- The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offers more space for third-row passengers and cargo than the well-known Highlander
- Toyota will offer three powertrains, including two hybrid options
Some new cars are entirely new ideas. Some are an automaker moving into an area they’ve never occupied before and trying new things. Others are…well…obvious.
The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is no one’s idea of revolutionary thought. It’s more the logical next move Toyota was sure to make. But that doesn’t mean it’s not newsworthy.
It’s a Highlander with more third-row space and more space behind the third row. Toyota says adults can fit comfortably in its last row of seats, with seven carry-on suitcases behind them.
More Room Everywhere
Notably, they haven’t released specifications. So we can’t verify the legroom. But photos suggest this version offers significantly more comfort in the third row than today’s Highlander, which many months is America’s best-selling midsize SUV. And Toyota claims 98 cubic feet of space with the seats folded, which bests the 84.3 by several carry-on suitcases.
Thirteen cupholders and seven USB-C charge ports make it a family road trip machine. Buyers have the choice of second-row bench seats or captain’s chairs, meaning seating for eight or seven.
In the front row, the driver and passenger benefit from a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen, even in the base model, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Not Just a Stretched Highlander
You might expect the Grand Highlander to look exactly like the 2023 Highlander but stretched. You’d almost be right, but Toyota has reworked the front fascia to set the larger version apart. Toyota says it’s “inspired by the Highlander shape, but in an entirely new way.”
A trapezoidal grill Toyota calls “hammerhead,” reshaped air intakes, and taller rear windows leading to more upright pillars distinguish it from the standard Highlander. The rear bumper sweeps up more sharply than in the standard model, helping to keep the big SUV from seeming too bulky.
Three Power Options
Toyota will offer three powertrains in the Grand Highlander, two of which are currently available to residents of the less grand highlands.
The base model gets a 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which produces 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque – the same engine found in the standard Highlander.
The Grand Highlander Hybrid, like the Highlander Hybrid, pairs a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor to deliver 243 hp and 175 lb-ft of torque.
Both models, turbo, and hybrid, are available with front- or all-wheel drive (FWD or AWD).
The third option uses a powertrain Toyota calls Hybrid MAX. It mates a 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine to a pair of electric motors – one on each axle. The Hybrid MAX version gets 362 horsepower from this AWD setup.
