Hybrid A Sipper; Not A Slurper

Toyota Kluger

- Jez Spinks

Among Toyota’s myriad multi-seater options, the fourth-generation Kluger installs itself as the singular car-based choice for Aussie buyers more focused on crossing suburbs than going cross-country.

And a new, headline-making hybrid drivetrain combines with the imminent axing of the Prius V people-mover to establish the large SUV as the only petrol-electric Toyota with seven or more seats.

Toyota’s hybrid system is well overdue as an alternative to a V6 petrol that has powered the Kluger in Australia since its 2003 debut. It’s been available in the US, where it’s called Highlander, for a decade and a half.

Not that the omission has cruelled local sales. While Toyota Australia expects the hybrid to become the dominant drivetrain in a sales mix that includes the carry-over V6, the Kluger hasn’t been toppled since 2013 when it was outsold by the Ford Territory. Despite being consistently outsold by its 4WD Prado stablemate, the Kluger will pass 200,000 local sales with this latest model.

Pricing has gone up, however, across a range that again comprises GX, GXL and Grande trim grades. For a model that once started below $40,000, the Kluger now starts a bit higher than most of its direct rivals like the Kia Sorento. Priced from $47,650, Kluger’s higher grades now take the nameplate past $70,000 for the first time.

All three grades start as a front-wheel-drive V6, with a $4000 premium for all-wheel drive and a further $2500 for the AWD Hybrid.

The most affordable Hybrid is priced from $54,150, more than $17,000 higher than the entry-level petrol-electric RAV4. The range-topping Grande Hybrid will set buyers back more than $80,000 with on-road charges added.