It’s Patrick here, Mel’s husband, so not officially a mum but definitely a parent and very happy Kluger driver…..Well I’ve finally managed to prise the keyless keys for the Kluger away from Mel and have had a few days one-on-one with the mighty motor and needless to say I’m a very big fan. Mel is away at the moment so I’ve been running around with the kids and have been lucky enough to have the Kluger in support. For me the real beauty of the Kluger is the brilliant marraige of form, function and flexibility, it’s this that makes it so good for busy families. What exactly does this mean I hear you ask? Well, firstly, form – it’s brilliantly comfortable, well appointed and easy on the eye too. Function – it’s got all the functionality you could ever want for long journeys and short hops, from the intuitive sat nav right through to the wireless headphones for the DVD player – those smart folk at Toyato have thought of it all. And finally flexibility, in the shots above the cars a six seater, minutes earlier it was seven and half an hour before that five – and that’s just the seating arrangements. Anyway, it’s a sad day as we have to hand back the keyless keys tonight and both myself and the girls are mortified. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with our cars, it’s just there’s so much right with the Kluger……thanks Toyota

Another day pootling around in the Kluger discovering all those little features that make a big differences. First of all I found out that you can pip either of the rear seats down simply by pulling a lever in the trunk, this was particualrly helpful as I had a handful of gear and would normally have had to put it down and walk round to the back seats – no need with the Kluger. Then I had to head for a fete at a local school, I had no idea where it was but the sat-nav has a helpful feature that highlights all local points of interests, including schools. And finally I discovered that the headlights come on automatically the minute you hit the darkness of an underground car park or tunnel – one less thing for me to remember. My husband gets to use the Kluger for the next few days and I know he’s going to love all he helpful features and gadgets, so expect an update from him soon!

Well, we’ve just returned from our trip to the snow and for the first time ever, the trip was stress free and even a little bit enjoyable……all thanks to the Kluger of course! First of all, we easily fitted all the gear in the boot so the kids had plenty of leg room and didn’t have boxes and cases at their feet. Then, we found a great feature where you can remove the centre seat from the back of the car and replace it with a little table and drink holder which goes between the back seats – this proved so useful for holding all the kids colouring books, pencils and snacks. I hardly need to say how popular the DVD player was with the kids – but the wireless headphones made it great for us parents too. My only comment on the DVD player is that it’s not a multi region so as most of our DVD’s were bought in the UK, we were a bit limited on which ones we could actually get to work! The drive itself was so comfortable – individual climate control for driver, passenger and even the kids in the back, loads of leg room in the front, great seats and a really smooth, sturdy ride. The performance of the car on the highway was really exceptional, it was so quiet and just hummed along at 110kms on cruise control – I was happy to drive the whole way down there which is highly unusual for me! It cost us about $80 to fill up and we easily managed the full 500kms on the one tank. We didn’t use the car much when we were in Thredbo itself as it stayed parked outside the apartment. The one or two times we did use it though, we were very happy with the seat warmers on those mornings that were -6 degrees. One small comment is that the turning circle of the Kluger isn’t as tight as our current car which made the three point turns on Thredbo’s narrow roads a little bit tricky. Overall though, we were delighted with the Kluger for our long trip – it really comes into its own for longer journeys. Here’s a photo of us packed up and ready to return to Sydney.

It’s Saturday today we’re packing up the Kluger for our trip to the snow. So far, so good. We’ve got two big bags of clothes, all the ski-gear, 2 massive boxes of food and there’s still plenty of room for a case or two of wine! The kids stuff is all set up too – there’s loads of space for their colouring books, DVD’s, IPods and even their own drink bottle holders. In theory, it should be the most pleasant 7 hour journey we’ve ever made….hmmm, will keep you posted! Am looking forward to seeing what the Kluger’s like on the open road and how it goes in terms of fuel economy too.

Another fab day cruising in the Kluger. We had our first test of the 7 seat configuration when I picked up an extra 3 kids from school today. All went well, once the kids had negotiated who was going to sit where! And even with the back seats up, there was room for the school bags in the boot. Now, I know its not a crucial feature on a car but I have to say, I do like the number of cup holder type compartments that the nice people at Toyota have put in the Kluger. Not only can you get your bottle of water in one, there’s room for coffee in another, and still space for sunnies, snacks and other bits and pieces….you can’t beat having an organised car!

End of our first day with the Kluger and so far so good – a 5.30am start in the dark was made so much better when I hopped in the Kluger and made my way to work – so lovely to drive – quiet, smooth, and feels really solid and safe. Had to make use of the automatically closing boot of course – at the touch of a button the boot just closes by itself…..ok, so I was showing off a bit but it’s so good when you’ve got your hands full. Kids dashed out of school this afternoon, very excited about their first ride in their new 7 seater. So far, their favourite thing is the little step below the door which makes it so much easier for them to get in an out….and means I don’t have to lift them. Looking forward to the rest of the week. Stay tuned!

Just taken delivery of the Toyota Kluger and we’re all soooo excited! I’ve already packed my personal training gear into the boot, ready for an early start in the morning and I’m amazed that there’s still room in there for the grocery shop which I’ll do when I’ve finished work. The kids are beside themselves with excitement of course – particularly about the DVD player and wireless headphones. It’s going to be a great week!