CROCO

Hi carl,welcome to the forum, Im pretty much going to tell you what the other forum members have said, I love my kluger to bits and would buy another one in a heartbeat, it has been one of the most practicle cars I have owned,the 3.5v6 is quiet economical for a 2 ton car and performance is excellent, theres plenty of space and is a joy to drive,I like other members said ,I look forward to driving it. My kluger has pretty reliable,the only problem I have had is the intermediate shaft been replaced , due to a clunk when turning,another thing to look out for when buying a used kluger,but should be fixed under warranty. The rattle you could hear is most likely to be coming from the dashboard, its the clips seem to be the problem, if you test drive another kluger do it in the morning ,when its cold, thats seems to be when it rattles ,mine has got the dash rattle ,but I have learned to live with it, but if the next kluger you test drive has the rattle ,you should be able to get it fixed under warranty and get the clips replaced, thats all off the top of my head I can think of that could be a problem with the kluger. Now the territory, I also own a territory too,our has been great in the last 5 years of ownership, there hasnt been really anything major thats needed attention,the only thing would be the ball joints, but thats after 5 years and a 125000kms later ,so Im pretty happy with that , there has been the minor things like the master power window switch failing and one of the transpoder playing up ,but thats about it ,so in my oppinion the territory has been a great car. the territory is a great drive, driving the territory is like putting on your favorite tracksuite and ug boots ,everything feels nice and comfortable, the handling and the ride is great on ours,it sticks and handles the road brilantly , the kluger handles not to bad,I find it predictable and safe for a big tall car, but not quiet as good as the territory, comfort and ride is about the same, aswell as space, the territory has a better back seat ,which can fit three across the back better,but the removable middle seat ,with the centre tray is good for access to the rear third row seats,its down to the indivigle if they like that Idea or not, they both are great as family cars and have a lot of clever little features. picking beetween the two is like picking beetween my children, I love them both, but the kluger is better built and has slightly better performance and better fuel economy,the territory has diesel option and has a bit better handling, I would take both for a test drive and see what you like best , when test driving the territory ,drive both diesel and petrol and give the 2wd of both condideration, as david said you can get some good deals on both entry level model with 2wd, my kluger is only 2wd and I find the traction pretty good, especialy having 201KW, some people say that you break traction easy and you get torque steer, but if drive sensibly, the 2wd offers great traction. To compare the two from other owners have a look on PRODUCT REVIEW . COM . AU, that should give you some idea what owners thoughts of both cars.

Welcome mate to the forum, I actually use to own a 2005 model prado,so hopefully I should be able to answer some of your questions.

I agree the prado is a different class of car, but I dont agree that the prado isnt roomier,the second back row seat is wider ,that middle dicky seat isnt nice to sit in,just ask anyone who has sat there and the cargo area is longer and wider. Driving the two ,I dont think theres much in it,I still lke the the prado better to drive,but I reckon there as comfortable as each other,but the vision is better in the prado,so is the driving position,the prado is easier to see out of,especialy when reversing and parking. As I said before and on other posts I have made ,I love the kluger and would buy another one any time, but after owning a prado and now a kluger , I still like the prado better out of the two cars , I know its probadly me and my oppinion.

Fingers crossed toyota come up with solution that fixes the intermediate shaft steering problem permanently,It wouldnt bother me if toyota had too do a recall,as long it fixes the problem.

Prado is a great choice, there absolutely beatifull cars to drive and ride in, I would love a new prado, especialy kakadu,my car I think will be another prado, I sat in one while my kluger was getting serviced a while ago,the interior is definetly bigger inside and has a better back seat than the kluger, if I had the extra money at the time ,when I bought my kluger ,I would of bought the prado instead,dont get me wrong I love the kluger ,but I think the prado is a better car,just my oppinion.

Hi boyd, im pretty sure the current models style side tub will fit the 2008 model. Things I would look out for in the hilux, depending if its a d4d or v6 petrol, the d4d I would check the common rail pump and injectors are within spec,you need to take it to a diesel service centre or toyota dealer for this and another thing to check is the clutch, see it doesnt slip, having 200000kms on it chances are the injectors and fuel pump have been replaced aswell as the clutch,that would be a good idea to chat to the previous owner and see if any of those items have been replaced, the v6 petrol on the other hand theres not really much that goes wrong with them,regular servicing and quality oil and filters and these engine will reach half a million clicks or more no problems. A vechicle with 200000kms you need to replace suspension parts,such as bushes and shocks etc,if they havent allready been replaced. Another good site for information regarding hiluxes and things to look out for and owners oppinion is the 4wd action web site.

Hi nathan,your best bet would be have a look at 4wd places like ARB or TJM, opposite lock, they would be cheaper than genuine,finding a good second hand one at the wreckers,you may be lucky,but chances are the hiluxes that the bullbar fitted to would of been in a head on or a roll over and the bullbar would be damaged, also have a look at ebay theres some bargains to be had on there.

Hi andrew, my other car is a territory and it has been pretty car in general, we had it now for almost 5 years and in that time it hasnt had any mechanical problems, the only thing thats been replaced under the bonnet is the drive belt and the belt idler and now it seems the steering has a vibration when driving over 80KMH,Im hoping its not the ball joints which have been a problem with the territory earlier in peace, most of the rest of the car has been trouble free,the things we have replaced are the electric window master switch and the one of transpoders, which seems to be a problem on the fords but arent too bad price wise to fix, things I like about the territory are the handling, I never owned a car that handles as well as the territory, this thing goes around bends and twists like a small car,you got to remind yourself your driving a big 2 ton suv, it like its glued to the road,theres plenty off power with the 4 litre in line 6, I know there a old motor, but are strong as a ox and push 2 ton of steel along very well,fitted with the brilliant 6 speed ZF automatic transmission, it shifts so smooth and know what gear to be in all the time, its just great,the ride and comfort is like driving in your lounge chair in your favorite comfortable pyjarmis,space and seating, we had seven adults in the territory at a pinch, the seats are great on long trips, great for big aussie lanky frame, in 6 foot and find the seats offer plent of support and comfort, theres plenty of leg room ,both front and back for 5 big blokes and I got plenty of room in the back for a pram and all other junk you need on a family holiday. Things I dont like are the fit and finish isnt as good as the toyota I have owned, the plastics seem to be on the cheap side, aswell as some of the fittings, there a few panel gaps in some of the trim panels that could be better and can rattle after a while, the rest of the vehicle seems resonably well built. In the last 5 years the territory has been a great car for the family,we bought it second hand 6 months old with 9000kms on the clock, now the big rig got 125000kms on it and really only issue now is the steering vibrating at a certain speed, but a 6 year old car with 125000kms on it and the only problem is a steering vibration, im pretty pleased. Would I buy another one ,yes I would.the new territory looks like a great car and are selling well,and the new diesel with awd can tow 2700kg, which is the class leader and would be a hit with caravaners or boaters and the price would be around the same as the kluger. I love the CX9 its a nice looking car and fit and finish is brilliant, im not sure what the mechanicals are like such as the engine, I think they share the same 3.7 v6 engine as the american ford explorer, what I would like is the new kluger thats coming out next year ,which looks fantastic, but your lease is up now ,its a pity you couldnt hang out another year for the new kluger.

I actually forgot to mention the gear box hestitation in my post, most of the time the gearbox is precise and seamless, its only when driving around a corner or exiting around about the the gearbox doesnt know whether hold a gear or change down, its like theres a bigger gap between 2nd and 3rd and it feels theres a bit hole between the two gears, but as I said only when driving slowly around a corner or slowly driving around about, I actually remember the prado doing somthing similar, I think these gearboxes get a memory of how you drive and change gears to match you driving style, most of the time mine justs putts around and I dont drive mine hard at all, so whether thats why it does it i dont know, I know I heard from different people you need to drive them hard occasionary or they get a memory, just a thought. In general Im happy with the gearbox, the v6 goeswell with the transmission, I might get them to look at it at the next service, but im not too worried about it. This doesnt stop me from loving the kluger though.

Hi dan, I think the front bumber lights are a factory fitment, rather than a factory acesoriery, so you mighten get them put on in your deal,on a KXR ,you should be able to buy them as spares, because there standard on the KXS and GRANDE,they should be able to get them,but I could only imagine how dear they are, I remember talking to someone oneday about there brocken foglamp,similar size to the klugers and he said a replacment fog lamp was $500,this was on nissan,so I dont think toyota will be much cheaper. Your best bet would be Ebay or even the wreckers, another place would be some of the 4wd accesories places, they sell a range of small lights that fit the bumpers of bullbars, I one brand is Ipf,they should beable to shoot you straight. I think I remember you saying originally you wanted a KXS, but after I looked at the KXR and test drove one, if I had my time over again I would probadly only get the KXR aswell, dont get me wrong I would love another KXS or a GRANDE, but looking at some of the deals there got going on the Kxr, I reckon the KXR is a bargain, for such a large powerfull comfortable car, you couldnt beat them for value for money. The KXR got all the features you probadly ever need. You should be able to haggle with them on most of the things on your wish list, only one maybe is they probadly wont throw in is the sat nav, there pretty exspensive, I think the geniune toyota sat nav for the kluger is around $3000, I think ,so its highly likely they wont chuck it in, but you can get it fitted as a geniune assesorie, like I have in my kluger, but personally I would rather just buy a portable hand held one, because the factory sat nav needs a disc every couple of years, to upgrade the maps,which cost between $300 and$400, which isnt cheap, but if your willing to spend the extra money on a disc every couple of years,they are a good unit, they have a big clear screen which is easy to read and the voice navigation is clear and easy to understand and look great. I hope this help mate, and good luck with getting a good deal.

Yeah scott those v8 twin turbo diesels pack a punch,the power delievery is smooth and effortlessly, I had a drive of one of mates friends and loved it, let tell you it was hard to hand the keys back, he wasnt interested in suggestion on swapping the kluger for it LOL :P ah well it was worth a shot. Good on you mate, you got your self a nice rig, hope you enjoy it, oneday eventually I get one.

Hi everyone,well I have had my kluger just over a year now,and I can put my hand on my heart and say it been a great car, to be honest I didnt think I would bond with it as much as I have,its become a mate and I ADORE it Thing I love are space and comfort, I can drive allday and I arive at my destination with no aches or pains and not tied after the jorney, the kluger eats up the miles and I actually look forward to going away in her. Space wise there is plenty of room for all my luggage and on the weekend I chuck all my tools or camping gear in the back with out a drama, and 2 big blokes can sit in second row without there legs being around there elbows. power and performance, the 3.5v6 is a absolute perler, the kluger goes like a scalded cat, it acellerates like a sports car and its the best car I owned for overtaking power and I have owned some powerfull cars, like my old ss commodore, it had a 5.7 v8 and I reckon it goes better, sure the ss might be quicker in a drag race, but I reckon the kluger power is stronger and more ready avaliable and the kluger seems to wind out better for overtaking economy the kluger is fantastic on fuel, people have the perception a v6 petrol is heavy on fuel ,not so with kluger, I adverage 11L100 around town and the late 8s on the open road, I even had mine down to 7.5 L 100, which is brilliant for a 2 ton v6 wagon, it betters a lot of 4 cylinder suv and cars at the pump and they dont offer the space or power and performance the kluger does. Another thing is the looks, I reckon toyota have done a great job with the styling, the kluger is absolutly beatifull and is one of the best looking cars on the road, them and the prados, just beatifull. Now to answer the question what arent you happy with your kluger, well now im nit picking now , the steering seems to be a bit vague it wallows a bit on bends and around corners, but its not to bad and after all its a big heavy 2 ton car so its not going to handle like a sports car ,the interior leather seems to be made out a cheaper material which isnt as nice as a lot leather in a lot of other cars, its the same with the interior plastics, they seem to hard plastic that squeaks a bit when cold,the dash also rattles when cold, the quality of the trim materials dont see be as good as my old prado, but in general everything seems to be pretty well screwed together, other things that could be added such as remote tailgate lifter standard on all models and keyless pushbutton start on all models and have a bigger screen for the reverse camera, but as I said im only nit picking, I love my kluger to bits and would buy another one in a heart beat.

Funny you should say that, at work we replaced the battery in our forklift, while it was getting serviced,it was starting to be a bit slow to start ,it was 9 years old, the mechanic said if you get 2 years out of a battery in fork lift your doing well ,let alone 9 years, the battery wasnt a big or exspensive battery, just a small century battery, so it definetly luck. The most years I got out of a battery would be 7 years, that was in my old commodore, since then i only averaged 5 years out of a battery in all my other cars.

Hi stephen, as barney said it depend what you want to do with the vehicle, if your not going off road or not towing and your doing a lot of highway and city driving and you dont need a ute, to say carry a heap of tools around, somthing like a kluger would be a better option, I got mates that have duel cab utes and they have looked and sat in my kluger, even in the back and are very impressed with the leg room and cargo space, I have sat in my brother in laws new triton, front and back and I dont think it is as roomy as the kluger, and it doesnt drive as good either,the kluger is a absolute pleasure own drive. Fuel economy in the kluger is excellent, sure not as good as ranger or even a triton ,but good I reckon, performance between the ranger, they would be pretty close, I been told those 3.2 5 cylinders pack a punch, but I absolutly love the 3.5 vvti v6 in the kluger its a ball tearer. when I was looking at a car that ticked the boxes, the kluger was it,another good suv that has plenty of space and power is the territory, but for you maybe not, but have a look at them and see them in the flesh and have a look at the diemensions and take them for a drive and see which you like the best. The new kluger looks fantastic, I cant wait too see one up close and personal, if there half as good as mine ,It will be a absolute corker, the only problem I wish I could aford the new model, oh well I have to buy another second hand one.LOL

Hi dominic,sorry mate it took a while to reply,I forgot to check to see if you replied, If it was me I would go the roadside service to fit the battery, especialy if its a 45 minute journey oneway to the distributor and the roaside will come to your house and fit it for you and give you a extra 6 months warranty, that would be the way I would go mate.

Hi steve, I asuming being a 2003 model your after 120 seies prado, if it is there a very reliable car, I use to own a 2005 v6 petrol model and it was the best vehicle I have owned,there are very few problems that I can think of ,the one that probadly springs to mind is the cracked dash issue the have been a nunber of 120 series with dash cracking and over time getting worse, I was lucky with mine I didnt have that problem with mine, somthing worth looking for when shoping for are prado, another thing is check the rear door open and closes easy and there isnt any movement in the hinges and check the hinges for cracking, this mainly a problem with prados that have spent most of there time off the beaten track, this is caused by the extra weight of the spare wheel on the door putting strain on the hinges and corrugations making the door move up and down, but its rare problem.when purchasing at heavly modified prado,check that the inside guards havent any cracks , this mostly a problem when dual battery systems have been fitted with deep cycle and the prado has done a lot of off road driving,but there are plenty of surbarn ones that have led a easy life, thats what I would be looking at buying. Mechanicaly the prados are pretty bullet proof, im not sure what engine your after, I know the 4.0 v6 that I had was brilliant, never a problem, there are a great engine, reliable, smooth and powerfull, the other two engines are pretty reliable as well, as far as I know other mechanicals on the prado are also pretty reliable. The prado in my oppinion would have to be one of the best cars you could own. There is a lot of great infomation on prado point about prados, thats about all I can think of at the moment, but if theres any other question I will give it ago answering .

The D4D injector problem has scared me to buy a d4d prado or hilux, especialy when there worth bomb to replace and if left, the injector problem can lead to other problems, such as hole put through one of the cylinders,with all these problems I honestly dont know why people buy the turbo diesel over the v6 petrol, the v6 petrol on the other hand is absolute perler of a engine, very reliable and powerfull and I reckon not too bad on fuel,beats the D4D in performance anyday, yeh I know all the pros and cons of both, and yes if you do a lot of outback travel and towing you get a better range, but my old v6 petrol 120 could adverage between 10 and 11L 100 and in the city around 15L 100 and could get between 1400 and 1500km out of the two tanks . I would like to know if it only the earlier D4D diesels having the injector issues or is it the later ones, I think I remember reading they changed them in the last of the 120 series and in the 150 series , if there not having injector issues with the newer prados I would definetly consider a d4d prado ,but if not I will stick to the 4.0 v6, and I agree toyota australia need to relise that there is a problem and adress it ,I have also read the pages of complaints on prado point with the injector issues, if consumers get treated bad they will soon wise up and look else where and purchase other makes of vehicles.

Hi dominic, I recently replaced the original battery in my kluger with a ac delco heavy duty battery ,I only paid $145 at tyre power installed,very happy with it so far, if it was me I would stick with the ac delco,I had a ac delco in several of my cars over the years and they havent let me down, I would purchase it at a large tyre battery dealer,or ac delco distributor they would be the cheapest and your best bet

Hi dan, there is a few spy shots of the new model kluger on the 2014 kluger reveal thread,I think its on page 3.

Hi david, I have towed around 1500kg with my kluger and they tow quiet well, the v6 has plenty of power for towing, maybe not quiet the low down grunt the d4d diesel has, but on the open road I dont think there would be much difference, if anthing I reckon the kluger would pull it better, especialy with 201killwasps, there little difference between the two for torque 337 NM kluger, 343 NM hilux, personally I dont think the kluger to bad on fuel when towing , the best I have achieved towing a boogie trailer fully laden with pavers around 1500kg going over to newcastle, and I averaged under 13L100, but towing a boat maybe around 15 to 16 L 100 more realistic, you wont match the hilux for towing fuel economy ,but the kluger will be fine for the job. If you want more info mate have a look in the kluger section on this forum about kluger for towing, it will give you a rough idea of kluger owners on the oppinion on how they tow.

Hi everyone, the old battery finally died after 5 1/2 years, I went to start it on saturday and heard the dreaded click, so I charged it with the ctek battery charger all weekend and it started good this morning, but this time I went to get it tested properly and it still read not to bad for a old battery it was down a bit, considering it had been fully charged, so I bit the bullet and bought a battery, while the old battery started fine , it fires up much faster and easier now than it has ever since if owned the car, so maybe it was the battery all along because on saturday morning I only had the two front door courtesy lights on for a bout 2 hours and the battery was dead, so now I hope the new battery is going to last as long as the old one. fingers crossed LOL

Hi dan, the best time to buy a kluger would be the end of the finacial year or at the end of the year or at the begining the year ,when they would be trying to get rid of last years models. Things the dealers might throw in if you haggle would be headlight and bonnet protector ,floor mats and even maybe a free tank of fuel. I reckon bluffing doesnt hurt, have a look at other makes and other toyota dealers and compair prices and even get somthing in writing, then you got some bargaining power for a good price, knowledge is power, as for getting the best price for your avalon, you best bet would be sell it privatly, I would doudt a dealer would give any more than a couple of grand for it, the avalon are a nice car, my auntys got one, drives beautifully.

Today I priced some tyres for my kluger, 245/55x19 at tyre power, here are the prices fitted. Maxxis$340 Toyo HT $345 Bridgestone D400 HL $370 Cooper cts $380 I interested in the coopers , but the salesman recomended the toyos , so now I have to decide what tyre to get ? Ahh decision decisions LOL

Hi dan welcome to the mate, I remember last finacial year they were doing good deals on kxr 2wd 5 seaters, they were not much dearer than low km used ones,have a bit of a read through some of the posts in the kluger section price thread, it will giveyou a bit of a idea on what to pay for a new kluger. You love the kluger if you buy one, there great cars to drive and own. Cheers david.