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Toyota has revealed a larger and more passenger-friendly version of the three-row Highlander, called the Grand Highlander.
Simply put, the Grand Highlander offers a similar look and packaging to the Highlander, and the same eight-seater capacity, but with a more upright design at the rear — plus a slightly added wheelbase and length.
Sacrifice? The hybrid version of the Grand Highlander is expected to reach 34 mpg—versus 36 mpg for the Highlander model. You might also be carrying a little more weight, and it might be a little more difficult to park. But compared to the Ford Explorer Hybrid or Kia Sorento Hybrid, the Grand Highlander looks like more space than mpg.
That’s all ahead of the expected arrival of the Highlander Prime plug-in hybrid, to follow the RAV4 Prime’s standout success.
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Hybrid option to Max
For now, Toyota says that the Grand Highlander will be offered with three different powertrain options, all with an internal combustion engine under the hood: a 2.4-liter turbo-4 with front- or all-wheel drive; 2.5-liter inline-4 with front- or all-wheel drive, as part of Toyota’s established planetary hybrid system (and option for 34 mpg efficiency); and Toyota’s new Hybrid Max system, only offered with all-wheel drive.
A second hybrid option that Toyota describes as a “performance seeker”, with 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Toyota says that with this powertrain, which we’ve defined like the Toyota Crown Max to use an automatic transmission featuring a motor up front and separate motors for the rear wheels, the Grand Highlander can accelerate to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds, and offers towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds. .
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
The Grand Highlander was designed at Calty Design Studios, which is split between California and Michigan, and will be built with Highlander in Princeton, Indiana.
It’s built on the same foundation as the Highlander, and the designs of the two models are close friends, though it appears the wheelbase and overall length have stretched slightly. Oddly—and perhaps underscoring how trivial the difference in dimensions is—Toyota doesn’t disclose how much.
No rush to show what makes it Grand
To give a hint, Toyota lists a total cargo space of around 98 cubic feet with both rear rows folded down, compared to 84.3 cubic feet with the standard Highlander. It also describes the model as having “a spacious adult-sized third row. Toyota hasn’t said whether the second row of seating has been redesigned to accommodate easier access to the third row, but it appears the door pieces are different and that should certainly help.
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
The Grand Highlander will be offered in XLE, Limited and Platinum classes. The XLE version includes roof rails, heated mirrors, electric driver’s seat, electric lift doors, heated front seats, wireless device charger and digital lock system. The limited model steps up to leather upholstery, LED fog lights, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, parking sensors, ambient lighting, 20-inch alloy wheels and a 1500-watt power outlet (hybrid), plus digital cluster gauges. The top Platinum class gets heated and ventilated second row seats, panoramic moonroof, head-up display, digital mirrors and multi-terrain selector in some versions.
Toyota also bundles cloud-based navigation, agent-assisted destination services, and other connected features with a subscription. Apple Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility are included, as is HD Radio, a three-month trial of SiriusXM satellite radio, and a one-month trial of the system’s 4G wi-fi hotspot capability. The Limited and Platinum models include 11-speaker JBL audio.
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Leather upholstered seats are available on the Grand Highlander Limited and Platinum, and the Hybrid Max version in particular will get bronze accent seats with leather and faux-suede trim.
The Hybrid Max version also, according to Toyota, has “available dual exhaust.”
Slightly different, but refreshing throughout
You have to hold both models next to each other in the photo to see the difference. Compared to the Highlander, the Grand Highlander has a longer and more formal roofline, as well as a more subtle and less curvy rear wing which allows for significantly more third-row space.
Inside, the Grand Highlander boasts a similar but functional and aesthetically-improved refresh. The center console appears reshaped and redesigned, with a different ventilation design, new door trims and new gauge displays. Passengers in the third row will probably notice the biggest difference, of course.
Toyota says that the Grand Highlander — and, we’ll assume, the 2024 Highlander — adopts the full suite of Toyota’s Safety System 3.0, which includes full-speed adaptive cruise control, cyclist and pedestrian recognition for automatic emergency braking, road sign recognition, and a lane keeping system. that studies vehicles in adjacent lanes.
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Pricing and sale dates will be announced for the Grand Highlander later this summer; so to speculate, expect this fall. And at that point, extrapolate more details about how big the Grand is and why you’d want it.
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