Yahoo Autos 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Review: A strong, new three-row contender
Pros: Two hybrid powertrain options; exceptional cargo space; usable third row; refined and quiet ride
Cons: Expensive for the segment; the lesser hybrid powertrain is noisy and slow
The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, is, as its name suggests, grander than the tried-and-true Highlander. That means it’s bigger, with more room for people and cargo, including a third row that is actually usable for adults. There’s more going on here than simply some inches added to the back of a regular Highlander, however. Although the two share underlying mechanicals, the Grand Highlander diverges from there with bolder, dare-we-say “grander” styling, more standard tech, and the option of a performance-oriented hybrid to go with the shared gas-only and efficiency minded hybrid powertrains.
The Grand Highlander leaves an excellent first impression, and should absolutely be on your short list if you’re looking for a three-row family hauler. We don't rate it quite as highly as the venerable Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot, however. The varied choice of powertrains certainly gives the Toyota an advantage, with the hybrids in particular offering the sort of fuel economy (standard hybrid) or power upgrade (Hybrid Max) none of those rivals can. We also found it has more cargo space behind the raised third row. Our main issue is just how much more expensive the Grand Highlander is. While it may be "grand" in comparison to the Highlander, that's mostly because the regular Highlander is on the small side and generally less competitive. So, definitely worth a look, but be weary of what you're getting for the money.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it's like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What's new for 2024?
The Grand Highlander is an all-new model in its first model year.
What are the Grand Highlander interior and in-car technology like?
The Grand Highlander’s interior is fairly conventional, but still has trademark Toyota features like the shelves in the dash and up-to-date touchscreen infotainment system. For better or for worse, there isn't a huge difference in interior quality from the base models to the highly specified versions. They're all put together well and have soft, quality plastics. Higher trims have attractive leather options and some upholstered dash panels, but some of the painted plastics and faux wood trim don't feel nice enough to justify the pricing, particularly when the cabins of the Telluride, Palisade and Mazda CX-90 rival entry-level luxury SUVs.
The centerpiece of the Grand Highlander’s interior is its 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is standard across all trim levels. It looks modern and reacts quickly to inputs, but we miss the physical menu buttons Toyota used to include with its infotainment system (especially a Home button) and dislike that there is no longer a split-screen view. Going in between the Toyota and standard Apple/Android interfaces is particularly frustrating. Move up to the Limited trim, and you also get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster instead of the analog gauges and 7-inch display in the XLE. The Platinum trim comes with a head-up display, as well. There’s also a wireless phone charger, as well as seven USB-C ports in the cabin, including the third row. The Grand Highlander also offers digital key technology, which allows you to use your phone to get in and turn on the vehicle, but it requires a Remote Connect subscription.
How big is the Grand Highlander?
The Grand Highlander is a three-row vehicle, with a roomier third row than the tight confines in the way back of the standard Highlander. It’s now comfortable enough that we wouldn’t shy away from letting adults sit back there, with a tad more leg- and shoulder room than the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade. The second row is roomy, too, and can be had with a bench seat or captain’s chairs, allowing for seven- or eight-seat configurations. While most should be comfortable enough up front, our tallest editor (6-foot-3) discovered that the driver seat doesn't adjust as much as those of rival SUVs, specifically in regards to fore-aft and seat-bottom tilt adjustments.
Cargo volume is greatly superior to the smaller regular Highlander. On paper, its 20.6 cubic feet behind the third row puts it 4 cubes ahead of the regular Highlander and more than most competitors as well. In our real-world testing, it could more stuff behind the third row than everything else in its segment and nearly everything we've tested with three rows, period (it could even hold more than the Chevy Tahoe and Ford Expedition, let alone the somewhat pathetic Toyota Sequoia. This means you’ll be more likely to actually bring along luggage or groceries without having to fold the third row seats (or invest in a roof-top cargo box). If that’s not enough luggage space, there’s 57.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 97.5 with both rear rows folded.
What are the Grand Highlander fuel economy and performance specs?
The Grand Highlander is offered with a choice of three powertrains, two of which are hybrid. The base power plant is an all-gas turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine providing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, put to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. With front-wheel drive, fuel economy is rated at 21 miles per gallon city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. All-wheel drive sacrifices a just little bit of that mileage, at 21/27/23 mpg in the XLE, and 20/26/22 mpg in the Limited and Platinum trims.
The efficiency offering is the Grand Highlander Hybrid, with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine paired with an electric motor and battery. It’s less powerful, with 245 system horsepower, but gets better fuel economy. In front-wheel drive, it gets 37 mpg city, 34 mpg city and 36 mpg combined in the XLE. Add all-wheel-drive system to the XLE (it adds another motor, which exclusively powers the rear wheels), and it sees 36/32/34 mpg. Those are the same figures as the Limited with front-wheel drive. The Limited AWD gets 35/31/33 mpg.
The third powertrain offering is the Hybrid Max, which gives up some fuel economy for the best performance in the lineup. It pairs the hybrid system to the 2.4-liter turbo, making a combined 362 system horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. It uses a six-speed automatic transmission for a more traditional driving feel. The Hybrid Max is only offered with all-time all-wheel drive, and gets 26/27/27 mpg, which is better than the gas-only Grand Highlander, but not nearly as efficient as the other hybrid powertrain.
What's the Grand Highlander like to drive?
While we recommend skipping the gas-only powertrain on the small Highlander in favor of the hybrid, we find the opposite is true, here, assuming that you're not looking for maximum fuel economy. We don’t hear the as much of the harsh sound of the four-cylinder in the Grand highlander, letting the healthy torque and responsive transmission shine, and giving it a more refined experience.
The Grand Highlander's basic hybrid is much less enjoyable. Its 245 hp is reaching its limits with 4,455 to 4,710 pounds of curb weight to haul around. Combined with the hybrid powertrain's electronically controlled CVT, it moves slow and sounds strained, the same as it is in our long-term Toyota Sienna. But, like with our Sienna, the fuel economy is just so gosh-darn impressive that you might be able to forgive it – especially as no competitor with a comparably large interior offers anything like it.
