Toyota’s SUV lineup will get a new Grand Highlander in 2024. It will replace the three-row Highlander, which has been on the market since 2020 but will be more prominent. Even though it has the same name as its smaller sibling, the new Grand Highlander differs in several ways. Exterior The design is the most apparent difference. Not only is the Grand Highlander bigger, but it also looks different. The front of the Highlander used to be slicked back, but now it has a more upright, boxy look that emphasizes straight lines and sharp angles. The back is also modern, with a D-pillar and taillights that look more like those on the larger Highlander than on the smaller RAV4. The standard Highlander has a trendy A-pillar that has been blacked out and a slight slope to the roofline. The Grand Highlander, on the other hand, has a more traditional roofline. Interior The third row adds 5.5 inches of legroom, 1 inch of headroom, and more than 2 inches of shoulder space, while the wheelbase grows by 4 inches. Not only do the people in the back get a USB-C port, which the standard Highlander doesn’t have, but now adults can sit in the third row. There are two places to put cups in the third row of both crossovers. The Grand Highlander stands out from the rest because the captain’s chairs in the second row have vents. The Grand’s longer body also gives it more space for cargo. There are five more cubic feet behind the third row, and when the two back rows are folded down, there are 14 more cubic feet. The layout of the Grand’s dashboard has been simplified, but it still has a 12.3-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, just like the Highlander’s higher-priced trims. If you want extras like a head-up display and a digital rearview mirror, you’ll have to buy the top-of-the-line Platinum model, just like with the standard Highlander. Powertrains The Grand Highlander will offer customers one of three distinct powertrains. The Hybrid Max setup, which was first seen in the Crown last summer, is the main draw. A turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four engine works with two electric motors, one of which drives the rear axle and the other between the engine and the six-speed automatic transmission. This engine has been improved so it can be used in the Grand Highlander. It now has 362 horsepower (up from 340 in the Crown) and 400 pound-feet of torque. Toyota says the Grand Highlander can now tow up to 5,000 pounds, the same as the standard maximum for the Highlander. The Grand also has two engines that need to be stronger. Both of these engines are the same ones that are in the smaller Highlander. Toyota didn’t say how much power the Grand had, but they said that only minor changes were made to the tuning to account for the Grand’s larger size. The base engine in the Highlander is a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four that makes 265 horsepower and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid system in both SUVs comprises a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, two electric motors, and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Together, these parts make 243 horsepower. The Grand, like the first Highlander, has these powertrains with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Hybrid Max has electric motors on the rear axles and only has an all-wheel purpose. The frame and the suspension Unsurprisingly, the Grand Highlander and the regular Highlander use the same TNGA-K platform, but Toyota changed the Grand’s structure. The automaker says more spot welds and glues make the body stiffer and more robust. Also, these changes are communicated to make the cabin quieter and better protect the people inside from vibrations and jolts from the road. The revised rear suspension, which changed how the multilink system works to make the third row and cargo area bigger, makes the ride smoother and softer. Price When a new car comes out, Toyota hasn’t said how much the 2024 Grand Highlander would cost. The more significant crossover is expected to start at $43,000, with the top Platinum trim starting at about $56,000. Because of this, it will cost between $4,000 and $6,000 more than the regular Highlander, and we expect that the Hybrid Max will only be available on the Limited and Platinum trims. At the same time, the XLE will only get the base engine and a weaker hybrid system.
