Apart from ample passenger and cargo space, the all-new Grand Highlander will give you more power, luxury, and comfort.
Toyota might have a winner up its sleeve — the brand-new Grand Highlander is a large SUV with space for eight adults and three powerful yet efficient powertrains on offer — and two of them are hybrids. It’s also the brand’s most luxurious offering, short only of the luxury division, Lexus, available in three trims — XLE, Limited, and Platinum. Along with Toyota’s legendary reliability, these qualities should be enough to make it a bestseller in the hungry-for-SUVs North American market. But let’s have a closer look, as there’s a lot to unpack here.
The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander debuted at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show with quite a flourish. But Toyota isn’t ready to share everything with us — the brand has revealed a handful of essentials that will keep the customers and fans on their toes, anticipating more.
For now, we know this for sure — the Grand Highlander isn’t just a stretched Highlander. This was surprising, as Toyota is a company that will save production costs wherever it can, but it seems like the new SUV was too important for them. And, at least in the images, it looks much more elegant and upmarket than the Highlander, with muscular and clear lines. It’s closer actually to the RAV4 in its styling, and we think that’s a good thing.
Make no mistake, though — the Grand Highlander is much larger than its smaller sibling. It’s 6.5 inches longer (201.4 inches), 2 inches taller, and 2.3 inches larger. The wheelbase is also 4 inches longer, which brought much more space in the cabin. Thus, it’s one of the largest SUVs with unibody construction, though still 7 inches short of Toyota’s largest SUV, the Sequoia.
As a result, with the seats folded, Toyota says its new mid-size+ SUV gives you 2,775 liters of volume. What’s more exciting is the Grand Highlander’s capability to accommodate bulk luggage even when the third row is occupied. While the regular Highlander could only house a few small bags with all seats in place, the Grand Highlander’s trunk is large enough for the whole family cargo.
Toyota’s designers also thoughtfully arranged the cabin with minivan-rivaling 13 cup holders, 7 USB-C charging ports, and plenty of other cubbies for your gadgets. Even the passengers in the third row have reserved cup holders and phone/tablet chargers!
But Toyota didn’t forget about the driver — on the center console sits a massive 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with the brand’s newest (and excellent) software, supporting wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. There are also two wireless chargers onboard, meaning that every passenger has the means to top up their smartphone — great news!
Oh, and as a special collaboration between Toyota and Nintendo gives customers an exciting option — 500 lucky Grand Highlander customers will receive a Nintendo Switch — OLED Model System and a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game package as well. Indeed, a fantastic combo for long road trips.
As for the comfort factor, the 2024 Grand Highlander doesn’t disappoint. Toyota designed the SUV to express a “comfortable living room-like space” with its thoughtful design. Moreover, the seats were uniquely crafted to feel like a “finely crafted sofa,” thanks to the soft-padded surfaces around the cabin.
The 2024 Grand Highlander will be available with three powertrains. From its smaller sibling, it borrows the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine producing 265 hp and the 2.5-liter hybrid with 243 hp. Both powertrains will be available with FWD or AWD drivetrains.
However, Toyota also added the potent 362-hp Hybrid MAX AWD powertrain from the Sequoia and Tundra, which propels the Grand Highlander to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. More importantly, perhaps, the Hybrid MAX has a 5,000-lbs towing capacity, which is very competitive for a unibody three-row SUV.
As mentioned earlier, Toyota hasn’t revealed a lot of essentials, like the pricing range and the on-sale date. Although there will be a price hike compared to the regular Highlander, it would surely be justifiable as the 2024 Grand Highlander packs many, many perks.
Gallery: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
