2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Delivers True Three-Row Seating, Safety And Efficiency

When the fourth-generation of the Toyota Highlander debuted a few years back, the design team took it in a fundamentally new direction from its predecessors. From a visual perspective, they opted to really emphasize the sport in SUV with bold, flaring fenders that were more than a little reminiscent of the then new Supra sports car and a lower profile greenhouse. This year, Toyota expanded its lineup of three-row SUVs with the addition of the Grand Highlander that puts focus back on the utility and a whole different look.

The Grand Highlander debuted at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show in February with few detailed specs, but now that we’ve had a chance to drive it, we also have all those details. The new entry is 6.5-inches longer overall with four inches more wheelbase. It’s also 2.3 inches wider and 2-inches taller. This is way more than just a simple stretch of the Highlander but essentially a different vehicle. Overall, it falls in between the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride and slightly shorter than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

While the Highlander is aimed at smaller families that need occasional use of a third row, the Grand Highlander is targeted at those that regularly need to carry more than five people, especially for longer road trips and also need some towing capability.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the Grand Highlander picks up more queues from the chunky Rav4 than swoopy un-Grand Highlander, especially in the front end. The look is relatively clean and uncluttered without appearing too plain.

From a propulsion perspective, Toyota is offering four options, the increasingly ubiquitous 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with front or all-wheel drive and two AWD hybrids. The same 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder with the fifth-generation of the classic Toyota hybrid system uses an electronic continuously variable transmission while the most powerful Grand Highlander is available with the same turbocharged Hybrid Max system with a six-speed automatic transmission that debuted last year on the new Lexus RX and Toyota Crown.

We had the opportunity to drive the Grand Highlander on the big island of Hawaii with each of the three powertrains and AWD. We also borrowed a regular Highlander that a group of used to go out to lunch one day which made for an interesting direct comparison. As its dimensions would imply, the Grand Highlander feels noticeably larger. The added width makes the first two rows feel substantively more spacious in both of the first two rows.

While the dashboard is anchored by the same 12.3-inch touchscreen with the new Toyota infotainment system as the Highlander, most of what is around is unique to the Grand model. The base XLE gets a 7-inch multi-information display in the gauge cluster while Limited and Platinum get a 12.3-inch digital display. Seven USB-C ports are standard on all trims with a data port in the center stack and the others being for charging devices only. A Qi wireless charger is also standard on all trims.

On the passenger side of the dashboard, there is a nicely sized slot spanning from the center touchscreen to the door that is deep enough to put a large sized phone or other objects in while driving. In addition to the two USB ports in the center stack there is a third at left end of the dash, making it easier for the passenger to charge devices without reaching into the center area.

The seats in the XLE are covered in a synthetic SofTex material that is leather like and easy to clean, an important consideration for those with little humans to transport. The front seats offer heating and second-row sunshades are standard. Stepping up to Limited gets leather seats with heating elements added to the second row, and ventilation up front while the Platinum gets ventilated second row seats, panoramic moonroof, heads up display and more. All trims gets wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support as well.

The key differentiating feature of the Grand Highlander is of course the third of seats. Let’s get one thing out of the way first. While there are 3 seat belts back there, unless your friends are very slim shouldered, only children will fit three abreast back there. Otherwise two adults is the practical maximum as is the case for most three-row utility vehicles. That said, the third row is actually quite usable by adults.

With the front and second row seats set for my 5-foot-11-inch frame, I was able to sit relatively comfortably in the third row. My head was not touching the roof (and I’m long in the torso) and while knee room was minimal in this configuration, I didn’t have to splay my legs and there was room for my feet. With a slightly shorter passenger in the second row, or someone willing to sacrifice a bit of spaciousness, there is plenty of clearance in the third row. By comparison, in the standard Highlander, an adult male in the third row had to sit almost sideways to fit behind a 5-foot-6-inch passenger in the second row. Toyota has very clearly succeeded in the packaging of the Grand Highlander. On top of all that, there is space behind the third row to fit seven standard carry-on suitcases in the 20.6 cubic feet of volume (vs 16 cubic feet in standard Highlander).

Our primary drive route took us on a loop to the north end of the big island, going up more than three thousand feet in elevation along some surprisingly twisty roads into the volcanic mountains where we had a clear view of snow-capped Mauna Kea. We ran this loop counterclockwise in the 2.4-liter turbo, gas-engined model and clockwise in the Hybrid Max. We also ran a shorter loop in the regular hybrid model.

At 245-horsepower net output, the hybrid is the least powerful of the three options, but easily the most efficient at an estimated 34 mpg combined, just barely behind what the same powertrain achieves in the smaller Highlander and easily the most efficient true, 3-throw utility available. That said, the lower output means the Grand Highlander is putting this system to work and the 2.5-liter isn’t the most refined sounding engine in the world, especially when buzzing along at 4,000 rpm against the CVT while accelerating uphill. For all the goodness that the Grand Highlander brings to the driving experience, the hybrid powertrain saps a lot of enjoyment.

On the long loop, we started with the gas engine and the pairing with an eight-speed automatic was a much more pleasant experience with the 265-hp being a good combination. Even as the elevation increased, the turbocharger did a great job of keeping the cylinders full of as much air as was available. The result was a much more relaxed driving experience with the noise levels falling off as the transmission made each shift. Even climbing a relatively steep hill, the Grand Highlander didn’t struggle although with a full load the situation might be a bit different.

Of the three propulsion options, my co-driver, Nicole Wakelin and I both agreed the Hybrid Max was the one to recommend. At 362-hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, this setup has more than enough power in reserve to meet anyone’s needs, while still offering a decent blend of acceleration and efficiency. The six-speed automatic transmission makes it much quieter than the base hybrid and either of the two more powerful engines can tow up to 5,000-lbs when properly equipped. There is also an AC power outlet that can provide up to 1,500 W of power with either the hybrid system.

The gas XLE is estimated to achieve 24 mpg combined with FWD and 23 mpg with AWD. The Hybrid Max in the Limited or Platinum is projected to deliver 27 mpg combined, with AWD only.

Regardless of the powertrain, the Grand Highlander provides surprisingly good driving dynamics for its size. While it’s no GR 86, it hangs on well around twisty mountain roads and provides very good ride comfort on less than ideal pavement. There’s not a whole lot of steering feedback, but it goes where it’s pointed. All Grand Highlanders come with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 that includes blindspot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection. Like the Crown it also includes Proactive Driving Assist when driving on highways. It uses the camera and radar to scan for curves in the highway and automatically slows the vehicle down a bit if the set speed is too fast for the curve and then resumes the speed when you get on the straight.

The available traffic jam assist can provide some hands-free capability when operating at speeds below 25 mph in stop and go traffic. We didn’t get an opportunity to try this on the Grand Highlander, but it worked well within its limitations when we tried it on the Crown last year.

The Grand Highlander will be built exclusively in Indiana alongside the Sienna minivan and go on sale in North America this summer as a 2024 model. The FWD, 2.4T XLE will start at $44,405 including delivery while the loaded AWD Platinum Hybrid Max will come in at $59,460 with other variants being somewhere in between. Based on our first exposure to the Grand Highlander, Toyota seems to have achieved its goal of delivering a crossover with usable three-row seating and cargo volume for families.