Summary
The 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander are midsize SUVs that highlight Toyota’s evolving strategy to blend hybrid technology, safety innovations, and tailored design features across its global lineup. While both models share a platform and a commitment to fuel efficiency, they target slightly different market segments: the Kluger emphasizes luxury and refinement with premium interiors and advanced safety systems, whereas the Highlander prioritizes spaciousness, versatility, and a broader range of powertrain options including turbocharged and high-performance hybrid variants.
Notable for their hybrid powertrains, both SUVs offer efficient fuel consumption and all-wheel-drive capability, with the Kluger exclusively powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid system and the Highlander providing additional engine choices, including a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine and a Hybrid MAX variant. Safety remains a central focus, as each model incorporates Toyota Safety Sense™ technologies along with strong crash test ratings from agencies such as ANCAP and the IIHS, underscoring their competitive standing in occupant protection within the midsize SUV class.
Market reception of the 2025 Kluger and Highlander reflects regional consumer preferences and pricing dynamics. The Kluger has experienced price increases and a transition away from petrol-only models to hybrids, impacting sales in markets like Australia where volumes have declined. Conversely, the Highlander maintains competitive pricing and appeals to buyers seeking flexible configurations and advanced connectivity features. Toyota’s sustained growth in North American sales demonstrates the importance of these SUVs in its broader portfolio strategy amid rising demand for hybrid and all-wheel-drive vehicles.
Despite their many strengths, both models have encountered some quality-related issues reported between 2022 and 2025, such as reversing camera malfunctions and digital instrument cluster glitches, which Toyota has addressed through recalls and fixes. Overall, the 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander represent key offerings in Toyota’s mid-size SUV segment, balancing performance, efficiency, safety, and comfort to meet diverse consumer needs worldwide.
Overview
The 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander stand out as prominent SUVs in Toyota’s lineup, each appealing to different segments of the market with their unique features and styling. The Kluger, known for its refined design, boasts an updated front fascia with bold LED lighting and elegant lines that give it a sophisticated presence on the road. Inside, it offers three rows of well-cushioned seating, premium materials, and an intuitive cabin layout designed to maximize comfort for all passengers. Additional highlights include a panoramic sunroof and an enhanced infotainment system that enrich every journey.
Powertrain options for the 2025 Kluger include a range of robust petrol engines alongside Toyota’s latest hybrid system, delivering strong acceleration combined with impressive fuel efficiency. Available all-wheel drive, advanced traction control, and a smooth suspension setup ensure confident handling on various terrains, from highways to gravel roads.
In North America, Toyota’s strategy for 2025 focuses on SUVs, trucks, and hybrids, aligning with consumer demand in the region. This targeted approach has helped Toyota maintain its strong sales momentum, with a 4.2% increase in U.S. sales during the first half of 2025, reaching 1.24 million vehicles. Toyota models remain among the most popular in 14 U.S. states.
Toyota effectively tailors its marketing and product features to resonate with diverse consumer segments. Environmentally conscious buyers are attracted by the brand’s emphasis on technological advancements and fuel efficiency, while adventure seekers are drawn to vehicles with rugged capabilities, as seen in campaigns for models like the 2025 4Runner. This nuanced approach extends to both the Kluger and Highlander, positioning them as competitive choices depending on buyers’ preferences and lifestyles.
Design and Features
The 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander both emphasize standout design and practical features tailored to diverse consumer needs. The Kluger Grande targets discerning families with a sophisticated black premium interior, power-adjustable heated front seats with memory settings, ventilated front seats, and multiple safety technologies including a Pre-Collision Safety System with pedestrian and cyclist detection, Intersection Turn Assistance, Emergency Steer Assist, and seven SRS airbags. Its exterior dimensions measure approximately 4966 mm in length, 1755 mm in height, and 1930 mm in width, with a versatile boot capacity ranging from 241 to 1150 liters, offering flexible cargo solutions for family and lifestyle needs.
The Highlander boasts a spacious and thoughtfully designed cabin that can seat up to eight occupants comfortably. Interior legroom measurements include 41.7 inches in the front row, 39.5 inches in the second row, and 33.5 inches in the third row, ensuring a first-class journey for all passengers. The vehicle’s design features aerodynamic lines, a sculpted profile, and available roof rails, enhancing both aesthetics and outdoor practicality. An available panoramic roof adds an open-air experience, complementing its versatile interior space and flexible storage options. The Highlander also integrates advanced technology focused on connectivity and driver safety, such as customizable information displays accessed via steering wheel controls, which include cruise control and safety assist functions.
Both SUVs reflect Toyota’s commitment to innovation, with the Kluger emphasizing luxury and advanced safety features, while the Highlander focuses on spaciousness, adaptability, and outdoor readiness. This dual approach aligns with Toyota’s broader 2025 strategy to tailor vehicles to specific consumer segments, combining hybrid technology, rugged capability, and cutting-edge design to meet regional and lifestyle demands.
Performance
The 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander both offer competitive performance options tailored to different driver preferences, balancing power, efficiency, and capability.
The Highlander features a new base gas engine, replacing the previous 3.5-liter V6 with a more efficient 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four that delivers 265 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and is available with all-wheel drive (AWD) to enhance traction and handling. Additionally, the Highlander offers a hybrid powertrain option that achieves up to a 35 EPA-estimated combined mpg rating, delivering a smooth and confident ride suitable for both urban and off-road conditions. Its AWD models come equipped with Multi-Terrain Select (MTS), allowing drivers to tailor the vehicle’s traction control for different surfaces. The vehicle also features selectable driving modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—that adjust acceleration, fuel economy, and overall performance to suit driver preference.
The 2025 Toyota Kluger comes exclusively with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain producing approximately 246 horsepower (184 kW) through a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) and an eFour AWD system. The hybrid setup provides an efficient fuel consumption rate of about 5.6 L/100 km combined, contributing to its reputation as a strong contender in the midsize SUV market. The Kluger accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in around 8.4 seconds and has a braked towing capacity of 2,000 kg. Its suspension setup is praised for delivering smooth ride quality comparable to Toyota’s smoothest driving vehicles, and it includes intelligent safety and connected technologies to support safe and comfortable driving.
Fuel Efficiency and Emissions
The 2025 Toyota Kluger demonstrates a hybrid powertrain that prioritizes fuel efficiency by intelligently switching between combustion and electric power. Even on higher-speed roads where the petrol engine is predominantly used, the Kluger will revert to EV mode during coasting or minimal throttle input to conserve fuel. This approach helps the vehicle achieve fuel economy figures closer to Toyota’s official claims, especially on highways such as the Hume Freeway.
The Kluger is available with a 2.5L hybrid powertrain featuring a continuously variable transmission (CVT), optimized for both petrol and electric operation. While the official fuel consumption is rated at around 11 L/100 km, real-world figures can vary significantly, with urban stop-start driving potentially pushing consumption up to 17 litres per 100 km. This variance is influenced by driving conditions and the balance between combustion and electric motor use.
The hybrid system optimizes the synergy between the electric motor and gasoline engine by adjusting the electric motor assistance and synchronizing engine speed with vehicle speed. This results in smooth, quiet acceleration without requiring the engine to run at high revs. Additionally, the Highlander Hybrid variant includes a unique all-wheel-drive system that employs a separate rear-mounted electric motor to power the rear wheels as needed, enhancing traction and efficiency without compromising fuel economy.
Safety
The 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander prioritize occupant protection and accident prevention through a comprehensive suite of active and passive safety features. Both SUVs are equipped with Toyota Safety Sense™, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and Pre-Collision Safety System (PCS) with Pedestrian and Daylight Cyclist Detection. This system can detect vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists during daylight, providing audio and visual alerts and applying automatic braking if necessary to mitigate or avoid collisions.
Active safety technologies such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Lane Trace Assist—which helps keep the vehicle centered within its lane by applying steering corrections—and Driver Attention Detection to alert fatigued drivers are standard in both models. Additionally, front and rear parking assist with automatic braking enhances safety during low-speed maneuvers.
In terms of passive safety, the 2025 Kluger features seven SRS airbags, including dual frontal airbags, side head-protecting airbags for all three rows, side chest airbags for the front row, and a driver knee airbag as standard equipment. The vehicle’s robust structural design further contributes to occupant protection in crashes. Similar airbag configurations and structural integrity are expected in the Highlander, given its close relation and shared platform with the Kluger.
Crash test ratings reinforce the strong safety profile of these SUVs. The 2025 Toyota Kluger variants built from March 2021 onwards have received high marks from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). Meanwhile, the Highlander earned a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in multiple crashworthiness categories, including moderate overlap front, side impact, and front crash prevention systems. The Highlander’s headlights were rated “Acceptable,” and the vehicle received the IIHS Top Safety Pick award. Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet tested the Grand Highlander, the Grand Highlander Hybrid received an overall 4-star rating from NHTSA.
Both SUVs incorporate advanced driver assistance systems such as Intersection Turn Assistance, Emergency Steer Assist, and Road Sign Assist (speed signs only), which enhance situational awareness and collision avoidance. This combination of active and passive safety technologies, supported by favorable crash test results, makes the 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander among the safest choices in the mid-size SUV segment.
Pricing and Trim Levels
The 2025 Toyota Kluger has seen notable price increases, with adjustments in early 2024 resulting in the discontinuation of petrol models and a shift exclusively to hybrid drivetrains. The entry-level Kluger now starts at $54,420 before on-road costs, marking a $6,770 rise since the launch of the current-generation model in 2021. Further price hikes took effect from June 1, 2025, adding up to $1,490 across the Kluger lineup, as Toyota cited increased costs and inflationary pressures both domestically and internationally.
In contrast, the 2025 Toyota Highlander maintains competitive pricing across its trims. The Highlander Hybrid XLE, which went on sale at the end of 2024, has a base price of $47,815. While the Highlander Hybrid offers limited trim options, it compensates with a broad array of accessories catering to storage, lighting, towing, camping, and pet needs. All Highlander trims share consistent fuel efficiency ratings, achieving 24 MPG combined, with 21 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on the highway.
Comparison
The 2025 Toyota Kluger and Highlander share many similarities but also offer distinct features that appeal to different SUV buyers. Both models come equipped with hybrid powertrains centered around a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine paired with two motor generators, one on each axle, delivering efficient all-wheel-drive performance. The Highlander also offers additional powertrain options, including a 362-horsepower Hybrid MAX and a 2.4L turbocharged gas engine, providing a broader range of performance choices.
In terms of interior design, the cabins of the Kluger and Highlander are notably similar, featuring spacious layouts with comfortable seating and advanced infotainment and safety technologies. The Highlander emphasizes a thoughtful layout with ample interior space that varies slightly between its gas and hybrid trims, ensuring real-world comfort for all occupants. Both SUVs are designed to accommodate families comfortably, though precise interior dimensions differ marginally.
When it comes to safety, the two SUVs demonstrate strong credentials. The 2020 Toyota Highlander LE, for instance, achieved favorable ratings in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) small overlap front evaluations, where the combined rating is determined by the lower score of the driver and passenger side tests. The Highlander received “Good” ratings in moderate overlap front and side impact tests, with “Acceptable” scores in small overlap front and headlights categories. The Grand Highlander Hybrid also earned a 4-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Toyota equips the 2025 Highlander with comprehensive safety features, including front and rear parking assist with automatic braking, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster with integrated alerts, and the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection.
Performance-wise, while official acceleration figures for the Kluger are not available, estimates suggest a 0-100 km/h time around 9.0 seconds, powered by its hybrid system. The Highlander’s hybrid system uniquely synchronizes engine speed with vehicle speed to optimize electric motor assistance and ensure smooth, quiet acceleration. Its AWD system utilizes a rear-mounted electric motor to engage the rear wheels as needed, enhancing traction and efficiency.
Consumer and Expert Reviews
The 2025 Toyota Kluger has received favorable evaluations from automotive experts, with CarsGuide awarding it an average rating of 8.6 out of 10 based on one detailed expert review. This score reflects the Kluger’s strong performance, design, and feature set, positioning it as a competitive option in the midsize SUV segment.
Despite its positive reception, some issues have been reported across several Toyota models from 2022 to 2025, including the Kluger. Notably, there have been instances where reversing cameras may not display correctly, prompting Toyota to offer a complimentary fix to affected owners. Additionally, a digital instrument cluster malfunction has been identified as impacting multiple Toyota vehicles such as the RAV4, Corolla variants, Camry, CH-R, GR Yaris, and the Kluger itself, highlighting an area where Toyota is addressing quality concerns.
Consumers and prospective buyers can explore comprehensive information regarding the Toyota Kluger’s features, pricing, and specifications through various review platforms to make informed decisions. These resources offer in-depth comparisons and insights, aiding buyers in evaluating how the Kluger stands against competitors like the Highlander within the SUV market.
Sales Performance and Market Impact
Toyota’s presence in the global automotive market remains robust, with significant sales achievements and strategic market influence in 2024 and early 2025. In the United States, a key market for Toyota, the company experienced record sales in 2024, continuing its strong performance into the first half of 2025. Toyota, including its luxury division Lexus, saw a 4.2% increase in sales, totaling 1.24 million vehicles. Notably, Toyota models were the most popular in 14 U.S. states, underscoring the brand’s dominant position in the region.
Globally, Toyota’s sales distribution in fiscal year 2025 highlights North America as the largest market, accounting for 28
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