The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is more extensive and has more space than the regular Highlander. It also has some features that aren’t found on the regular Highlander. There are three different powertrains for the Grand Highlander. One is a hybrid system with 362 hp that comes from the Toyota Crown. The rear suspension of the Grand Highlander has been changed. This makes the interior space and rides comfort better than the standard model. People who think the new Grand Highlander is just an XL version of the regular Highlander will have to forgive Toyota. When you add a word like “grand” to a well-known name, like “Highlander,” you can be sure that people will make assumptions about its size. Increasing the popularity of the Highlander In the last two years, Toyota has sold almost 487,000 Highlanders. This makes it the company’s second best-selling SUV in the US, after the small RAV4. On the other hand, the brand thinks there’s more meat on the bone, so it’s making the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander for customers who want a big interior without a big body. Toyota hopes the Grand Highlander will fill the space between the regular Highlander and the full-size Sequoia. In terms of size, it works out. The Grand Highlander is approximately 7 inches shorter than its bigger brother, the Sequoia, and is 6.5 inches longer than its younger sibling. It measures 201.4 inches from front to back. The Grand is 2.3 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower than a standard Highlander. The bigger Highlander has a wheelbase about 4 inches longer than the smaller one. The distance between its axles is about 116 inches. The Grand Highlander’s more extensive interior is roomier, especially in the cargo area and third row. The back row of the Grand Highlander has 5.5 inches more legroom than the regular Highlander (33.5 versus 28 inches). There is also an extra inch of space for the head and more than 2 inches of room for the shoulders. Even though the captain’s chairs in the second row were fully reclined, this 5’10” author found that the third row was the most comfortable. It’s also lovely that Toyota gives backseat passengers a USB-C port and two cup holders. On the Grand, you can get ventilated captain’s chairs in the second row, but only on the Platinum trim level. This is not available on the standard Highlander. The only other models are the XLE and the Limited. Both have a bench seat in the second row that can fit an eighth person. Behind the third row of seats, the Grand Highlander has 21 cubic feet of space for cargo, and it can hold seven or eight people (five more than the smaller version). When the back two rows of seats are folded down, there is 98 cu ft of storage space, which is 14 cu ft more than the Highlander can typically hold. Grand has more than just a more extensive body The standard Highlander and the Grand Highlander are built on the same TNGA-K platform. Toyota did more than change the car’s shape, though. Reports say the Grand’s structure is more rigid overall because of more spot welds and adhesives. These changes should also help reduce noise, vibration, and harshness. A redesigned rear suspension and better NVH are said to make the Grand Highlander’s interior space and ride comfort better. Toyota says that changes were made to the larger Highlander’s multilink system to make the third row and cargo area bigger and to improve the ride quality. The “Hybrid Max” hybrid powertrain, unique to the Grand Highlander and comes from Toyota’s high-riding Crown, is likely the most crucial difference between the two Highlanders. Even though it was changed to fit the Grand Highlander, the hybrid system is said to be similar in other ways, like supporting its maximum towing capacity of 5000 pounds. The fact that the Grand Highlander’s Hybrid Max engine generates 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque is the only technical information that Toyota has provided regarding this powertrain. But the SUV should still use a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. Both work with the gas engine and the six-speed automatic transmission, but only one drives the rear axle . Multiple engines and mature looks Customers can choose from three Grand models, including a hybrid that isn’t as powerful and a turbo four that only runs on gas and is similar to the Highlander. Toyota hasn’t said what each powertrain could do, but we’ve been told they’re the same other than the necessary tuning changes. That means the smaller Highlander will have a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 265 hp and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The larger Highlander will have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and two electric motors that together make 243 hp. Toyota says the second one will reach 34 mpg on the highway. Both of the Grand’s powertrains can be front-wheel or all-wheel drive. We think the Grand Highlander looks more grown up, but the regular Highlander has a more distinct look with more surfacing on the sides. It has a boxier shape and a more confident face, but people complain that BMW’s grilles are too big. Design elements also include a high beltline, lower body cladding, and optional 20-inch wheels, which are standard on most modern SUVs. When we got close to the Grand Highlander Platinum, its soft-touch interior made us think of Lexus. The top trim has a head-up display, a digital rearview mirror, and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. Both frames have heated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and upholstery with leather accents. All three trim levels of the Grand Highlander come standard with an impressive infotainment system that includes a touchscreen measuring 12.3 inches, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Each has a big center console with a wireless charging pad under the controls for the air conditioning and heating. We also like that the large bin in the center console, which Toyota says can hold a tablet, has a cover that slides open and shut. Every Toyota, including the Grand Highlander, has adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Platinum is the only model with a camera system that can see in all directions. The price and release date of the 2023 Toyota Grand Highlander has yet to be announced. In the next few months, these facts should be made public. The new XL model will cost between $43,000 and $56,000. This would make it slightly higher than the standard Highlander, but remember that the Grand is more significant than the Grand.
