kluger 2021 Dreams — Toyota has exciting news for families, the new Kluger is available with a hybrid powertrain in every grade.

The 2.5-litre hybrid system in the Kluger boasts 184kW of combined power with a combination of the petrol motor, two electric motors up front and one driving the rear wheels. There is still no torque figure quoted, but our experience suggests it will be much more than the 242Nm available from the petrol motor alone.

Given the Kluger hybrid’s kerb weight of between 2,045-2,090kg, it isn’t a surprise that fuel economy doesn’t quite match the frugal RAV4. Toyota claims 5.6L/100km and CO2 emissions of 128g/km.

Just as in the RAV4 hybrid, the Kluger employs a CVT transmission to divvy up the power to all four wheels.

Toyota Kluger 2021 rear — However, those who don’t want the hybrid can still choose a petrol V6 with either front, or all-wheel drive.

The other drivetrain option is the 3.5-litre V6 with 218kW of power and 350Nm of torque. This is available in front or all-wheel drive ($3,730) configuration, naturally the fuel consumption claim climbs to 8.6L/100km.

The Kluger is available in three specifications with the same names as before; the Grande, GXL and base GX.

For $47,650 (before on-roads), the new entry-level Kluger is more handsomely specified but naturally costlier, representing a $2,800 increase.

Toyota Kluger 2021 Cabin — Inside the Kluger’s cabin is up-to-date, with plenty of details lifted from the smaller RAV4 SUV.

Inside there is a larger eight-inch touchscreen with DAB and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring, cloth seats with soft-touch interior materials, keyless entry, five USB ports, auto headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The base model’s active safety systems include adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, emergency steering assistance, seven airbags, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and AEB with pedestrian, cyclist, and junction functionality.

Moving up, the GXL sees synthetic leather-appointed seats with heating added as well as satellite navigation, three-zone climate control and the convenience of a power tailgate from $56,850 before on-roads costs.

Toyota Kluger 2021 Socials — The range-topping Grande benefits from 20-inch alloys and some extra plush cabin spec.

The price of the range-topping Grande starts from $68,900 with the V6 and front-wheel drive. Compared to the other grades, AWD Grande variants gain extra off-road capability thanks to a torque-vectoring rear differential.

Inside, the Grande scores a panoramic sunroof, 20-inch alloy wheels, 11-speaker JBL soundsystem, 360-degree monitor, leather-accented upholstery with front seat cooling, hands-free power tailgate and head-up display.