2011 Toyota Kluger Reviews

A reputation for build quality and reliability keeps the Kluger at the soft-roader summit New As the long-reigning king of the off-roaders with its LandCruiser, it was only natural that Toyota should also be a leader when the new breed of soft-roaders hit the market. Even if portrayed as vehicles for all climes and

Fact: Children grow. Fiction: Parents can "make do'' with a small hatchback.SUVs rule Australian roads for a good reason. Parents -- and singles needing space for leisure pursuits -- have picked up and run hard with prairie-size family-hauler wagons.The SUV umbrella covers different types, from front-wheel drive to seven-seat all-wheel-drives, diesel engines to hybrids, built anywhere between Australia and Slovakia. Sizes range from the compact (3.7m) four-seater Suzuki Jimny to the seven-seater (5.1m) Audi Q7. Prices go from the Chery J11's $17,990 drive-away to the Audi Q7 6.0TDI at $257,200.SUVs have a lot of metal and are in demand, so you'll find that new examples aren't cheap. A quality used model may be the best answer. The three models here are all-wheel drive automatics with seven seats. You will save some money by opting for five-seat versions but as buyer demand leans to seven-seat models this will, ultimately, buoy your resale value.You probably don't need AWD, so look at the cheaper to run front or rear-drive versions. The Toyota has a higher mileage and is older. Toyota's reputation is based on reliability and, therefore, better resale.The Hyundai is one of the better diesels for performance and economy. The Territory is good value and the Ghia example is the top-liner -- it's perhaps more suited to heavier loads. As always, these are examples of what's available and variations will occur. After this, we'll talk about how many children you want.(Search for hundreds more choices)HOT TIPSDiesels are our preference in big SUVs. If you don't go bush, don't worry about 4WD. Check that the third-row seats are in working order2010 Ford Territory Ghia AWDEngine: 4.0-litre 6-cyl petrolTransmission: 6-speed autoThirst: 12.2L/100kmCARSGUIDE SAYSAussie designed and built wagon is a sensible -- and popular -- family wagon that'll pull a decent load while having space for the family. Even the third-row seats will accommodate two adults. Fuel consumption isn't up to most rivals but the Territory has comparatively cheaper service, repair and insurance costs. The Ghia has all the fruit -- leather, electronic stability control, six airbags, premium audio and DVD, rear camera and 18-inch alloys -- at a price that is about $20,000 less than new. 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander AWD Engine: 2.2-litre 4-cyl turbo dieselTransmission: 6-speed autoThirst: 7.5L/100kmCARSGUIDE SAYSThis is almost a new car though it precedes the latest Santa Fe. It's possible to get the new 2012 shape for roughly the same price but the equipment level may be compromised. This 2011 example appears to be barely used and has the lauded 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine that has plenty of urge yet miserly fuel consumption. It's also the top-line model Highlander that in addition to the seven seats -- also able to seat seven adults -- gets dual-zone climate control airconditioning, six airbags and stability control, Bluetooth with iPod connect, sunroof and leather upholstery.2010 Toyota Kluger KX-S AWDEngine:3.5-litre V6 petrolTransmission: 5-speed autoThirst: 11.0L/100kmCARSGUIDE SAYSSilly name but the package works. Kluger's pricing may be more than some rivals but resale is generally higher, as is demand. The KX-S is the mid-spec model and gets a good blend of features including rear airconditioning, 19-inch alloys, reverse camera, leather upholstery and six airbags with electronic stability control. Klugers have a very versatile seat arrangement that includes a removable centre in the second-row seats for a six-occupant cabin that also gives a walk-through function. Fuel economy is average though performance is brisk.

The car of the future is surprisingly normal. It still looks like a car - in this case, a Toyota Kluger - and it still has all the normal stuff you expect to find in a car, from the steering wheel to the aircon and sound system.But you don't have to dig too deeply to discover that the Toyota FCHV - advanced is very un-normal. For a start, the only thing that comes out the exhaust pipe is water. And you fill it up with hydrogen, not petrol. That's because the FCHV is a fuel cell car that makes onboard electricity that is used to turn an electric motor that spins the wheels. It also has a battery to store energy from the fuel cell 'stack'.It sounds simple and it is. Honda has had a similar future car on the road for more than 18 months, although only a handful are actually running in Japan and the USA in what amounts to a real-world labratory experiment. The FCHV is also a lab rat and, just like the Honda Clarity - which Carsguide first drove when it was still called the FCX fuel cell concept and there were only two cars - it is doing most of its work on the roads of Los Angeles, conveniently close to Toyota's advanced US research base.Carsguide has arrived for a quick preview drive, actually a refresher after an early tease two years ago, and to learn how things are going with the long-term plan to electrify motoring. "We're two years closer," jokes fuel cell development boss Craig Scott as we sit in what looks like a regulation Shell service station in the suburb of Torrance. Except there is no cash register, no sign of Red Bull or Tim Tams, and the only fuel coming out of the pumps is hydrogen.VALUEThe HFCV is a prototype and that means it would probably cost around $2 million to build a copy. But costs are coming down fast and Scott says the price of the fuel cell 'stack' - a combination of 400 individual cells that looks a little like a battery - is now one-hundredth of the price when development began."The target is $50,000 for a production vehicle," says Scott. Best of all, he is crunching running costs as the Fuel Cell Hydrogen Vehicle is refueled. "There are two ways of calculating the numbers, with tanked hydrogen or hydrogen from a pipeline. Right now this is the only piped station in the USA," Scott says. "If you look at the energy in the tanks compared to gasoline, we're getting about 5.4 litres/100km and that's about double the fuel economy of the petrol model. And the price of hydrogen is about one- fifth the cost of gasoline."So that means the HFCV is currently 10 times cheaper to run than a V6- powered Toyota Kluger. But that's before governments get involved with the inevitable energy taxes ... And there is another problem in using hydrogen for transport. "You cannot sell hydrogen legally for vehicle at the moment because there is no measurement, although we talk in terms of kilograms of fuel," says Scott.TECHNOLOGYAt its simplest, the FCHV is a Kluger with the running gear from a Prius and a fuel cell stack replacing the petrol engine. But that's a very simplistic way of looking at a car that's at the cutting edge of hydrogen power. The computer control systems are massively expensive and even the fuel tanks - designed to carry hydrogen at 10,000 pounds-per-square-inch of pressure, are aluminium wrapped around a complex plastic base. The FCHV has also been beefed-up to support the fuel tanks that sit below the floor and the technology is always changing as improvements come online. "Fuel cell stacks used to cost $2-3000 per kiloWatt hour. We need to get that down closer to $100 to make hydrogen power workable," says Scott.DESIGNThere is nothing remotely special about the FCHV. Even the giant graphics splashed down the side look as if they were done by an engineer, not a designer. But the Kluger does the job and that's the most important thing about its design. It has plenty of space for hydrogen tanks and there are no visible changes to either the external or internal design of the original Kluger. It would be good to see something more George Jetson, like the original Honda FCX, but that's not the Toyota way. Boring but effective works.SAFETYToyota has deliberately expanded its FCHV fleet in the past year to get more real-world experience - including crashes. And, no surprise, its evaluation drivers in New York have delivered."We've had three accidents this year, including two rear-enders. Everyone has walked away," says Scott. "That's great and we actually wanted to see how the car would perform. There are no hidden bugs." Of course, he's talking about the hydrogen tanks, which are the biggest worry. Otherwise, the Kluger is much as it originally came from the factory and the original is a five-star ANCAP car since 2008.DRIVINGAfter driving a bunch of electric cars over the past five years, there is nothing surprising in the FCHV. You turn the key and nothing happens, at least that you can see or hear, beyond a few dashboard lights. But, like the Prius, once it's lit you can push and go on the accelerator pedal. The FCHV feels more ponderous than a regular Kluger, which is not exactly the most nimble car, thanks mostly to the bulk of the tanks.It also rides lower in the rear, which could be the tanks or the members of the video crew who have joined Carsguide for the day. But heading into the Torrance traffic it gets along well, seems quiet and cushy, and the aircon works fine enough. It's no fireball, and there is no chance to push through corners or try and panic stop, but it is still a lab rat on a relatively short lead.It definitely provides a window with a clear view to the potential future of motoring, and that picture is fairly crisp, colourful and exciting. Now all we need is somewhere beyond a BOC Gases base to get the hydrogen in Australia.VERDICTThe FCHV is not for everyone, but for anyone who wants to taste the future it has a recipe that beats a Masterchef contestant. It's not the nicest drive, but that's no different to a petrol-powered Kluger. What it shows is that the world's biggest carmaker is committed to an electric car future, and one that stretches well beyond the Prius.TOYOTA FCHVPrice: Not for saleWarranty: NoneResale: Not for resaleService interval: OftenSafety: Claimed 5-star ANCAPEngine: fuel cell stack, 90kW; permanent magnet electric motor, 90kW/ 260NmBody: Five-door wagonWeight: 1880kgTransmission: Front-wheel driveFuel: high-pressure hydrogenTank: 156 litresRange: approximately 860kmTop speed: 155km/h.

I'd forgotten just how toey the Kluger is. With 200 "killer wasps" under the bonnet, it certainly gets mobile and gets mobile quickly. The trade-off unfortunately is higher fuel consumption, because Kluger has a reputation for knocking it back, given its head.Launched here in 2003 this is the second generation and is much larger and more powerful than before. Toyota upgraded the mid-sized softroad wagon in November, in the face of stiff competition and sliding sales, with price cuts but the addition of extra kit at the same time.Available in two and four-wheel drive configuration, with seating for five or seven people, Kluger is in many ways the ideal family wagon.VALUEOur test vehicle the mid range KX-S is priced from $50,990, or $4500 less than the all-wheel drive version.The revised range includes a revamped exterior with a new bonnet, grille, bumpers, front fenders, headlamps, taillights and door mouldings. Inside, Kluger has revised centre-dash register colour for all grades and increased seating flexibility for seven-seat versions with a 50:50 split-fold backrest for the third-row seat. Puddle lamps have also been added to the exterior mirrors.The seven seat KX-S is $500 cheaper but now gets perforated leather-accented trim on the first and second-row seats, and chrome finish on the roof rails. It also has an improved audio display screen and USB input for its six-disc CD MP3 audio unit.Our test vehicle has plenty of interior room, a good sized luggage area and will take most dirt tracks and beach access roads in its stride, which is generally the only off-roading that most people want to do.TECHNOLOGYOfficially, the mid-sized softroader is good for 11.0 litres/100km, but in reality it tends to use more than this. We were getting 12.5 litres/100km during testing, but in the past we've seen 14.5. At first we thought this might have been because this particular model is front wheel drive only, but the all-wheel drive spends most of its time in front-wheel drive and Toyota quotes the same 11.0 litres/100km for both wagons anyway.With 201kW of power at 6200 revs 337Nm of torque at 4700 revs, Kluger has a tow rating of 2000kg. With seven airbags and a full complement of safety systems, Kluger has a five-star safety rating and receives a three-star rating from the Movement’s Green Guide.VERDICTIf you don't mind paying for the fuel, then Kluger is sure to hit the spot.TOYOTA KLUGER KXS 2WDPrice: from $50,990Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmEngine: 3.5-litre V6 engine, 201kW/337NmBody: SUVTransmission: 5-speed automatic, two-wheel driveThirst: 11.0L/100km