The Kluger is an ideal family car whether you have 2 children or 5 children. It has enough room for everyone to spread out and be comfortable. It is finished off with top quality fittings thoughout. The leather seats (and seat warmers in the front) are great. There’s an abundance of space for shopping too. I love the way the split rear seats fold down. You wouldn’t even realise they are there – and they don’t impinge on space.
The car drives quietly and smoothly on the road. Yes, the Kluger is certainly a great car and we have not had a single problem with it. It drives great, looks great and is practical too. The fuel ecomony competes favorably with other similar sized vehicles. Overall, the Kluger gets the big thumbs up from our family. So do yourself a favour, go and get yourself a test drive. You won’t be disappointed. Happy motoring everyone!

Well, it’s been a pretty busy couple of days for me and the Kluger. Yesterday, I got to drive the Kluger to work for the first time. It was a such a joy to have the Kluger all to myself, no husband or kids in sight. Just me, the Kluger and the open highway. What a wonderful driving experience it was. I was a bit sad to arrive at work for the day and have to disembark from the Kluger. I did take the opportunity to show the Kluger off to a few collegues during our lunch break. One of them drives a 2 year old Kluger and she was very impressed with some of the newer features (especially the rear split seats). She is now contemplating an upgrade to the newer model.

Today was equally busy. My husband was working and I decided to take the kids on a road trip to a Kids Festival, since it was officially the first day of the school holidays.

We had a great day, lots of family fun all round and to top it off, a luxurious drive home in the Kluger.

I also managed to do my grocery shopping on the way home and couldn’t believe the amount of stuff I piled into the Kluger. The storage space in the Kluger really has to be seen to be believed.

I am starting to get a little sad that my time with this wonderful vehicle is coming to an end. It truly has been a wonderful family car and I have enjoyed every minute and every luxury of it.

It will be quite some time yet before I can afford an upgrade on my current vehicle, but I will keep my eyes peeled for any raffles offering a ‘Kluger’ as first prize.

You just never know!

We had a lot of fun today out the river with the Kluger and the MoM film crew. Then it was off for another lengthy drive to pick up some more tiles for my bathroom reno (broke a few too many trying to cut holes in them).
Tonight we headed out for a lovely tea compliments of MoM and then went to watch 2 of our little darlings in their final school concert performance. And what little stars they were – just like the Kluger

We’ve pretty much tested and played with every gadget in the Kluger, all there is left to do now is enjoy the drive – and we are certainly doing that.

Today, we refuelled for the first time since the Kluger arrived. We would normally travel a lot further in one week but illness and not working kept the km’s down this week.

Can’t wait to get back to work tomorrow though to show the Kluger off to my collegues. I work 30 minutes away from home so the luxury drive will also be appreciated.

I had several appointments today and lots of running around in preparation for my boy’s school concert tonight. Usually, I would be stressed, tired and cranky by now – but not today. I had a great day in the Kluger. I don’t think driving the Kluger Grande could ever be a chore.

I finally worked up the courage to reverse park. Actually, I ended up doing 4 reverse parks over the duration of the day, it was that much fun and so easy. The reverse camera is most definately a bonus.

One disappointing thing was the drop down mirror to view the kids in the back. That’s hardly worth the effort as the view is so tiny!

I drove around with the sunroof open for awhile, just because I could. I also had cause to put the rear seats up and down a few times whilst lugging items to and fro. This is such a quick and effortless task. One tiny lever and the seats just fold down (headrest and all). They are a really good sized seat too, not a huge amount of leg room but you won’t find better in any other similar sized vehicle.

We’re looking forward to the filming tomorrow with the MoM team and finding out a bit more about the Kluger

Lots of short trips today. They were all a pleasure though, I love driving the Kluger. It never seems to be a chore. I have a few big days coming up with a lot more driving involved, so I’ll be sure to take some time out before then to read up on the Kluger’s features. I know there are things I haven’t come across yet – like an additional mirror to see the kids in the back. I would also like to know if you can have the radio or DVD player on whilst the car is not running. I quite often leave my hubby and the kids in the car whilst I run into the supermarket to grab a few items. Can they still have music or movies on?

I’m still working up the courage to do a reverse park. If it was my car I wouldn’t hesitate but I guess I’m a bit more paranoid of hitting anything in the Kluger. I am unsure whether the reversing camera would be of much benefit when reverse parking. The view is quite dark and I find it difficult to guage the distance of objects in the view. Perhaps, a more appropriate option would be a distance sensor that beeps when you get within 30 cms of a fixed object. Well, I won’t know if I don’t try it, so tomorrow I promise I will reverse park

Like sands through the hourglass…

My life certainly feels like a soap opera some days and today was no exception.

Today my mum had a car accident – 800 metres from my house. It was mums fault, she cut the corner slightly and didn’t see the other vehicle until impact. Thankfully both women involved were not injured – but the cars are another story.
It was a bit of an eye opener looking at the damage a low speed collision can make. I drove the Kluger to the scene of the accident to offer mum a shoulder to cry on. It was a hot day so we made the most of a bad situation and sat in the Kluger with the airconditioning on, whilst the police did their bit and the tow trucks arrived.
Luckily for mum, I have a spare car for the rest of the week. Needless to say, I gladly parted with the keys to my Pajero!

I have asked all of the family members what they like most about the Kluger. My hubby appreciates the keyless entry, Riley is pretty stoked about the wheels (I think he’s referring to the alloy rims), Brodie loves the DVD player and Loz is currently obsessed with the automatic boot closer. One of the things I have enjoyed most is the reduced height. It is much easlier to get Stella in and out of her car seat. Even the older kids seem to get in and out a lot easier without needing to climb.

I haven’t given a thought to tea, given the day I’ve had. So, we’re all headed out in the Kluger. It’s a beautiful mild evening, maybe we’ll pick up some KFC and head to the park.

I’m still feeling very poorly but I did manage to take my mum for a quick drive in the Kluger today. It was an emotional drive for both of us. My dad lost a well fought battle with prostate cancer two months ago and we are still adjusting to the immense loss in our lives.

Dad was the car enthusiast in the family, the proud owner of a 1956 Ford Customline that was immacuately maintained. He would no doubt have been first on my doorstep when the Kluger arrived to check it out.

Dad was big on safety and the Kluger would have ticked a lot of boxes for him. Seven airbags, a reversing camera, ABS anti-lock brakes, traction control, vehicle stability control, childproof rear door locks, seat belt pre-tensioners with force limiters, child restraint anchorage points and a great deal more. Yes I think Dad would agree, safety is first class in the Kluger.

He was big on saftey and performance

Well, I spoke too soon about the bugs in the house and now it’s my turn
My entire Saturday was spent huddled on the couch with my mink blanket and paracetamol. I frequently peered out the window admiring the Kluger in the driveway but that was as far as it got. I hope this is a very shortlived illness and I can get back to enjoying the Kluger tomorrow.

Thankfully, the dreaded bugs appear to have vacated our house (fingers crossed) and we can get back to enjoying the luxurious Kluger over the weekend.

One of the boys returned to school today so there was at least a morning school run. Mind you, we only live around the corner from his school and he usually walks. Today he insisted he be driven in the Kluger and without deliberation hubby (on sick leave) willingly obliged. Off they went leaving mum at home with the other children. It wasn’t quite as I had envisaged my Kluger test drive experience.

Nevertheless, my turn came later in the morning with a few more local errands to take care of. I got to the supermarket, got my items and headed for the carpark, walking straight past the Kluger in search of my usual vehicle. How silly did I feel as I abruptly turned back quickly peering over my shoulder to make sure no-one was watching.

The errands were done very quickly and since hubby was home with the kids I decided not to rush home and instead did a few laps of the town. It reminded me of my youth when I first got my licence and we did laps up and down the main street every weekend.
In those days I had a Green Chrysler Sigma. Now I had this gorgeous luxury vehicle I wanted to be seen. It was certainly a pleasurable drive but I didn’t see anyone I knew.

My eldest daughter, Lauren, was due home from camp in the afternoon and I had promised I would pick her up from the bus stop in the Kluger. Loz is autistic and totally obsessed with yellow cars so I figured she wouldn’t like the color. I was pretty confident that the CD player would be high on the ‘test’ list though. She was very excited when I cruised up to the bus stop and had even been given a new CD by her bus driver. Ok, so where was the CD player in the Kluger? We looked and looked and looked. Then miraculously I hit a button on the dash and the GPS screen tilted sideways and like magic the CD player appeared. Wow, I was stunned and Loz was laughing hysterically. It took us a few minutes to work out how to load the CD and then …’Bruno Mars’ blasted from the speakers. Far from my choice of music but the sound system was fabulous.

Once we were all home we decided to take a family trip out in the Kluger. Friday night is usually takeaway night and the kids voted for McDonalds – obviously feeling much better. So we all packed into the Kluger. This was going to be a good test of space as we needed one of the rear seats and I wanted to put my pram in as well.
I was a little disappointed that my pram wouldn’t fit straight in without taking a little of the rear seat space but it didn’t really hinder my 6 year old sitting in the rear seat. Much better than our Pajero where we only have a single rear seat – the pram has to be lugged over the top and sit on the seat next to him. So the split fold seat is a bit of a winner with us.
I am still amazed and can’t stress enough how powerful this car is. The pick-up and excelleration is awesome. The turning circle is much better than my Pajero. I can turn around in the street without needing a 3 point turn. I almost did a reverse park today but I baulked at last minute when I saw a double park further ahead. It’s not that I can’t reverse park, I just choose not to most of the time. Maybe that will be tomorrow’s challenge

Well the poor Kluger didn’t get out much today between the dreaded man flu and kid flu that appears to have infiltrated our house. Just mum left standing (as usual) and one child who is lucky enough to be away on camp until tomorrow.

Hubby did get his first drive in the Kluger though, a hazy 20 minute drive to his GP and back. The one comment he did make before he slinked into bed for the rest of the day was that it was easy to speed in the Kluger and he was thankful for the cruise control.

I noticed that myself on yesterday’s drive. The car is so quiet and comfortable that you don’t appear to be going that fast. The cruise control is wonderfully easy to operate though and located right at your fingertips.

I did make two quick trips to the chemist and supermarket this afternoon. Both times when I arrived at my destination I reached for a key to turn the ignition off. Oh that’s right, no key! It feels totally strange to hit a button to start a car and turn it off after 20+ years of driving cars with keys.

My sister drives a Prado and I was chatting to her about the Kluger. I mentioned my concern that if I forgot to lock the car, then a child could climb in and start the vehicle at the push of a button. She informed me that the remote had to be in the car for the button ignition to start. Something I wasn’t aware of and feel really stupid about now. Of course anyone can’t just jump in and start it up. Duh!

My car has electric windows, leather seats and a sunroof, however, after driving the Kluger Grande I feel like I’ve been driving vintage machinery.

My husbands coming down with man flu (oh no).

With what sounded like a road train going through my bedroom last night I opted to take the Kluger for a serene night drive. As soon as I started the Kluger I was in awe of it’s beautifully lit up dash with a white LED glow. The display was crisp and clear and easy on the eyes. The headlights were well adjusted and provided great night vision, particularly helpful with all the pesky bunnies and kangaroos around our place.

I thought I’d take the opportunity to test the GPS system. It did take a bit of playing around with buttons to work it out given that I’d never used one before. I drove several kilometres out of town and set the GPS to guide me home. As expected, it guided me via major roads only (when there were other local roads that were quicker). I hear that’s a common complaint with country motorists so I certainly won’t hold it against the vehicle. The female navigation voice was soothing and there was certainly nothing irritating about it.

The drive was pleasant. The Kluger has great stability on the road, it corners effortlessly and the suspension deals with road undulations well. My neck and head don’t bounce around at all like they do in my 10 year old vehicle. It was a smooth, serene and enjoyable night drive.

Hi MoM members,

Let me begin my blog by thanking MOM and Toyota for this awesome opportunity and introducing you to my family.

My husband is Brett and we have 5 children, Dylan (16), Lauren (15), Brodie (7), Riley (6) and Stella (1). Yes, we need a big car!

We were thrilled when MoM rang to tell us we were chosen to review the Kluger. Our current vehicle, a Pajero is approaching 10 years old and we will be looking to update in the next couple of years.

The arrival of the Kluger was as exciting as we expected, but for another reason. The extremely large truck carrying the Kluger and 3 other vehicles drove past our house in a narrow dead end street. The poor driver had a wonderful time reversing whilst we stood by cheering him on.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to unload the Kluger as I was eager to depart.

I had to wait for my husband to fit the baby seat which was completely in a timely manner without complication. Riley (milking his recent illness to the full and taking the day off school) displayed a miraculous recovery as he hastily sorted through his DVD collection to come driving with me. Hmm?

A quick and easy driver seat adjustment and we were on our way. Less than 2 minutes later, Riley had mastered the DVD players and headphones, Stella was fast asleep and there was silence.

The Kluger has minimal road noise and sits very firmly on the road. There is certainly no lack of power, achieving 0 – 100kms in less than 8 seconds and the interior is comfortable and well eqipped. My first impressions are very positive.

I did find that the rear view mirror was not as good as I was used to, especially when the DVD player is in use. Although, the side view mirrors most than compensate with a crystal clear view and the Kluger has the added bonus of the reversing camera.

I had a lovely peaceful drive to Echuca and home again (approximately 100 kms). I was certainly impressed by the fuel economy. The guage barely moved, whereas my Pajero would have used a quarter of a tank.

My husband has an appointment out of town tomorrow and gets his first opportunity behind the wheel. I wonder what his first impressions will be? I’ll let you know tomorrow.

Bye for now