ne of Australia’s best-loved family SUVs, the Toyota Kluger, has gained a multitude of improvements to safety, technology and performance for its arrival in local showrooms this month.
Priced from $49,720 plus on-road costs for the GX 2WD petrol, the updated Kluger features a new 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that replaces the existing 3.5-litre V6 on all non-hybrid grades.
The upgrades demonstrate Toyota’s dedication to continually improving its products, says Sean Hanley, Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations.
“Since launching last year, the new-generation Kluger has been a hit with Australians wanting the perfect family SUV,’’ Mr Hanley said.
“Now with an upgraded multimedia system, new Connected Services functionality and the torquey turbo petrol engine providing improved driveability, the Kluger will be even more appealing,” he said.
The new turbocharged powertrain produces a maximum power of 198kW and a strong 420Nm of torque, marking a 70Nm improvement over the V6 it replaces.
Peak torque is also developed from just 1700rpm – 3000rpm lower than the V6 – through to 3600rpm, offering smooth and effortless driving characteristics while improving fuel consumption by up to 0.4l/100km with the GX/GXL 2WD petrol now using 8.3l/100km on the combined cycle fuel test.
The T24A-FTS has been fine-tuned by engineers with a long stroke and optimised injection to maximise output, while an electronically controlled, fully variable displacement oil pump ensures finely controlled oil pressure and volume.
A coolant control valve has been adopted to precisely control coolant flow rate, while the turbocharger and intercooler gain a unique cooling system, independent from the engine cooling system.
The highly efficient turbocharger has been constructed to offer strong responsiveness, low noise and reduced emissions.
Mated to the new turbocharged engine is an eight-speed automatic transmission, geared for strong start-off performance and low-rpm highway cruising.
The new 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine is available with the choice of front- or all-wheel drive, joining the existing 2.5-litre AWD hybrid powertrain offering in the Kluger line-up.
Along with the new powertrain options, the Kluger range also gains the latest Toyota multimedia system, with all variants also gaining larger multimedia or Multi Information Display (MID) screen sizes.
The new multimedia system offers simple and natural navigation with a set of shortcut buttons along the side of the screen, and information easily projected onto two other easy-to-read tiles.
