TOYOTA KLUGER, HILUX ACKNOWLEDGED AT CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Toyota's family-favourite Kluger SUV and best-selling HiLux pick-up have impressed industry experts, winning prestigious awards at leading automotive websites CarExpert and drive.com.au.

Drive's Car of the Year awards have adjudicated the Kluger as being the premium choice in the large SUV segment for the second year running, impressing with its value, hybrid powertrain and ample space.

Meanwhile, Australia's most popular car, the HiLux pick-up, has been deemed the best value proposition in the Performance category of automotive leader CarExpert's exhaustive Ute of the Year competition.

Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley said the results reflected the quality and value of Toyota vehicles.

"The new-generation Kluger resonates strongly with family buyers, as evidenced by its impressive 10 per cent segment share in 2022," Mr Hanley said.

"And Australians need no reminder of the quality of the HiLux; it has been the country's best-selling model for the past seven years, showing the trust consumers put in our pick-up."

After winning the best large SUV category in 2022, the Kluger came out on top again with strong results against some of the toughest competition in the segment.

The fuel-efficient 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain offered on all Kluger variants was celebrated not only for its smoothness but also its savings at the petrol bowser - an important factor for families.

The space and amenity of the Kluger also garnered praise, along with the comfort and practicality that the Drive judges said makes it the ideal vehicle for the school drop-off or weekend away.

"Toyota's large SUV is one of the cheapest to run and maintain, and that's important with fuel prices climbing," said Drive's experts.

"The Toyota Kluger continues to be at the forefront of what Australian family buyers are looking for."

The HiLux was deemed best value in CarExpert's Ute of the Year: Performance category, which took into account a range of metrics including driveline efficiency, acceleration, and towing and braking performance.

CarExpert used the HiLux Rogue for the Ute of the Year tests, which scored particularly strongly for driveline and towing efficiency.

CarExpert founder Paul Maric said Toyota's dedication to build quality and durability shone through when testing the HiLux against strong competition.

"We set out to conduct Australia's most comprehensive dual-cab ute test and found that the HiLux managed to offer consistency and strong performance across a number of our tests," Mr Maric said.

"Where some dual-cab utes struggled with stopping performance or towing with a braked load, the HiLux really shone and proved that Toyota's engineering excellence is worth its weight in gold for dependability and consistency.

"It's easy to see that Australian fine-tuning and engineering has paid dividends."

The Kluger range opens from $51,120 plus on-road costs for the GX petrol 2WD, up to $79,560 plus on-road costs for the flagship Grande hybrid AWD.1 The extensive HiLux range opens at $25,375 plus on-road costs for the Workmate petrol single-cab 4x2 and tops out at the Rogue dual-cab 4x4 used in the test, from $70,200 plus on-road costs.1