New Toyota

[gundaroo]

just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the new kluger.my wife and i are looking at getting one.
we like the safety aspects on this vehicle. aswell as its space.
cheers gundaroo

 

[Fents]

Yea they look the goods. I drive a honda CRV 2006 and its a fantastic car. Can tow the boat behind it, go camping on a whim etc. Only thing is with these AWD's type SUV's is the fuel cost. Mines only a 2.4litre 4 cylinder and it drinks the juice as it is. I get about 250kms (city driving alot of stop start) out of a tank which is costing me $60 approx to fill each time.

The Klugers a 3.5litre 6cyl i think so its gonna be even worse. But if you dont mind the fuel costs i'd say go for it. I may even consider it when its time to upgrade next year.

 

[gundaroo]

at the moment we have a 2005 v6 commodore and looking at the consumption between the two we found little differance,the main reason for the change is we live on a dirt road and found the alloy rims coupled with low profile tyres on the holden were a massive problem,ballancing etc.
we have also learnt that the resale on toyotas is very good aswell as their reliability.

 

[Boozy the clown]

I'm a Toyota fan too. We know a couple who went from a Prado to a Kluger - they only had it for a short time and traded it in for another Prado. Not enough space or power for them I think.

I have a Prado and an MR2 at the moment, great cars even if the mechanics swear when they see the MR2 turn up for a service...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

We have a V6 Ford escape (Mazda Tribute. )

The same size as the Kluger, but cheaper. Nice car to drive with a lot of space and the motor has heaps of go.

Economy is not to bad. Takes a full tank to get from home to Newcastle, which is 550km from 55ltrs

We also live on a dirt road so we got it for the same reason

 

[gundaroo]

yes, i liked the ford too,due to the price but SWMBO is a die-hard holden lover and it was hard enough to get her too look at the toyota let alone the ford.

 

[Duff]

My parents have just bought the new turbo diesel Prado which I drove last week while in QLD visiting. The 180L tank gives them almost 2,000kms, worked out around 9L per 100km. That's also towing a caravan which we stayed in while fishing. I drove it up to Cardwell one day and had plenty of torque, a great car overall.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

yes, i liked the ford too,due to the price but SWMBO is a die-hard holden lover and it was hard enough to get her too look at the toyota let alone the ford.

Had a look at a Holden Captiva...not a bad wagon...but got a great deal on the 2nd hand Escape..


Suckers gave us $7500 for a shitbox Kia Sportage......trade-in..

 

[simonl75]

Toyota's are hard to beat - excellent product both locally built and imported (Kluger assembled in Japan).

I'm in the motor trade but not affiliated with any franchised dealers, however I do have various contacts at major franchise dealers that I deal with regulary, Toyota included - if you want a hand let me know via pm.

 

[gundaroo]

did the deal yesterday,new kluger in our shed next week,it pays to make a few calls, saved 3grand on car and got extra 4grand on trade in. found the guys in sydney way too hard to deal with and very rude. our local dealer in a small town was very helpfull and of course cheaper.
looking forward now to a road trip,possibly to the hunter valley.
cheers guys
gundaroo

 

[frasertag]

I drive a XT Foreseter, 2.5L 4cyl Turbo
Plenty of power to boot, handles excellent for a softy 4x4.
Not as large as a Proper 4x4 but i average 500km's from 60litres and i find i cannot argue with that. Suits our family fine and is the only one that has a 5 star saftey rating when compared against CRV,Tribute,RAV4 etc

Fuel economy is excellent compared to my maxima which is V6 Turbo it chews the petrol...

 

[Fents]

Yea but how much is the subie on road?

CRV was 31k on road and that was with a few extra's.

 

[frasertag]

Hey Fents
I wasnt having a stab...
I was just stating my vehicle
in a topic that relates nothing to do with my car hehe
I didnt buy mine brandnew its a few years old.. I work in a non profit company and there for can salary package any loan, worked out the car costs $3 out of my pocket compared to before i packaged anything.

Its very well looked after tho i bought it from my mechanic who is a boxer mechanic, does porsche,alfa and subys. aswell as specialising in ferrai's although i only ever seen two in his shop in a year of working next door to him.. mostly just day to day alfa's and subys.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

In reality...most cars are very reliable and perform within an inch of each other


Just really depends on need, price and the deal..and what works for you in the end...and the missus h34r:

I am a Holden man...but have a Ford in the garage...

 

[frasertag]

Im going to be burnt here
*Holds hot kettle above head*

I vow never to buy another holden or ford unless its a Phase III HO or a A9X Torana
I had a vs commy it fell to peices, Our company just bought a VE Omega poverty pack and its been recalled 3 times, the engine leaked petrol, the plastic trim is falling off in places, the keyless entry has stuffed up twice and the key was not at fault but the system controlling it. The car is driven daily by the Chief Excutive who is an older lady and when i drove it once it said the average speed was 42kmh so it has not had a hard life at all

On the other hand
My mothers toyota camery served her 10years with only getting a flat battery
My imported V6 turbo Maxima has served me 2 years without fault.
My wifes daihatsu served her 4 years without fault
My new suby is going well although i have no had it more then 8months

I have a taste for the japen cars, not wog or drift style just reliable with abit of guts.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Currently I have a VT wagon for a work car...has 215,000km and still going.

We have 2 others of the same vintage, all are loaded with gear and do lots of Km's

They do get serviced every 10,00km, and so far one has broken an engine mount and one has snapped an engine belt.

Apart from that they are as reliable as hell.

The mechanic also said that we are better off with commodores rather than falcons..cheaper to run, easier for parts and more reliable...


But then again,my Morry ute is 46yrs old and still going......dont see to many 40yr old dato's still going...

 

[andrewl]

Ok... Gundaroo... The new Kluger is coming out All Wheel Drive or Front Wheel Drive only. The all wheel drive option is obviously to compete with the Ford Territory. But Ford made the Territory in rear wheel drive on its base model "XT".
I suppose it all comes down to what you'll be using it for... If it's just for punting around town... The front wheel drive Kluger will be fine. Little off road... All Wheel drive. If you want something a little more capable... You'll have to start looking at a Prado.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[gundaroo]

have gone awd as the missus can cruise around the paddock without any risk of getting seriusly bogged.yes the new kluger is targeted at the territory,to us the toyota was a stand out,particually the sales teams,the ford dealer,like the holden guys were too arrogant and did not know there product options.

 

[gundaroo]

picked up the new kluger last week and must say its very nice to drive,also alot easier to get into than the commodore,we live on a dirt road and it is a smooth ride over potholes,the test will be if any dust makes its way inside as the rear window rubbers weaken.
gundaroo

 

[schooey]

I have a 2006 Kluger Grande. At christmas this year we drove it from Newcastle up to Mount Isa, across to 3 ways, straight down the middle past the canyon and the rock to Pt Augusta, through Broken Hill and home again. All up 9500 km and it didn't skip a beat. We even drove it into Chambers Pillar from the Alice Springs side and also into Palm Valley. We even pulled a Holden Adventra out of the sand on that trip.

Yeah it's a bit thirsty if you have a heavy foot or if you do a lot of traffic driving, but I guess this class of vehicle is reknowned for it regardless of the breed. Overall I couldn't be happier