Standing between the Toyota Highlander and the Toyota Sequoia is the new 2024 Toyota grand highlander three-row SUV. The grand highlander just made its debut at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show.
It is built on the Toyota TNGA-K platform and features a hybrid max powertrain despite not being a super-sized Highlander. The Toyota grand highlander is offered in three model trims, the XLE, limited, and platinum options which provide different features and wheel sizes that differentiate the model grades.
Toyota Grand Highlander exterior
On the Exterior the grand Highlander features an aggressive and distinctive styling, thanks to its hammerhead grille and smooth doors. Not only that, a larger presence in profile has been achieved by the SUV not having a slope to the roof. The base model XLE comes with 18-inch wheels as standard. However, moving up the trim the limited rides on 20 inches. the limited also comes with LED headlights for daytime and fog lambs too while the Hybrid Max powertrain offers you a 1500-watt power outlet. The platinum offers a heads-up display panoramic cameras and a traffic jam assists feature.
Toyota Grand Highlander interior
The 2024 grand Highlander interior offers a sense of luxury accompanied by a spacious cabin. This time, the grand Highlander’s third row offers plenty of room for adults which is not that common in many third-row SUVs. In terms of cargo space Toyota hasn’t revealed the numbers of the cargo space size how ever from the reports the estimate is around 98 cubic feet.
Infotainment and connectivity features
Inside the 2024 Toyota Highlander comes with plenty of modern tech features. This starts from the front where a standard 13.3 touchscreen infotainment display is available. Other standard features include power heated seats, six USB chargers, a wireless charger, and the Toyota safety sense 3.0 suite of safety and driver assistance.
The grand highlander limited offers more luxury features such as both heated and ventilated seats in the front and the captain’s chair in the second row and a heated steering wheel. Configurable second-row storage in the console, a JBL 11 speaker sound system, parking sensors, and a power liftgate are also available.
Engine and power
There are three powerplant options under the hood. The base turbocharged 2.4-litre inline-four produces 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, and it comes with front- or all-wheel drive. The V-6-powered competitor has 20 to 28 more horsepower, but the Grand Highlander has an extra 48 to 50 pound-feet because of its eight-speed automatic transmission.
The combined fuel efficiency is estimated by the manufacturer to be 24 mpg for front drivers and 22-23 mpg for all-wheel drive. That’s around 1-2 mpg more than the competitors.
Toyota’s well-known hybrid follows, with dual electric motors that work in tandem to recover braking energy, harvest extra engine output, and manage the driving ratio of the seamless computerized continuously variable automatic transmission. The system’s 2.5-litre engine produces 187 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque on its own, with the electric motors increasing that to 245 horsepower. All-wheel-drive models include a third motor located between the rear wheels. Depending on trim, the estimated combined fuel efficiency ranges between 33 and 34 mpg.
Despite the name, the top-tier powertrain has nothing in common with the hybrid mentioned above. It combines the original 265-hp turbo four with a single electric motor sandwiched between its engine and transmission, which has six rather than eight speeds because the electric motor’s increased torque helps bridge the wider gaps. Because all-wheel drive is standard, there’s a second engine in the back. Overall, this powertrain produces 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, outperforming the Jeep Grand Cherokee L’s 5.7-litre Hemi V-8 in both categories. The combined fuel efficiency is predicted to be 27 mpg, which is 10 mpg greater than the Jeep.
Price
When it debuts this summer, the Grand Highlander will be available in three trim levels: XLE, Limited, and Platinum. All-wheel drive is available for $1600 on the first two models. The base engine is available in all three classes, with the XLE starting at $44,405, which is only $1050 more than a similarly equipped 2023 Highlander. That’s a great deal. The XLE Hybrid is priced at $46,005, which is only $1050 more than a comparable Highlander. The all-wheel-drive Limited Hybrid Max, which does not have a Highlander equivalent, is $55,375, and the all-wheel-drive Platinum Hybrid Max is $59,460.
