Close to getting my first Kluger

[atari the man]

Hello Forum Members,

Well the time has come to trade in my old Commodore Wagon VT 2000

I have been seriously considering a new Kluger Altitude in Black.

I have spoken to some dealers and they wont move on pricing.

Regardless I must ask some advice and questions to you guys and gals.

I was 99% ready to purchase a New Mazda CX-7 tomorrow ( Monday). Great price and features except one thing.

I decided to review the CX-7 online and found every website review commented on its very poor fuel economy.

After speaking with CX-7 owners whom all commented its a great car but the fuel is a major let down.

What fuel economy are you guys getting in the real world?

Basically my work involves me catching up with clientele on a daya to day basis so each trip to a client would be in the realms of short 10-20km trips.

Whats the Kluger like for around town driving.........

I dont go in highways as much unless i take the wife and kids on holidays so most of the use will be town driving.

The cx-7 gave me the jitters on fuel being guzzled beyond belief....is the Kluger much better?

What prices should i be looking from dealers?

i dont want to kx-r as it seems too plain on features, therfore the altitude is appealing.

I have always been a Holden man so be gentle with me i am a virgin to Toyotas.

I dont want a sedan as i need room in the back for items and thus my decision to get an SUV style vehicle.

Thanks

Alex

Wagga Wagga

[Iwantone]

Welcome....

I have a KX-R AWD. Most of my trips are 5-10 minutes of stop start traffic. My fuel economy sits around 13-14 ltrs. As soon as I get a good run (ie 10km of 80km/h) this drops to around 12ltr per 100km. Yesterday I did a trip to the city via the freeway (40km each way) and it dropped again to 10.2lt per 100km. On a long trip on open roads we sit around 9-10ltr. My husband gets better economy that I do as he uses the sports shift whereas I tend to put the car in drive and go. Not sure what the Mazda does but I feel the Kluger is pretty good for the size/type of car it is.

The Altitude looks great. I too upgraded from a Commodore wagon (1994) and as nice as the new sportswagons look, I have no regrets changing to a Kluger.

There are a couple of older posts on economy here so have a look around for more info.

Good luck

[atari the man]

Hi Sincere thanks for the reply.

Yes the new sportswagons look nice but i wont go back to holden as we purchased a 2007 VE with heaps of electrical bugs and holden wont come to the party so sorry holden you can keep your wagons

I would probably settle for the 2WD

I was considering the KX-R but the 17" alloys didnt appeal to me.

Thanks again

Edited March 29, 2009 by atari the man

[Speedz]

would try to get the AWD since its a 2 ton SUV...

having a AWD even though in urban traffic is more reassuring especially in the wet...

[Blackkluger]

If u want go economy, go for front wheel drive model, if you want the extra safety, go for awd.

I average around 15-16l but thats mainly the school trip and the wife drives 90% of the short trips,. yes it drops on hwy but you wont get anywhere near the commodores fuel economy. I guess it depends how you drive as well.

[Kesawi]

My fuel economy is the same as has already been reported.

I enjoy having the AWD combined with the 3.6L engine, great for wet weather driving, taking off at the lights and hill starts.

Don't forget the 19" alloys leave you with no choice for tyres other than the Bridgestones and they are very expensive.

[Iwantone]

I agree that AWD is great especially in the wet. My old Commodore was terrible, the slightest bit of water on the road and taking off was a nightmare. I have never once had any trouble in the Kluger.

I guess you just get use to it but I am much happier knowing I can take off on a wet road without any trouble, especially as the car is FWD .

My sister has a VZ wagon and her economy if not that much better than mine around town and is the same on long trips.

I actually prefer the 17" wheels to the 19" on the Altitude but the DVD player would be nice :-P

[Kesawi]

I agree that AWD is great especially in the wet. My old Commodore was terrible, the slightest bit of water on the road and taking off was a nightmare. I have never once had any trouble in the Kluger.

I guess you just get use to it but I am much happier knowing I can take off on a wet road without any trouble, especially as the car is FWD .

My sister has a VZ wagon and her economy if not that much better than mine around town and is the same on long trips.

I actually prefer the 17" wheels to the 19" on the Altitude but the DVD player would be nice :-P

I've been having a lot of fun with V8 commodore and falcon drivers recently around Brisbane in the wet. They pull up at an extra lane at traffic lights expecting to get past before the lanes merge again and I leave them for dead while their backend is sliding all over the place. The look of shock on their faces of been blown away by an SUV is priceless (Although my missess always shakes her head at me)

If you want a roof mount DVD player, go for an Alpine PKG-RSE2 as they are much better than the standard Toyota unit. They are an extremely slimm unit, and only obstruct the top half of the view in the rear view mirror, plus they come with interior lights that are much better than the dim standard ones installed. I can post pictures of the install in my KX-S if anyone would like to see how it looks. The screen is also a true 16:9 aspect ratio and comes with two auxiliary inputs (one externally mounted) so you can install a TV tuner (if that's what you want) and hook up an IPOD, video camera, or anything with an RCA output.

[Snowy68]

I have the KX-R AWD. Am getting between 12 and 13 l/100 for shorts runs (less than 10km). Anything over 10km, fuel economy is around 11 l/100. Just went to Dubbo and back with a full car and averaged 10l/100 even with Blue Mountain's traffic on a Sunday afternoon. :)

Kesawi, would like to see pics of DVD unit.

Thanks,

Snowy

[tyran]

I am also in the planning stage to purchase a Kluger. I have decided on the Altitude FWD KX-R until reading many posts here about the usefulness of the AWD version. Now I am not so sure ! My driving is all suburban & free way, with the annual ski trip in winter. I figure that I wouldn't need AWD for the snow given I would have to carry chains anyway, as I have been doing with my X-Trail. I don't mind too much about the occasional wheel slips at traffic lights with the FWD version.

Frankly I haven't noticed much the benefit of AWD in my X-Trail in the past few years, even in the wet. But as the Kluger is a much bigger beast, does AWD make a big difference?

As my budget is constrained, I have to give up on the extra accessories of the FWD Altitude for the vanilla AWD KX-R. I'm sure my kids will pay more attention to the rear DVD & sun roof than whether the thing runs on 2 or 4 wheels.

Also is May or June a good time to buy as the end of financial year is near? I would like to drive one away by the July school holidays, just in time for the skiing season.

Your help is appreciated.

[Kesawi]

Kesawi, would like to see pics of DVD unit.

Thanks,

Snowy

See pictures below:

From L-R:

• View from 2nd row with unit interior light on.
  
• Unit stowed.
  
• Screen down
  
• View through rear view mirror with screen down (note I'm 6'4 so if you're shorter you should get less obstruction).
  
• Screen down from front (the flip door on the left is the axillary input. There is also an additional input on top to hard wire another source).
  
• Screen down from front
  

The colour doesn't match the roof trim but that is not an issue for me. The unit is quite slim when compared to the Toyota version (see below) and also has a wider screen (10.2 vs 9). It is also not very noticeable from the outside of the car when it is stowed, which is what I prefer.

Overall I'm very happy with the Alpine unit.

[Kesawi]

I am also in the planning stage to purchase a Kluger. I have decided on the Altitude FWD KX-R until reading many posts here about the usefulness of the AWD version. Now I am not so sure ! My driving is all suburban & free way, with the annual ski trip in winter. I figure that I wouldn't need AWD for the snow given I would have to carry chains anyway, as I have been doing with my X-Trail. I don't mind too much about the occasional wheel slips at traffic lights with the FWD version.

Tyran,

There is a lot of discussion on the Toyota Nation forum in relation to the Kluger's performance in snow. I suggest you browse around there and read some of the posts.

[Mikeyboy]

I am also in the planning stage to purchase a Kluger. I have decided on the Altitude FWD KX-R until reading many posts here about the usefulness of the AWD version. Now I am not so sure ! My driving is all suburban & free way, with the annual ski trip in winter. I figure that I wouldn't need AWD for the snow given I would have to carry chains anyway, as I have been doing with my X-Trail. I don't mind too much about the occasional wheel slips at traffic lights with the FWD version.

Frankly I haven't noticed much the benefit of AWD in my X-Trail in the past few years, even in the wet. But as the Kluger is a much bigger beast, does AWD make a big difference?

As my budget is constrained, I have to give up on the extra accessories of the FWD Altitude for the vanilla AWD KX-R. I'm sure my kids will pay more attention to the rear DVD & sun roof than whether the thing runs on 2 or 4 wheels.

Also is May or June a good time to buy as the end of financial year is near? I would like to drive one away by the July school holidays, just in time for the skiing season.

Your help is appreciated.

There is a big advantage having AWD as opposed to FWD in the Kluger. Even in the dry, I need to be gentle taking off in my FWD KX-R, otherwise a lot of noise and smoke will be the result. In my AWD Grande, I can use as much power as I want. Ultimately, the FWD KX-R is much quicker, but you need to control it. In the wet the TC actually works better. 200kW is a lot for a FWD vehicle.

I would also think that if you are going anywhere near snow, or wet mountain roads, there would be only the choice of AWD.

The moon roof may be nice to have, but the roof is lower and the conversation mirror obstructs rear view. There are also plenty of better aftermarket overhead DVD players than the Toyota unit.

If you are looking at this from a price perspective, you are better off with 17" wheels over the 19" wheels when it is time to change tyres.

[tyran]

There is a big advantage having AWD as opposed to FWD in the Kluger. Even in the dry, I need to be gentle taking off in my FWD KX-R, otherwise a lot of noise and smoke will be the result. In my AWD Grande, I can use as much power as I want. Ultimately, the FWD KX-R is much quicker, but you need to control it. In the wet the TC actually works better. 200kW is a lot for a FWD vehicle.

I would also think that if you are going anywhere near snow, or wet mountain roads, there would be only the choice of AWD.

The moon roof may be nice to have, but the roof is lower and the conversation mirror obstructs rear view. There are also plenty of better aftermarket overhead DVD players than the Toyota unit.

If you are looking at this from a price perspective, you are better off with 17" wheels over the 19" wheels when it is time to change tyres.

Thanks Mikey! It's always valuable to hear from people with first hand experience. With the wheel slips when you put your foot down, does it happen most of the time or only occasionally? How much different in cost between 17'" & 19" wheels are we talking about?

[tyran]

Tyran,

There is a lot of discussion on the Toyota Nation forum in relation to the Kluger's performance in snow. I suggest you browse around there and read some of the posts.

Will check it out. Thanks.

[Mikeyboy]

There is a big advantage having AWD as opposed to FWD in the Kluger. Even in the dry, I need to be gentle taking off in my FWD KX-R, otherwise a lot of noise and smoke will be the result. In my AWD Grande, I can use as much power as I want. Ultimately, the FWD KX-R is much quicker, but you need to control it. In the wet the TC actually works better. 200kW is a lot for a FWD vehicle.

I would also think that if you are going anywhere near snow, or wet mountain roads, there would be only the choice of AWD.

The moon roof may be nice to have, but the roof is lower and the conversation mirror obstructs rear view. There are also plenty of better aftermarket overhead DVD players than the Toyota unit.

If you are looking at this from a price perspective, you are better off with 17" wheels over the 19" wheels when it is time to change tyres.

Thanks Mikey! It's always valuable to hear from people with first hand experience. With the wheel slips when you put your foot down, does it happen most of the time or only occasionally? How much different in cost between 17'" & 19" wheels are we talking about?

If I put my foot down anywhere below 60km/h in the dry, it will spin. If you are gentle, it's OK. If you can't be bothered being gentle, you can use the snow button which reduces power; I stil get wheel spin, but not as much.

17" wheels have more choices in the size the Kluger needs and 17" tyres are generally cheaper for the same tyres than 19". I would say that you will be able to save around $100 per tyre, so $500 per set.

[Mr Kluger]

Im only guessing that there will be a facelift version coming out soon after the altitude promo ends...

hoping for blinker lights on the side mirrors and rectangle shaped rear reflectors, but at the promo price im sooooo tempted to do a trade on my 02'camry ... if only it came with leather i would be handing over the keys... like NOW!

Post up a price if you end up with the altitude fwd... im still hunting... ;)

[shengs]

Im only guessing that there will be a facelift version coming out soon after the altitude promo ends...

hoping for blinker lights on the side mirrors and rectangle shaped rear reflectors, but at the promo price im sooooo tempted to do a trade on my 02'camry ... if only it came with leather i would be handing over the keys... like NOW!

Post up a price if you end up with the altitude fwd... im still hunting... ;)

2009 Kluger Altitude 2WD Graphite. Inc nudge bar, side steps, front tinted windows, front weather shields, bonnet protector, head light covers and floor mats. $47500.

Edited April 18, 2009 by shengs

[jaenschw]

... but at the promo price im sooooo tempted to do a trade on my 02'camry ... if only it came with leather i would be handing over the keys... like NOW!

When I was looking at the Altitude the dealers were offering to put leather in it for $2,300 from memory. They get Blackmans to do it. I have used Blackmans previously in other cars and they do an exceptional job. The dealer also mentioned that Blackmans can leather wrap the steering wheel (another KX-S feature over the KX-R) and apparently they can do that as well!

[matt_kluger]

I am also in the planning stage to purchase a Kluger. I have decided on the Altitude FWD KX-R until reading many posts here about the usefulness of the AWD version. Now I am not so sure ! My driving is all suburban & free way, with the annual ski trip in winter. I figure that I wouldn't need AWD for the snow given I would have to carry chains anyway, as I have been doing with my X-Trail. I don't mind too much about the occasional wheel slips at traffic lights with the FWD version.

Frankly I haven't noticed much the benefit of AWD in my X-Trail in the past few years, even in the wet. But as the Kluger is a much bigger beast, does AWD make a big difference?

As my budget is constrained, I have to give up on the extra accessories of the FWD Altitude for the vanilla AWD KX-R. I'm sure my kids will pay more attention to the rear DVD & sun roof than whether the thing runs on 2 or 4 wheels.

Also is May or June a good time to buy as the end of financial year is near? I would like to drive one away by the July school holidays, just in time for the skiing season.

Your help is appreciated.

Hi mate

I also owned a Nissan Xtrail and as much as i loved it, i have to say that it didn't even come close to being an AWD - even the auto mode didn't seem to make much difference - my front wheels were always spinning. It has a lot to do with the type of tyres you use aswell. Anyway, i've just purchased a 2005 cvx and although not the current model, i can say that the perm AWD is definitely useful, even going around corners and round abouts it feels more stable. In the wet it will be a godsend. Go the AWD, you'll be thankful you did in the end.

Cheers

Matt

[SpeedRacer]

As my budget is constrained, I have to give up on the extra accessories of the FWD Altitude for the vanilla AWD KX-R. I'm sure my kids will pay more attention to the rear DVD & sun roof than whether the thing runs on 2 or 4 wheels.

If the choice was between AWD KX-R and 2WD Altitude, the Altitude would win hands down. I'd much prefer the additional 'fruit' over AWD. Roof rails, 19" wheels and fog lights look so much better than the bare bones KX-R. Add a moonroof and DVD for the kids, easy choice

[dazbeer]

As my budget is constrained, I have to give up on the extra accessories of the FWD Altitude for the vanilla AWD KX-R. I'm sure my kids will pay more attention to the rear DVD & sun roof than whether the thing runs on 2 or 4 wheels.

If the choice was between AWD KX-R and 2WD Altitude, the Altitude would win hands down. I'd much prefer the additional 'fruit' over AWD. Roof rails, 19" wheels and fog lights look so much better than the bare bones KX-R. Add a moonroof and DVD for the kids, easy choice

Here is my view!

I recently upgraded from a Falcon to KX-S AWD. Falcon was useless in the wet and sometimes frightening around corners. I had it sideways on more than a few occassions.

I needed a family car and was torn between the VE wagon and SUV. VE wagon has teh same RWD characteristics and (in my view) average build quality. That left me the territory/Kluger.

My only experience in a territory was being asked to move one that was parked nose down on a not too steep or wet grassy bank. In reverse the car did nothing as the TC was on. Switched off the rear tyres just span. I ended up rocking back and forth to get the car side ways so i could drive sideways along the slope. Then only last weekend my in-laws Nissan Pathfinder was parked on my front lawn (similar slope) and refused to budge only being reversed off unless the 4WD was selected. My falcon has been parked in similar situations and has driven out no problem.

My conclusion in all this is that the SUV is a big lump of a vehicle and needs an AWD system to grip properly. The AWD in the Kluger works very well in all conditions and allows for confident driving. For the $4K difference it is definetly worth the money. It might do 1 or 2 L/100km but when you work the cost out its minimal - based on 20000kms per year works out at 200 - 400 extra lires a year so $500 max.

Probably worth noting that the Aurion with the same 270bhp motor has loads of torque steer and spin in the dry (I never got to try it in the wet). Also Lexus Rx350 (same motor) do not offer a 2WD version.

End of the day its upto you but just dont park on grass!!!!

[Kesawi]

End of the day its upto you but just dont park on grass!!!!

Or a steep driveway or road in the wet. I've seen 2wd vehicles wheel spin and slide backwards when trying to take off on a steep wet paved road.

[tyran]

Thanks for all your comments!

Discussed with the Mrs about the pros & cons of KXR-AWD vs 2WD KXR Altitude and she was more convinced about the benefits of AWD for a big car such as the Kluger. Looks like I've got no room to move now unless I can find some extra cash to buy the AWD Altitude!!!!!!!!

Now we've settled on the model, next what colour????? Has anyone got a light blue (glacier) or a sage colour. I haven't seen one yet, most of the Klugers at my local dealer is silver. On the website, the light blue looks very similar to silver to me & the sage looks like light green.

Edited April 24, 2009 by tyran

[sammy]

our is the silver, but i personally like the glacier, in fact saw an Altidute in glacier at Phil Gilbert last saturday...was there with a cousin of mine who is looking at buying a Klug...unfortunately for him the numbers with his trade-in don't quite stack up.

in true life the glacier and silver are very different

as for the sage...i have to say that its not one of my most favourite...but hey others on forum i'm sure really like it