Toyota Kluger Black Edition 2019 pricing and specs confirmed

Toyota Australia has applied the special-edition treatment to its popular Kluger seven-seat large SUV, introducing a number of darkened exterior highlights that set it apart from the rest of the range.

Based on the volume-selling GXL mid-spec grade, the Black Edition is priced from $55,970 plus on-roads for the two-wheel-drive version and $59,970 for the AWD, representing a $1020 increase over its regular counterparts.

Justifying the price increase are a number of visual upgrades, starting with 19-inch gloss-black alloy rims wrapped in 245/55 rubber, steeping up from the GXL’s 18-inch hoops.

Other visual changes include black highlights on the roof rails, upper grille and body-coloured bumper, and smoked backplates for the headlights and lower side mouldings.

No changes have been made to the Kluger’s powerplant, namely a 3.5-litre V6 producing 218kW/350Nm and paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Fuel economy is rated at 9.1 litres per 100km for the front-drive version, up to 9.5L/100km for the AWD.

Standard features on the Kluger include three-zone climate control, power tailgate, keyless smart entry and start, 12-way power driver’s seat, 8.0-inch multimedia system with sat nav and digital radio, a 4.2-inch instrument cluster display, premium seat covers and trim, and rain-sensing wipers.

The Kluger also comes with standard active and passive safety equipment such as autonomous emergency braking, pre-collision safety system, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam, seven airbags, reversing camera, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert.

Toyota Australia vice-president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said the Black Edition sets itself apart from the rest of the Kluger range.

“Toyota Kluger customers now have another opportunity to distinguish themselves beyond the contemporary design, seven-seat space and handling performance that is synonymous with every Kluger,” he said.

In 2018, Toyota sold 14,743 examples of the Kluger, representing a 17.9 per cent lift over 2017 and enough to place it second in the large SUV segment behind its Prado stablemate.

Would you choose the Black Edition over the normal Kluger GXL? Tell us what you think in the comments below.