The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander fills a hole in Toyota’s SUV lineup

You’d think Toyota would have the sport utility formula figured out long ago given its many popular models. But there’s long been a huge hole in Toyota’s SUV lineup, with the transition from the Highlander crossover to the particularly large-bodied Sequoia.

While it’s a very popular vehicle (more than 3.3 million sold to date), the Highlander’s middle row isn’t exactly world class, and its paltry third row is no match for the likes of the Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, Jeep Grand Cherokee. L, and Kia Telluride. Meanwhile, the product gap became a chasm when the new Toyota Sequoia debuted, as it moved in a more truck-like direction to fill the void left by the outgoing Land Cruiser. Switching from independent to solid-axle rear suspension certainly improved towing and off-road capability, but ride smoothness and third-row cargo and passenger space suffered.

Enter the Grand Highlander

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is an all-new vehicle that isn’t just a stretched-wheelbase Highlander. The Grand Highlander certainly has a longer wheelbase, but it’s also considerably larger in every other dimension. It also looks different from the Highlander, with smooth flanks that don’t evoke the Highlander’s Supra-wannabe crash. The GH is purpose-built to take on the competition above in what Toyota calls the “long-haul three-row SUV” segment. That it uses a derivative name is a calculated strategy, as Toyota freely admits it is “erasing the success” of the Highlander simply by putting “Grand” on the nameplate.

And why not? The Grand Highlander shares the basic mission of its namesake, but it’s better, especially if you use the third row most of the time or for longer trips. In numerical terms, the Grand’s 116.1-inch wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than the Highlander’s. It’s also 4.0 inches longer than the longer Highlander XSE, 2.3 inches wider and 2.0 inches taller. But it’s still much more garage- and parking-friendly than a Sequoia because its overall length is 6.7 inches thicker, its roof stoops 4.4 inches lower and the body is 1.3 inches longer narrow

Made for the long haul

The Grand Highlander’s extra interior space is put to good use, and we’re lucky that chief engineer Craig Payne cut his teeth on the Sienna before he was assigned the Grand Highlander project. The now spacious third row is easy to get into, and our 6ft 2in tester, yours truly, was able to sit there comfortably, with the second row preset to account for his own snug driving position . You could say that the Grand Highlander can carry a Dans conga line. At the same time, there’s 21 cubic feet of luggage space behind the third row, enough, Toyota estimates, for seven carry-on suitcases.

Meanwhile, the Highlander offers just 16 cubic feet behind a third row that’s downright adult-repellent, with 1.1 inches less headroom and 5.5 inches less legroom. Things are surprisingly less than the Sequoia, which offers 22 cubic feet of rear cargo space or Grand Highlander third-row levels of legroom, but not at the same time. You have to move the seat forward to the point of uninhabitability to get the former, or slide it back to get the latter, at which point you have just 12 cubes of cargo space and 1.6 inches less than the Grand.

We like how each outboard seat has a USB-C socket, and the Grand Highlander’s numerous cup holders include adjacent slots that can support smartphones and tablets. The second-row mini-console pops out quickly to create an aisle, and the front console features a roll-top section between the fixed armrests that lets you fish without disturbing your seatmate. Do you want to fold the seats and cargo? The Grand Highlander carries 58 cubic feet behind the middle row and 98 behind the front, which beats the Sequoia’s 49- and 87-cubic-foot efforts and is roughly 10 cubic feet better than the competition on both measures.

Up front, the driver’s seat is nicely set up and the dash looks interesting and layered, especially when accented with the Portobello brown leather and bronze trim on our Hybrid Max Platinum sample vehicle. Piano black is used sparingly, and many controls are set in matte black surfaces that have a surprisingly premium look and feel. A 12.3-inch touchscreen is standard on all grades, and pairing our phone with Apple CarPlay wirelessly was painless. Indeed, this is a comfortable and cozy place to cut the miles.

Multiple modes of motivation

Under the hood, you can choose between three powertrains. The base turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four is good for 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, and is available with front- or all-wheel drive. The V-6-powered competition offers 20 to 28 more horsepower, but the Grand Highlander sends an additional 48 to 50 pound-feet through its eight-speed automatic. Manufacturer-estimated combined fuel economy is 24 mpg front-driver and 22–23 mpg with all-wheel drive. That’s about 1-2 mpg better than the competition mentioned above.

Next up is Toyota’s familiar hybrid with dual electric motors that work together to recuperate braking energy, harvest excess engine power and regulate the drive ratio of the continuously variable electronic automatic transmission. The system’s 2.5-liter engine makes 187 horsepower and 177 pound-feet by itself, with the electric motors boosting that to 245 horsepower. All-wheel drive versions add a third motor between the rear wheels. Estimated fuel economy ranges from 33 to 34 mpg combined, depending on trim.

While the top-of-the-line powertrain is called the Hybrid Max, it shares nothing with the hybrid described above. It combines the base 265-hp turbo four with a single electric motor sandwiched between its engine and transmission, which has six speeds instead of eight because the electric motor’s added torque helps bridge wider gaps. All-wheel drive is standard, so there’s a second motor in the back. All told, this powertrain makes 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet, which beats the Jeep Grand Cherokee L’s 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 on both counts. Fuel economy is around 27 mpg combined, which is 10 mpg better than the Jeep.

Drive like a bigger Highlander

Under way, the base powertrain has no problem urging the larger, heavier Grand Highlander to merge lanes and climb steep grades. The transmission shifts smoothly, and while the base Grand isn’t quick, it’s not a problem either. We estimate that 60 mph will arrive in about 7.5 seconds. The engine note tends to grumble under load, but subsides while cruising. It also cuts a willing arc in corners, although the steering is a little light for our tastes.

We didn’t drive the base hybrid, but the Max Hybrid feels much more eager, as it should with nearly 100 more horses. Toyota says 60 mph will come in 6.3 seconds, but we think it’ll do better. Meanwhile, it’s never apparent that its transmission is down two gears, and the feel of the combined brakes is impressively consistent and reassuring. Steering is just as light as the standard GH, but on-center build-up is a little more muted here, possibly due to the sharper response of its standard 20-inch wheels.

Both versions offer a generally smooth ride that has no semblance of float, but the base model’s 18-inchers felt more flexible over cracked surfaces, as smaller-diameter wheels tend to do. But we’re not ready to be definitive, because the roads on the Big Island of Hawaii don’t have the variety of those back home, and the low speed limit of 55 mph applies to unmarked patrol cars.

Available soon and at compelling prices

When it arrives this summer, the Grand Highlander’s three-powertrain lineup will be available in XLE, Limited and Platinum grades. All-wheel drive is optional on the first two for $1600. All three grades are available with the base engine, starting with the XLE at $44,405, which is just $1,050 more than a similarly equipped 2023 Highlander. This is theft. The XLE Hybrid costs $46,005, which again is just $1,050 more than a comparable Highlander. Above that, the Limited Hybrid Max with all-wheel drive, which has no Highlander equivalent, costs $55,375, and the Platinum Hybrid Max with all-wheel drive sits at the top of the pile at $59,460.

With the new Grand Highlander, Toyota has perfectly plugged a hole in its lineup that had recently gotten bigger with the new Sequoia realignment. Finally, it gives the T brand what it needs to take on the likes of the Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride in the so-called long-haul three-row SUV segment. Does it stand a chance of winning a benchmark test? That’s still unclear, but it’s sure to win over new converts who passed up the Highlander because it wasn’t up to par.

Technical editor

Dan Edmunds was born into the world of cars, but not in the way you might think. His father was a retired racing driver who opened Autoresearch, a race car build shop, where Dan cut his teeth as a metal fabricator. He followed engineering school, then SCCA Showroom stock racing, and that combination landed him suspension development work at two different automakers. His writing career began when Edmunds.com sought him out (no relation) to build a testing department.