Toyota's big family SUV loses its lustre

Toyota is the long-serving hybrid king, but its crown is slipping as a gaggle of new petrol-electric rivals from brands new and familiar line up to take their shot.. The big Kluger family SUV is the prime example.. It's rare for a Toyota hybrid not to absolutely dominate its rivals in the sales charts, but the tastes of Australians on the look out for a big, comfy family SUV have changed..

The current Kluger is more than five years old now, and not much has changed in that time except for a few nips and tucks.. We're piloting the top-of-the-range Grande grade, which starts at $85,065 (before on-road costs).. That's a pricey number, which is a cool $8000 more than the equivalent Hyundai Santa Fe, $10,500 more than the Kia Sorento and $15,000 more than the plug-in hybrid BYD Sealion 8..

There are cheaper options in the range, the GX ($62,410) and GXL ($71,930).. Toyota backs its vehicles with a five year/unlimited km warranty, which is the industry standard.. It is starting to look underwhelming compared to seven years, and even 10-year terms offered by some rivals..

Toyota's servicing costs still beat the competition, with the first five scheduled log book visits costing $335 each, with intervals every 15,000km or 12 months.. The Kluger has everything you need, if not necessarily everything you want.. The Grande gets 20-inch wheels, up from 18-inch units on lesser grades, there is LED lighting front and back, roof rails, rear spoiler and chrome covered grille..

Inside buyers can expect a 12.3-inch multimedia screen - up from eight inches in the GX - and a digital driver display of the same size.. A head-up display, which projects vital information such as travelling speed, prevailing speed limit and safety warnings onto the windscreen in front of the driver, is standard.. There is wireless Apple CarPlay, but you'll need a cord to connect to Android Auto.  The Grande is the only grade to get a wireless device charger, but all get five USB-C charging ports..

Sat-nav is standard and the Grande gets an 11-speaker JBL stereo, ambient lighting, driver's seat memory and a panoramic sunroof.. You'll find more in competitors for less.. The Kluger is like a big comfy couch..

Its power-adjustable front seats are wrapped in good-quality synthetic leather and are heated and ventilated.. The cabin is festooned with soft-touch materials, with supple coverings on the dash, door trims and most high-touch areas.. Faux-wood inserts add to the cabin's living-room feel..

A high seating position and plenty of steering wheel adjustment give you great vision out the front and make it easy to find a comfy driving position for all shapes and sizes.. The second row can easily accommodate taller teens and adults, but the third row is best left for smaller kids.. I had two child seats - one forward and one rear facing - in the second row with room for a small adult to fit in between..

There are Isofix points for the two window seats in the second row and each has a seat-back anchor point.. There are none in the third row.. One big fail is the second row has a 60:40 split, except the 60 is on the driver's side..

This means to load people through to the third row they either have to go through a narrow opening or do it from the road side.. The boot is decent at 552 litres when five seats are deployed but it shrinks to 241L when all seven are in place, ballooning to 1150L with the second row folded down.. There is a full size spare tyre..

Under the bonnet is the Kluger's crown jewel, Toyota's 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with three electric motors and a small battery.. All this adds up to 184kW of grunt sent to all four wheels and a combined fuel use of 5.6 litres per 100km.. It does require pricier premium unleaded fuel..

The Kluger's American bent shines through the engine.. It sounds gruff, with an uncanny rumble for a hybrid when you put your foot down, and it has plenty of oomph for a big rig.. It is easy to see why Toyota's tech is so popular, as the electric motors and petrol engine work seamlessly together blending petrol and electric grunt when needed..

It isn't as efficient as it reads on paper, with it nearly impossible to hit the 5.6-litre claim.. The Kluger is built for comfort with softly sprung suspension that soaks up bumps and lumps of all sizes.. The trade-off is there is more leaning and pitching through corners that you might like, but it is a fair compromise for a big rig made for moving people around, not for race tracks..

It is quiet on the road, with the outside world kept at bay.. As with most Toyotas it is an easy machine to pilot, with well-balanced steering that provides a good amount of feedback and inspires confidence in all conditions.. Toyota has ticked all the Kluger's safety boxes, as you'd expect for a vehicle pitched at growing families..

It will automatically hit the brakes if it detects a potential collision with a car, pedestrian or cyclist.. You'll be warned if a car is in your blind spot and if one is approaching from the side as you reverse.. A range of sensors will help keep you centred in your lane, and tug the steering wheel if it thinks you are drifting out of your lane..

The beauty of this Toyota tech is it actually works as intended, when needed and isn't constantly beeping and intruding when it is not welcome.. There are also front and rear parking sensors, reversing and bird's-eye view cameras to make parking the big rig as easy as possible.. The Toyota Kluger Grande is still a solid and comfortable family car that is backed by Toyota's reputation for reliability and a tried-and-tested hybrid tech..

It is no longer the benchmark and the competition has now caught up, and in many cases surpassed the Kluger for value, fuel efficiency, engine refinement and many rivals come with longer warranties..