The latest Toyota Kluger has finally stopped looking like a giant anonymous family appliance and started looking properly expensive.
The fourth-generation design is wide, low-looking and considerably more sophisticated than the old XU40. The front end has a large grille, slim LED lighting and a broad horizontal stance, while the side profile is clean rather than excessively decorated.
And it is enormous.
At 4,966mm long and 1,930mm wide, the current Kluger is a substantial SUV. In Bangladesh, that gives it serious road presence but also creates a very practical problem: Dhaka was not designed by someone who owned a five-metre SUV.
The approximately 207mm ground clearance is useful. Speed breakers, broken road surfaces and uneven residential roads are far less intimidating than they would be in a low sedan. The AWD system also provides additional traction when roads become slippery.
Toyota offers 18-inch wheels on GX and GXL, while Grande moves to 20-inch wheels. Roof rails, LED lighting, automatic headlights, power-folding mirrors and other premium exterior details make the higher grades look suitably expensive.
The design also benefits from restraint.
It looks modern without becoming cartoonishly aggressive, and the large body gives the seven-seat SUV genuine presence.
For Bangladesh, however, the size should be taken seriously. This is excellent for highways, family trips and spacious parking areas.
It is less amusing when attempting to squeeze through an old Dhaka lane with a rickshaw on one side and a CNG on the other.
