Kluger vs Prado vs RAV4

[ZedHust]

Hi Toyota Club, 

I am in a bit of strife with my decision making and would like some help.

I am a current Corolla owner looking to upsize my car. It's a 2006 model and I don't give a stuff about any tech, so reverse camera etc is not a requirement. Just more stuff to go wrong with the car IMO. 

What I do require is big boot space (for taking gear camping) and reliability + low maintenance costs. I do not require 7 seats. 

I am tossing up between the RAV, Kluger and Prado but not sure which is most reliable and will best suit my needs. 

Most of the time I'm city driving, 10% of the time I need a big boot for camping so fuel economy is also important for stop start and short trips. 

Budget is $20,000 so I will be buying a used vehicle.

Let me know your experiences and if your car has been reliable for you. Also let me know your model and year of your car and if it's been good to you.

Thanks in advance folks. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by ZedHust

[campbeam]

Something else to take into consideration is where you are most likely to go camping. That will help determine whether 2WD, AWD or 4WD is going to be most suitable.

Also who else is going to be in the vehicle with yourself when going camping.

Work colleague has a Kluger because he has a family and a large dog [malamute?].

For your budget, you should be able to get a decent RAV4 or Kluger from 2012on. Different story for the Prado which are more expensive.

[Kombi17]

Hi Zed. 

I've owned a Rav 4 in the past and currently own a Kluger 7 seater. Both were/are very reliable if properly maintained, my 10 years old Kluger has only let me down once in the last 4 years and that was a dead battery.

Obviously the Kluger will give you more boot space as it is a larger car and the V6 is fantastic for getaways out of the city. The Kluger does not like city driving! 🙂

I do 50/50 between freeway and city driving and mileage is approx 12L per 100km. If you were doing mostly city start/stop driving, you could expect this figure to creep up to 13 to 14+ litres. The Rav 4's fuel economy is better but not spectacular as it is a 4 cyclinder engine trying to move an suv around. 

I've never owned a Prado or proper 4wd but it seems like overkill if I were driving in the city 90% of the time.

 

 

 

 

[Speedz]

I would go the;

• Prado if you are good with tools because it will be a high mileage one BUT it's a proper 4x4, long range fuel tank standard unless you opt for the rear tyres under the chassis 
• Kluger at $20k you should be getting XU40, Gen 2 (face lift model) and KX-S trim, you don't really need Grande, if you thinking about light fire trail and gravel tracks then get the AWD, it's also the ONLY generation with permanent AWD not the crappy fake on demand AWD. But on the other hand it loves a drink in suburban traffic
• Rav4 if after a low mileage and smaller vehicle for suburban driving 

Both Kluger and Rav4 are really a soft roader and can't do anything outside a fire trail or gravel road.