2023 Toyota Kluger – Lexus 2.4L turbo four-cylinder engine replaces 3.5L V6 NA for Australia; from RM147k

The Toyota Kluger SUV has been updated for the 2023 model year in Australia, bringing the 2.4 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine from the Lexus NX to replace the outgoing 3.5 litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine.

This is in addition to equipment updates, bringing improvements to the infotainment package and safety features; in Australia, the 2023 Toyota Kluger starts from A$49,720 (RM146,680) for the base GX 2WD, and up to A$74,720 (RM220,191) for the top petrol variant, the Grande AWD petrol; the Grande AWD hybrid costs A$78,160 (RM230,328).

Revised powertrain for the 2023 Kluger in Australia features the aforementioned turbo petrol four-cylinder engine that produces 269 PS and 420 Nm of torque, the latter representing a 70 Nm gain over the peak torque figure produced by the NA 3.5 litre V6, and is produced from 1,700 rpm to 3,600 rpm.

This 2.4 litre turbo petrol engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and is offered in either front- or all-wheel-drive. This powertrain joins the 2.5 litre hybrid powertrain with all-wheel-drive that is already offered for the Kluger in the Australian market, says Toyota.

The multi-information display (MID) in the base GX trim levels grows in size from 4.2 inches to seven inches, while the GXL and Grande trim levels gain multimedia toucscreen infotainment units now measure 12.3 inches across, up from eight inches previously. The Grande versions also get a 12.3-inch fully digital driver’s instrument cluster.

The updated multimedia system offers a set of shortcut buttons along the side of the screen, while information is also shown on two other display tiles, according to Toyota.

For smartphone connectivity, Apple CarPlay is now wireless, alongside wired Android Auto, with further improvement to the system’s natural voice recognition capability. In Australia, all trim levels for the Kluger receive 12 months of complimentary Toyota Connected Services.

This enables the user to see information about the vehicle through the myToyota Connect mobile app, offering information such as fuel level, odometer readings, recent trip information, the vehicle’s last known location, vehicle diagnostics, plus selected remote control functions.

Meanwhile, all GX (base) variants in Australia now gain automatic dual-zone front air-conditioning and single-zone rear air-conditioning.

In Malaysia, this 2.4 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine features in the Lexus NX 350 F Sport, which is priced at RM389,888 on-the-road without insurance. In the Lexus crossover for Malaysia, the engine produces 275 hp at 6,000 rpm and 430 Nm of torque from 1,700 to 3,600 rpm, sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.