i just picked up my kluger

[matt_kluger]

Hello all

I'm Matt from Canberra. I just picked up a second hand kluger (black) cvx 2005 model with 50,000kms. I'm so happy with it, except for all the scratches :( but its so nice other than that.

I'm 23 so i'm getting a lot of funny looks from ppl as i drive around - yes 23 yr old guys do buy soccer mum SUVs hehe.

Why did i buy the kluger - well its good to have lots of seats when carting friends around and also the engine was a huge selling point. Obviously Toyota as a brand has the reliability reputation so that was also a plus. Although i like the new shape kluger, i'm really happy to be gen 1 owner.

Why did you all choose your kluger over other models/brands?

Cheers

Matt

[1stKill]

Welcome to the club Matt,dont own a Kluger but there are a few of em on this forum.p.s gettin cold yet? i used to call on Canberra when i was a rep,got real cold sometimes.(freakin snowy icey cold)but ya have some of the smoothest & widest roads in Australia with lots of roundabouts and lots of fun. :)

[Kesawi]

I had a 2004 Subaru Forester to start with, and compared and test drove a Mitsubishi Outlander, Subaru Forester, Ford Territory, Mazda CX9 and Toyota Prado before settling on the Kluger KX-S.

Good fuel economy (much better than a Territory or CX-9)

Lot's of space for the kids

Didn't want to pay an extra $10,000-$15,000 for a Prado (especially as I wanted leather seats which are only available from the VX on)

Preferred the split tail gate compared with the side hinged tail gate of the Prado. I was concerned about being able to get into the back if someone had parked too close behind me.

Preferred the way the 3rd row seats were stowed compared to the Prado. I keep them stowed 95% of the time and the seats in the Prado take up too much space in the back when stowed.

Wanted rear air conditioning.

Wanted full length side curtain airbags.

Good performance and handling.

Liked the looks.

Removable centre seat in middle row so the kids could stash more stuff.

Was happy to sacrifice 4WD ability as I don't go off road that much.

The Mitsubishi Outlander just felt to plastic and cheap. It was also the same size as the Forester with a third row of seats stuck in the back. I don't think even the kids would have been able to fit for a reasonable length journey.

Liked the new Subaru Forester but it wasn't big enough to fit all the crap we normally take when we go away (It was the main reason I was upgrading).

On balance it gave the best combination of features and options for the price (Both the CX9 and Territory were $5000 more when I pimped them up).

It may be mistaken for a soccer mum SUV, but it has a beast of an engine under the hood which suprises those same people who give you funny looks when you unleash it. Have seen a number of suprised faces from people in SS commodores when it takes off far quicker than they're expecting

Edited April 20, 2009 by Kesawi

[MarkMish]

hi!!! welcome to tocau!!

congrats on your purchase!!

we bought the kluger cause after driving a toyota spacia for 5 years i never wanted to drive another van again also the van struggled to tow our boat we had at the time. the kluger towed it no worries including a car we towed from woolongong to sydney without issues

we thought it would be big enough for our growing family.....happened it wasn't. my eldest son is now 10 and his legs we rubbing on the 3rd row seat....would have to sit sideways when in the 3rd row......which lead to many arguments with all the kids on who was gonna sit in that 3rd row.

it's an awesome car if u don't have 4 kids like us :D

never had any issues with it the whole time we had it......the only thing i hated in it was the leather...after owning a sportivo corolla and the cvx kluger both leather will never buy another leather car again.....way to hot on ur bum in summer and freezing in winter :D unless u have the lexus which has the warming seats hehehe

all though is personal preference.....

i hope u enjoy yours as much as we did.

take care!!! and hope u can join us on some events during the year :D would be good to have more variety of toyota models at them :D

[FGG]

I picked up my KX-S last week and I love it. Its the first SUV I've owned and it came with heated leather seats. I boughht mine becuase we want to do a bit of light off-roading as well as go to the snow. Also potentially we could be carting 4 kids around at any one time so we needed a 7 seater and didn't want to drive a bus.

I test drove the CX-9 and found the steering was too light and looked more like a glorified station wagon. The Kluger felt more like a AWD drive should feel plus with everything that I wanted it would have been more expensive

[PC XT]

To play with the button on the auto tail gate! :D

[sunita]

Hi Matt,

I just bought a kx-r crystal pearl colour. The main reason was to carry a lot of gear that wouldnt fit into my old 95 suby lib wag and the suby as getting a bit long in the tooth ( and I didnt want a gutless van).This is the first new car and first Toyota i've owned (im 40) and yes, I was paid out no end and called a soccer mum( i dont even have kids), but now that my friends have seen the car in flesh, they think it's pretty cool cos its muscular and tuff looking! Gotta say I luuuvv the V6 too. All the reviews I read were very good except for tyre wear and when I took one for a test drive I was sold straight away. Fuel economy is great (between 9.8-11.3 so far).

[Turkey Galoot]

Bought a 1-yr old KX-R Graphite AWD 7-seater about 2 months ago. Why did I buy it? Our Tarago van was 11 yrs old, 4 kids growing up, oldest one driving and another learning, less of a need for all 6 of us to go out together, wanted something more powerful and solid that won't rattle to pieces on the occasional unsealed road. The Kluger is so quiet! We find the fuel economy is the same around town as the Tarago, better on long trips and the difference in power is incredible.

Of course not as much luggage space as the Tarago, so looking at getting a roof box. I'm also trying to work out the best way to improve the headlights for night time country driving, don't have a nudge bar so spotlights are not really an option, and there seem to be mixed reviews about the increase in brightness achieved by using Philips X-treme bulbs.

Ken.

[Toyopet]

Hello all,

I bought the Kluger just over a month ago. Because my wife told me to - and she's the boss! :D

The main reasons were:

- Our old Avensis Ultima people mover was getting on in years and km's

- A people mover or wagon in the family is always handy in addition to the sedan

- Toyota reliability. We had a great run with the Avensis and other Toyotas I've had over the years

- Our kids are getting bigger and the "captain's seats" in the second row (with centre seat removed) were a big attraction for them

We almost went for the new Audi Q5, but the back seat was too cramped for the kids

- Relatively good fuel consumption on the Klugers, supposedly better than a commodore

- Quiet and comfortable

- User friendly. Things are where you expect them to be and you don't need to refer to the owner's manual too much

Just wish I'd bought it a year earlier to get more enjoyment out of it.

[Glug]

Safty, size, space inside, fuel ecc, features, price, ok off road - others in the mix were the CX9, territory, tribecca

[Willem]

I bought a 2004 CVX kluger, as it is easy for my aging parents to get in and out of after being involved in a head on smash recently. I wanted a 4WD and compromised by getting a AWD. I was looking at a Nissen Xtrail, but there was not much leg room in the back for my parents and the boot space as to small for the weekly shopping, and a Pajero was to high to get in and out of.

[blink_me192]

Hello all

I'm Matt from Canberra. I just picked up a second hand kluger (black) cvx 2005 model with 50,000kms. I'm so happy with it, except for all the scratches :( but its so nice other than that.

I'm 23 so i'm getting a lot of funny looks from ppl as i drive around - yes 23 yr old guys do buy soccer mum SUVs hehe.

Why did i buy the kluger - well its good to have lots of seats when carting friends around and also the engine was a huge selling point. Obviously Toyota as a brand has the reliability reputation so that was also a plus. Although i like the new shape kluger, i'm really happy to be gen 1 owner.

Why did you all choose your kluger over other models/brands?

Cheers

Matt

Hey Matt lol, don't worry im 20 and whenever im home i drive around in i guess a soccer mum SUV as well. (Can u call the CX9 that? most people just refer to it as a boat >.<)

To be honest, when we were going to buy, the Kluger wasn't on our list surprisingly. We looked at the Tribeca, CX9, Santa Fe, Captiva, and went straight to the prado and LC200 at the toyota dealer. Ended up with the CX9, as it was the nicest looking (in our opinion), nicest one to drive, powerful, roomy, and the interior just felt better designed and put together.

We still feel it was the best choice, but my parents always joke about how we should've got the Prado as we wouldn't have to park a kilometer away from shopping centres etc, as it just seems like everything on the road wants to ding it (No protective body side mouldings, towbar or bullbar/nudgebar). haha.

I see a few 2nd gen KXS & Grande klugers driving around, and they look nice. I like the rims on them. I've been in one, but never driven it. I still like the CX9 better though. :-P im just a bit envious of the better fuel consumption and faster 0-100 times of the Kluger though.

[alpine_vs_sportivo]

Safty, size, space inside, fuel ecc, features, price, ok off road - others in the mix were the CX9, territory, tribecca

ROFLMAO, clearly u hav not pulled one apart before or seen one apart, but.... they are stronger then a prado (which isnt hard...).

[Snowy68]

Only have 2 kids, but eldest has twins as friends, so needed 7 seats to fit everyone in when taking kids' mates places.

Looked at Territory and also people movers. Wife said she would not drive a people mover, and we liked the fuel economy and performance of the Kluger. Plus it looks great. Kids love it.

Also wanted AWD for when we head to the snow and that extra safety factor.

[Chong-kee]

Only have 2 kids, but eldest has twins as friends, so needed 7 seats to fit everyone in when taking kids' mates places.

Looked at Territory and also people movers. Wife said she would not drive a people mover, and we liked the fuel economy and performance of the Kluger. Plus it looks great. Kids love it.

Also wanted AWD for when we head to the snow and that extra safety factor.

Hello All, I'm new here. We're getting our Kluger (KX-R AWD 7 Seat) this Sep. So excited to drive it. Reason? My old Camry looks cramped with wife and son and 2 Shar-peis on board B).

[ToXiCFiSH79]

We're getting our new AWD Grande tomorrow and there were a few reasons why i chose the Kluger over it's competitors;

1) [i read this on the net somewhere, but it sums up my feeling for me] - The CX9 feels like i'm driving an Armani suit, the Kluger felt like a comfy pair of jeans.

2) It has the space i need for work, with the ability to be a Designated Driver taxi for our family/friends

3) It has the features i need, with a few more i want (except for the Nav/Bluetooth lockout while moving)

4) Again, i just feel comfortable in it, i have owned Hilux's, Surfs etc so i am comfortable with the toyo's, the next closest competitor was the CX9, and although i much prefer its leather appointment, memory seating etc, i just couldn't find myself calling it "home" (i spend alot of time on the road). It made me feel like an imposing Euro Wa#$#r for some reason, i loved the car, but i was more at ease in the Kluger...

5) After having utilised fords for company cars, i wouldn't want to spend a single cent of my own money on one (there goes the territory, hahahaha)

6) It can tow our boat :-)