2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

Pros: Lots of space for passengers and cargo; refined, quiet ride; two hybrid powertrain options Cons: The lesser hybrid powertrain is noisy and slow; somewhat expensive starting price The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, is, as its name suggests, grander than the tried-and-true Highlander. That means it’s bigger, with more room for people and cargo, including a third row that is actually usable for adults. There’s more going on here than simply some inches added to the back of a regular Highlander, however. Although the two share underlying mechanicals, the Grand Highlander diverges from there with bolder, dare-we-say “grander” styling, more standard tech, and the option of a performance-oriented hybrid to go with the shared gas-only and efficiency minded hybrid powertrains. The Grand Highlander leaves an excellent first impression, and should absolutely be on your short list if you’re looking for a three-row family hauler, up there along with the venerable Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot. The varied choice of powertrains gives the Toyota an advantage over those competitors as well. That’s especially true of the base hybrid’s exceptional fuel economy, but we must warn you that it’s also a bit slow and grumpy-sounding. But, if it’s in your budget, the sweetheart Hybrid Max gives you some extra efficiency while providing much better, easier performance. Interior & Technology   |   Passenger & Cargo Space   |   Performance & Fuel Economy What it's like to drive   |   Pricing & Trim Levels   |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features What's new for 2024? The Grand Highlander is an all-new model in its first model year. What are the Grand Highlander interior and in-car technology like? The Grand Highlander’s interior is fairly conventional, but still has trademark Toyota features like the shelves in the dash and up-to-date touchscreen infotainment system. For better or for worse, there isn't a huge difference in interior quality from the base models to the highly specified versions. They're all put together well and have soft, quality plastics. Higher trims have attractive leather options and some upholstered dash panels, but some of the painted plastics and faux wood trim don't feel nice enough to justify the pricing, particularly when the cabins of the Telluride, Palisade and Mazda CX-90 rival entry-level luxury SUVs. The centerpiece of the Grand Highlander’s interior is its 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is standard across all trim levels. It looks modern and reacts quickly to inputs, but we miss the physical menu buttons Toyota used to include with its infotainment system (especially a Home button) and dislike that there is no longer a split-screen view. Going in between the Toyota and standard Apple/Android interfaces is particularly frustrating. Move up to the Limited trim, and you also get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster instead of the analog gauges and 7-inch display in the XLE. The Platinum trim comes with a head-up display, as well. There’s also a wireless phone charger, as well as seven USB-C ports in the cabin, including the third row. The Grand Highlander also offers …
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