This review includes impressions of both the new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander and the smaller carryover 2024 Toyota Highlander.
The 2024 Grand Highlander rights the wrongs of the three-row Highlander with more passenger room in all three rows, giving it the utility of the Toyota Sienna minivan but in a more popular SUV body. The three available powertrains offer a choice between greater efficiency and greater power, and give the Highlander an edge over three-row rivals such as the Grand Cherokee L, Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, and so many others.
It’s hard to top the efficiency of either the 36-mpg Highlander Hybrid and the 34-mpg Grand Highlander Hybrid in the three-row crossover SUV class. Only the Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid and Toyota Sienna minivans outrun it in terms of efficiency. Bolstered by the Grand Highlander, the 2024 Toyota Highlander earns a TCC Rating of 7.2 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
The big news is the arrival of the bigger 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. It reaches 6.5 inches longer and has a 3.9-inch longer wheelbase than the standard Highlander. It’s also wider and taller, and lacks the packaging compromises of the cramped third row in the redesigned Toyota Sequoia. The Grand Highlander splits the difference between the Sequoia and the Highlander as the most functional three-row SUV sold by Toyota.
It looks more elegant than the other SUVs as well. The Grand Highlander smooths out the styling bulge of the Highlander and Sienna for clean, smooth body sides and a more vertical face.
Inside, the upscale intentions implied by the Grand name continue, with a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen dominating the dash, but underscored by real climate knobs. Accent stitching pops on available leather trims, but the dash and console are optimized for storage space and other practicalities.
Eight seats come standard in both Highlanders with a third-row bench, but second-row captain’s chairs are a popular choice to seat seven. Third-row rides get about six inches more legroom in the Grand Highlander, and suitcases can fit behind the third row.
2024 Toyota Highlander engine options
The 2024 Toyota Highlander can be had with one of three powertrains in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Two powertrains carry over from the standard Highlander, including the 2.4-liter turbo-4 introduced as standard in the Highlander last year in place of a V-6 option. It makes 265 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque and pairs with a decisive 8-speed automatic transmission that lets the engine deliver gobs of low-end torque. The engine is louder and rougher than the 2.5-liter inline-4 hybrid ubiquitous in Toyota’s lineup, but it makes the vehicle quicker and more responsive.
The third powertrain option is exclusive to the Grand Highlander. Co-opted from the Toyota Crown, the Hybrid Max powertrain teams the 2.4-liter turbo-4 with a motor on either axle for standard all-wheel drive and a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds. The acceleration is remarkable and unusual for a Highlander, and it handles better than many rivals, but fuel economy of 27 mpg combined can’t match the 36 mpg on the Highlander hybrid.
Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and all but the base L come with blind-spot monitors. A perennial Top Safety Pick winner from the IIHS with five-star ratings from the NHTSA, the Highlander aced crash tests this year—but the Grand Highlander did not.
How much does the 2024 Toyota Highlander cost?
It really depends on the body style and engine choice. The base Highlander L costs about $38,000, including the $1,335 destination fee. It has the basics covered such as a 8.0-inch touchscreen with smartphone compatibility,
But all-wheel drive costs $1,600 and the base hybrid powertrain adds another $1,600. Apples to apples, the Grand Highlander XLE costs $44,405 whereas the Highlander XLE costs $43,355. The Grand is easily worth the extra, ahem, grand.
The Grand Highlander XLE leans into the premium territory occupied by Lexus, with standard features such as a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, synthetic leather upholstery, power front seats that are heated, seven USB ports, a power tailgate, and it rolls on 18-inch alloy wheels.
The Grand Highlander Platinum Hybrid Max with standard AWD hits the luxury space at a cost of $59,460. That’s a lot for a Highlander, Grand or not.
Where is the 2024 Toyota Highlander made?
Both Highlanders are made In Princeton, Indiana, alongside the larger Sequoia full-size SUV and the Sienna minivan.