The Toyota Highlander has long been a favorite with families, along with anyone else in need of a comfortable and practical mid-size SUV. For 2024, Toyota has upped the ante with the all-new Grand Highlander, a larger stablemate to the existing Highlander but with more passenger and cargo room, as well as added features.
Related: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Review: Do We Still Need the Regular Highlander?
While the Grand Highlander’s more usable third row and roomier cabin are welcome, its increased footprint puts it in line with competitors like the Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride and Volkswagen Atlas. All of those are closer to the size of the Grand Highlander than the regular Highlander as mid-size models continue to creep up in size.
But there’s a lot more than size to differentiate the Grand Highlander from its smaller sibling, including added safety and technology features, convenience items, and an available hybrid powertrain with 362 horsepower.
It all adds up to an appealing package, as Cars.com Managing Editor Joe Bruzek found while testing a Grand Highlander in the Hybrid Max Limited trim, but Bruzek also found some room for improvement. Tap the link above for his expert review; for a quicker look, below are five things we like about the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander and three things we do not.
Things We Like
1. Gear Up
With 14.5 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third row per Cars.com’s standardized measurements, the Grand Highlander bests the regular Highlander’s 8.6 cubic feet by a considerable margin. It also rivals the best in the category, matching the Atlas’ cargo space and edging out the Pilot’s 11.5 cubic feet. The Grand Highlander even beats out the larger Toyota Sequoia and its relatively meager 10.7 cubic feet. With the second row folded, cargo space increases to 26 cubic feet. There’s also a handy storage compartment for the rear cargo cover under the floor, eliminating the need to leave it behind when not needed.
2. Bring the Gang
Perhaps the most appealing benefit of the Grand Highlander’s increased size is a third row that’s much more accommodating and offers enough room even for larger kids and adults. That’s something that can’t be said of the regular Highlander. The third row isn’t quite as spacious as the one in the class-leading Atlas, but it’s much more in line with those of other competitors.
3. Added Muscle
Our tested Hybrid Max Limited trim came with the most potent of three available Grand Highlander powertrains; it combines a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a pair of electric motors for a total of 362 hp. That’s enough to make the Grand Highlander one of the most powerful entries in the category, capable of 0-60 mph runs in just over six seconds. Paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and electronic all-wheel drive, acceleration is as smooth and seamless as it is quick.
4. Frugal Flyer
Even with the lively acceleration delivered by its hybrid powertrain, the Grand Highlander delivers respectable fuel economy for an SUV this size. With an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in combined city/highway driving, it easily outdoes competitors like the Ford Explorer ST and its 20 mpg combined rating.
5. Family-Friendly Features
Novel ideas to help make family travel more pleasant include ceiling-mounted heating and air-conditioning vents, which make for a more effective way of keeping kids in car seats comfortable than vents in the center console or B-pillars. There’s also a transparent underfloor vision view that takes the vehicle out of the image for a clear view of parking lines or objects underneath. Hybrid Max-equipped trims are also available with 1,500-watt power outlets, which provide enough juice for things like power tools, an electric grill, or other camping and tailgating needs.
More From Cars.com:
- 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Cargo Room: How Does It Compare With Other Toyotas?
- Auto Show Faceoff: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Vs. 2024 Volkswagen Atlas
- Which Hybrid Vehicles Have All-Wheel Drive?
- How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander?
- Which SUVs Can Tow at Least 5,000 Pounds?
Things We Don’t Like
1. Dynamic Drawbacks
In spite of its impressive acceleration, the Grand Highlander is not among the more nimble or cushiest-riding SUVs in the category. It isn’t as engaging to drive as models like the Explorer ST, and the ride quality of our Hybrid Max Limited test vehicle was somewhat jarring and noisy. Some of that can be chalked up to its 20-inch wheels and tires, though, and likely would be less of an issue with the XLE trim’s 18-inch wheels.
2. Digital Disappointment
The Grand Highlander joins the growing list of vehicles available with a configurable digital instrument panel, which in itself is not a bad thing. But the Toyota’s dash design is busier than most, with a cluttered assortment of lights and symbols that can’t be cleaned up no matter which customization option you choose.
3. Who’s Driving?
Proactive Driving Assist is a safety system with the best of intentions, if not the best execution. Designed to steer and slow the vehicle when an object is detected in its path, the system is not unlike others that perform similar functions, such as adaptive cruise control and lane-centering steering. But PDA acts apart from these systems and manifests itself in ways that include subtly applying the brakes as you approach a traffic light. That can be annoying, especially since the system does this without any indication it’s working, and it’s not easy to turn off.
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