2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Review

despite being on the smaller side of the segment the Highlander has long been one of the bestselling three row SUVs in America until today the kide is actually kicked it out of third place in North America but that's not just because the teide is a fantastic SUV it's actually largely because this enormous Rav 4 is now on sale in North America it's not a Rav 4 of course this is the grand Highlander even though it does look a lot like that RAV in pretty much every way that matters except for its base price tag this Grand Highlander is better than the regular Highlander well obviously you might not be able to fit this in every parking spot but there are still lots of reasons you want to get this over the smaller model so let's take a look at those now and see how it Stacks up in the big three row family hauler segment that also includes the Volkswagen Atlas the teleride the Palisade and of course the upcoming Acadia and Traverse from General Motors for those that are interested in the sales Battle Race the grand Highlander is already out selling the Highlander at least in the last sales report from Toyota and I think that's not just because it's bigger I think it also is because it's more attractive or at least more distinguished in the segment the Highlander kind of looks Anonymous from some angles and honestly when it launched I kind of thought the front end looked like a Subaru this definitely looks like a Toyota and the most popular Toyota in North America the Rav 4 especially with this little Grill section right up there let me know what you think about that the look is handsome the look is bold and it's not outlandish like perhaps a Bez 4X we have full LED headlights up here obviously they steer in Corners LED drls there and led fog lights below if I were to critique this design the only thing that I probably would change would be this little plastic area around the LED fog light but every new car out there has something that somebody doesn't like the wheel design and the black wheel arches definitely give me sort of a supersized Corolla cross Vibe we have a healthy 8 in of ground clearance in all models and speaking of healthy we also have pretty wide tires these are 255 WID tires 255 55 R20 so even though this is a 20-in wheel there is a reasonable amount of cushion and they're pretty wide at 255 mm the wide tires are logical because the grand Highlander is relatively large but it also has a difficult Mission ahead of it it needs to be everything to everybody it needs to be your weekend away vehicle your daily commuter the vehicle that you want to drive a little bit more spiritedly on your favorite winding Mountain Road when the kids aren't in the car and then of course a vehicle you can carry the kids in your home improvement projects whatever and that's why essentially what TOA did was they took the regular Highlander and they stretched it in every Dimension and made it boxier so this is an important 6 in longer than the regular Highlander most of that extra length happens right back here but it's also several inches wider and taller than the regular Highlander as well with a much T box your profile in the front and in the back that dramatically improves cargo practicality I appreciate the fact that the designers decided not just to make a super sized regular Highlander but I do find it interesting they decided to give us a super sized RV 4 because in the back the tail lights definitely remind me a bit of that other Toyota model as well these are full LEDs although the turn signals are not Amber Grand Highlander is embossed really big right there across the hatch and speaking of the hatch it is not only pretty darn vertical the hatch open is vertical and it is exceptionally wide that's thanks to this being wider than a regular Highlander across the cargo area here it is 50 in just over in that critical Dimension up here it is 47 in and that means that you can technically fit 4x8 sheet Goods inside the grand Highlander I don't have a 4x8 but I actually do have just over 2 ft by 8 so you can see how this fits in the vehicle I accidentally uh ripped this one a little bit too early for another project at home it goes all the way in it would not fit however between the wheel wells it would have to ride on top of the wheel wells to be inside the vehicle and as you can see it's going to hang out by about 4 in or so it means that you cannot put something in that size and still close the hatch although it will get really close actually right about there then it's going to back off so it is the kind of vehicle where if you did have to carry a 4 by sheet of plywood from Home Depot a really short distance you could probably be just fine in the grand Highlander with your hatch tied down since we're already talking about the cargo area a little bit early let's just continue the thought and see what this is like without a sheet of plywood inside the third row is not powered that's actually my preference because it means they go up and down pretty quickly but you do have to reach for that strap some folks aren't going to like that the third row seats recline when they're in their more or less Midway or upright position you'll get about 20.6 cubic feet of cargo capacity back here and rather surprisingly that means a 22-in roller bag like this can actually go right against the side and then they've cut out this portion of the hatch properly to make it actually close with roller Luggage in this position based on the size of this bag which is the largest you can carry onto a domestic flight you'd be able to put about five of them across the third row of course since most three row SUVs spend most of their time with the third row folded if you put that down then cargo carrying capacity goes way up to 8 24in roller bags this is one of the most accommodating in our test if you want more Caro capacity than this you're basically looking at a Chevy Tahoe or a Suburban the Tahoe is not going to give you that much more room or something like a minivan which will give you significantly more room if you're looking for a roomy three row SUV with a V6 under the hood you don't have as many options as you once had and the grand High Highlander is not an extra option because under here you're going to find four cylinder engines only the 2.4 L turbo and the hybrid system are both borrowed from the regular Highlander the turbo gives you 265 horsepower 310 lb feet of torque I suspect most Shoppers will never miss the old V6 because that engine gives you way more torque than the old V6 was capable of it's made it to a traditional 8-speed automatic transmission and you can choose between front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive that engine will give you 24 MP gallon in front-wheel drive that's the most efficient to get it then of course we have the hybrid which I think is the only way to get the grand Highlander this gets you actually faster 0 to 60 even though Toyota has said it is slightly slower than the turbo that's not correct in our testing this is actually just a hair faster it's also considerably more fuel efficient 36 MP gallon front-wheel drive 34 MP gallon all-wheel drive keep in mind again wide 255 with tires really big and boxy SUV that's courtesy of a 2.5 l four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine going on over there on that side of the engine bay and a dual motor planetary power split system over here on this side when everything is working together you'll get 245 horsepower if you choose the all-wheel drive model then they add an electric motor to the rear it's not a mechanical all-wheel drive system that is the one thing to keep in mind if you're looking for the optimum in snow performance or ice performance you might want to consider the 2.4 L turbo or the 2.4 L Turbo Hybrid because yes do get one of those in the grand Highlander as well that's basically been borrowed out of the crown it combines the same base 2.4 L turbo that we find in the regular model with a single motor on the other side of the engine bay giving you 362 horsepower 400 lb feet of torque total that's also available only as an all-wheel drive model and that also has an electric motor in the rear but it's a different electric motor not all the specifications are easily available from Toyota but 362 horsepower total is some amount of power on the front axle plus what appears to be about 70 horsepower on the rear axle so there is a bit more oomph going to the back than in this model so if you are looking for a bit better traction in snowy or wet weather that model will improve it over this hybrid the sacrifice is fuel economy you only get 27 m per gallon in that system and it's not going to be as smooth as this because it uses a regular six-speed automatic it's mounted over here exactly where a regular transmission would go but if you want to hybrid with that more traditional feel you should take a look at that model now let's take a look around the interior starting with the driver's seat this is a limited trim Grand Highlander so we have just two-way adjustable lumbar support for the driver you will find a more comfortable and more adjustable seat in the related Lexus TX but obviously it's going to be more expensive over here on the passenger side this is essentially the same seat as the driver's seat only without the adjustable lumbar support as you can see this model does not have a moon roof so we do have quite a lot of Headroom up front and the side right here of the vehicle is quite far from my head so if you're looking for something that feels roomier inside for taller Folks up front you should definitely take a look at the Grand Highlander you also want to look at this if you want some extra room for things like child seats I have a separate video where I take a deeper dive into this but as you can see that driver seat is Comfortably dusted for me at 6et tall and there is just enough room for this cleck rear-facing child seat to sit right behind it this particular model is a seven seat Grand Highlander so we have two seats in the front two seats here in the Middle with Captain's chairs and then three in the way back with nearly 119 in of combined leg room that's front row plus second row plus third row this is one of the roomiest cabins in this segment also tons of Headroom you can see I have maybe about 3 in or so of Headroom left the second row seat does not move up and down but it does slide forward and backwards that way you can a portion the space a bit more equitably inside and that's why you should always look at combined leg room figures because essentially every three row SUV that's been designed in the last few years has a front row that moves a second row that moves and a third row that's fixed so the only way you'll really know how much room there is in the entire interior is by looking at that combined leg room figure now let's check out the third row there are a few ways to get back there again you could hop over that center console you could also come down here Slide the second row forward and then climb through this Gap this is a much larger opening than you'll find in something like a Honda Pilot or a Kia ride so it is easier as an adult to get back there into the third row you could also tilt the seat forward with that button right there it will also tilt and slide that gives you an even larger opening back there to the third row but you can't do this when there is a booster seat or a forward facing child seat latch anchored into place that is the one thing I would really love to see in this design obviously if you had two rear-facing child seats in the grand higher you would want to get the bench seat and put them both on one side because you wouldn't be able to access the third row easily any other way the rear bench is always going to have room for three people you can see that the shoulder belt comes out of the ceiling for that Center seat position we have latch anchors for child seats just on the one side of the bench top tether anchors for this passenger side seat and the center position seat but not over there on the driver's side with the driver's seat comfortably adjusted for me this rear-facing infant seat right there behind and then me back here in the third row you can see I have just a tiny little bit of leg room left but this is still a decent amount of room but unlike a minivan like Sienna Odyssey or Pacifica you'll notice that my legs are definitely not quite as horizontal I definitely have less thigh support here you'll really notice that as an adult although Will mean that kids are going to be a little bit closer to the ground Headroom is where things are a bit more surprising this seat is in a little bit more of an upright position you can see my hair is just barely brushing the ceiling but my head is importantly not touching the ceiling other nice touch back here we have air vents integrated into the side just like we found in the second row and you can recline these rear seats there's actually a little lever over here if I pull that you actually can get quite a lot of recline although it's going to be difficult for some adults to actually use this because now my head is touching the ceiling and it's practically in this little Gap right here between the rear glass and this rear roof area kids and shorter adults are definitely going to appreciate the amount of recline you get in the third row as you can see it is pretty decent as far as the amount of recline you actually get right there other folks aren't going to be quite as happy with the shoulder belt that comes out of the ceiling because you will have to attach it and detach it in order to use it and if you do plan on putting a child seat right here in the second row it is going to kind of skew it off to one side also there is just the width of this third row bench it is notably wider than the one in the Highlander however you still cannot really put anybody in this middle seat if you have anything over here on this seat child seat wise so rear-facing forward- facing latch anchors or shoulder belt there's just not quite enough room here since this is a hybrid you might be wondering where is the battery located well it's actually right there under the second row passenger passenger seats somewhere in that area this is actually the air intake for the air cooling system for that integrated battery pack since this model doesn't have a moon roof there are no controls up there but we still have buttons for things like the map lights we still have a sunglass holder and we still have sun visors that do slide side to side as you can see that gives you an awful lot of Headroom for the first and the second row versus some of the competition where you have to get a moon roof in a configuration similar to this limited trim we have Hy adjustable shoulder belts for the driver and the front passenger there two-way adjustable headrests and a seat design that is very in keeping with the rest of the Toyota lineup if you're looking for something with an overtly sporty seat design this is probably not the right vehicle for you there's not a great deal of bolstering on the seat back or the seat bottom cushion but larger drivers and passengers shouldn't have any problem with that moving over to the front doors there is a reasonable amount of hard plastic going on here especially when you consider the higher price tag that the grand Highlander can command this definitely is within the pricing envelope of the very expensive Grand Cherokee L up here at the top top of the door we have soft touch injection molded components we then have imitation wood trim in this lighter band right there but pretty much everything else on the door that is just outside of your Arms Reach is going to be hard so this middle charcoal insert right there around that door latch that's all hard we then have a soft touch armrest right there and then harder Plastics down there at the bottom of the door although that does help improve durability of those Plastics moving up to the dashboard we find again a combination of materials the interesting thing here is you'll notice the texture slightly different between the dashboard and the door that's because this upper section of the dashboard is actually a hard touch material and that spans all the way over here to the driver's side and this upper portion of the binnacle this is actually a hardcast plastic rather than the soft touch injection molded Plastics that I'd actually been expecting to see there although this midsection of the dash is a soft touch material we then get a little storage cubby where you could toss your smartphones and then there's a USBC charge port there nice touch more of that imit ation wood trim below that we have a bin style glove compartment it's just a little bit too small for some of those larger tablets but an 11in was barely able to squeeze in then moving here to the middle of the dashboard we find a large touchscreen infotainment system this is basically the same one that's running its way across the Toyota lineup you can find it in a wide variety of their different Vehicles it of course supports wired or Wireless carplay we have Factory mapping Bluetooth interfaces Etc it's very Snappy but it's not quite as feature as some of the competition's infotainment systems below that we have the controls for the trizone automatic climate control including seat Heating and seat ventilation for the front seats separate buttons over there for the rear passengers we then have two big air vents right there in the middle of everything one more USBC charge port this is the USBC interface port for interfacing with wired carplay which is my preference but we do have a really big Wireless charge mat there and just a lot of storage going on in this center console I have to say that Toyota did a really really good job designing this vehicle as far as giving you a lot of nooks and crannies to store stuff power buttons right over there we have a pretty traditional console shifter over here electric parking brake auto brake hold two big big cup holders and then a big storage slot where you could store even more things like various smartphones things like that over here we have an eveve mode button Hill descent control effectively the drive mode selectors right here and then it's a little bit difficult to see in the lighting but there is a huge cargo area right over here on the passenger side footwell area where they could store some additional stuff between the front seats we find a roller style cover to this console this is not my preference because these edges here are kind of hard so we get Squishy plastic here hard plastic right there and then squishy plastic in the middle so if you are the kind of person that actually wants to rest your arm on here your elbow's going to get tired after a while unless you really put it right there in the center but we do have a pretty large storage area right inside there you could squeeze a gallon of milk in there if you can get it through this opening that's the only other downside is that the opening is relatively small even though as you can see that cargo area is a decent amount wider than this opening it's really almost the entire width of this cover over on the driver side we have a full LCD instrument cluster you can easily choose between three different layouts that you can adjust you can adjust each of those individually and then you have some different design themes that you can also choose from moving out from there we have a three-spoke steering wheel pretty similar to the one that you'll find in other Toyota models no paddles or anything like that on the back of the steering wheel over on this side we find the controls that multi-function LCD also volume up and down phone hang up and pickup button and voice command button then over here on this side we find the controls for the standard radar adaptive cruise control and Toyota's aggressive Lane centering system even though you're definitely going to hear a lot of engine noise in the cabin under acceleration this Grand Highlander posted some surprising results this one went 0 to 60 in 7 and 1/2 seconds that is for some reason notably quicker than the last hybrid Highlander we tested at 8.2 seconds and I'm not alone other outlets that I know that have tested this and the regular Highlander they actually say the same thing this is interestingly faster and that's thanks to the new generation of Toyota's hybrid system this isn't exactly that hybrid system jammed under the hood there have been some important changes and some changes specifically for the grand Highlander what's also interesting is that this is faster than the 2.4 turbo base engine now Toyota claims that the 2.4 L turbo should actually be a air faster but I was able to borrow one from a local dealer and that all-wheel drive model went 0 to 60 in 8 seconds even which is a little on the slow side for this segment this hybrid actually ends up right in the middle of things you will go maybe a little bit faster in something like a teide or a palisade but it kind of depends on the options in the year you select for those particular models 7 1/2 seconds is definitely solid in terms of performance in my braking testing it took 129 ft for this to stop from 60 MPH that's a solid score considering how big this vehicle is and it's really aided out by those big tires on the downside the brake pedal feel is a little bit funky Toyota has continually worked on their regenerative braking pedal feel but I think it still needs a little bit of extra work and here's when you're going to notice it if you're cruising along a road like this and then you suddenly decide you need to start slowing down so you put your foot on the brake pedal a little bit then you to stop more dramatically and you push on it harder it feels kind of like there's this moment where the system's not doing anything also there's just a lot of pedal travel in order to get this to a complete stop quickly so you're certainly going to notice that you're going to have to really be standing on that pedal but if you do you're rewarded by relatively short stopping distances as with other vehicles on Toyota's tnga platform the grand Highlander handles pretty well but the feel can be a little bit vague it goes exactly where you point it but it tends to be a little bit video game like as far as the steering and the interaction of the other Vehicle Systems we do get a little bit of tip and dive and a little bit of body roll but this is not a marshmallow out on the road it is the kind of vehicle that you can drive harder than you probably really should on winding roads like this definitely hard enough to get folks in the way back sick when it comes to the ride quality I give the grand Highlander and a minus probably because we have those 20-in Wheels even though these are 55 series tires there's not quite as much cushion as you'd expect also the ride quality in the grand Highlander is not as soft as you might expect based on its handling ability and the feeling of the steering out on the open Highway the steering again is a little bit vague things are a little bit over boosted perhaps but you will feel some of the smaller and the larger imperfections come through into the cabin I do think that the Lexus TX in some forms is a little bit cushier than this so if you're looking for something that is almost as comfortable with a lot less of a price t tag you might want to take a look at this also I do find the hybrid Max versions of the grand Highlander just a slightly different feel out on the road I'm not quite sure whether I would call it firmer but it definitely is going to be ever so slightly more engaging when it comes to cabin noise at 50 mph as long as the engine is not revving High I scored 70 DB in here really putting this in the thick of things for an as score in the cabin noise section if on the other hand you're digging a little bit deeper into the throttle say you're climbing a hill or you're going faster out on the open highway or you're passing someone you will really notice that engine revving up quite High that's just the way a hybrid system like this has to operate because the engine in its own right produces under 200 horsepower and in those longer distance Hill Climb sessions all you're left with is what the engine is going to put out that's why towing capacity is lower in this hybrid model most versions of the grand Highlander will tow 5,000 lb this model is rated to tow 3500 100 lb if you choose the hybrid Max system because it has the same 2.4 L turbo as the base model then towing capacity goes back up to 5,000 lb so if you really wanted to tow with your big Toyota SUV like this you should get the 2.4 L turbo even with the battery not helping things out you'll get over 300 lb feet of torque and that's why it's able to tow 5,000 lb with this vehicle you don't get a lot of horsepower and you don't get a lot of torque when the battery has been exhaust exhausted and that battery can get exhausted just after going maybe about 1,500 ft of elevation obviously the Counterpoint to that is fuel economy which is fantastic this vehicle is rated for 34 MP gallon now I have not been getting that this week I have been getting a little bit below that I've been averaging 31 m per gallon but that is still exceptional for a vehicle this boxy this big and this heavy keep in mind again this one has all-wheel drive if you ditch the all-wheel drive then you'll get a few extra miles per gallon because it's not going to have the motor in the back and it's also going to be a little bit lighter fuel economy is going to be considerably better in the regular hybrid system versus the hybrid Mac system that's something that I've noted not just when I was driving this particular model around the state of Hawaii but also in the Toyota crown and other vehicles where the two systems are both offered it's simply by the design of the hybrid system this is much better able to keep an engine at a very efficient rate especially out on the open Highway and then we don't have the turbocharger and it can run on the at kits and cycle all of that together just dramatically improves fuel efficiency bottom line out on the road unless you really need the extra power or you're trying to save $1,000 you should simply get the hybrid system in the grand Highlander it is absolutely fantastic and statistically this hybrid system is likely going to be the most reliable drivetrain in the grand Highlander almost without exception regardless of the model that it's been in the hybrid Synergy drive hybrid system which is what this is has been the the most reliable drivetrain to choose in any Toyota model that it's available in it certainly has been more reliable at least initially versus the hybrid Max systems that we've seen in other vehicles now let's take a deep dive into pricing for 2024 the grand Highlander starts at $ 44,46 and if you get carried away with options you'll end up just under 60 Grand that does appear to be a pretty healthy bump over the regular Highlander but there's more than meets the eye on this pricing chart Toyota decided not to lower the price tag of the regular Highlander model when the grand Highlander was introduced so the regular Highlander doesn't quite occupy the same space in the market as say the smaller three row Kia sarento speaking of pricing as you can see on this chart there is a significant amount of overlap between the two different Highlander models and of course the grand Highlander and the rest of the competition the grand Highlander's price tag is no grander than average here and in fact there are certainly models that will be more expensive like a Mazda cx90 or c certain versions of the Ford Explorer or especially the Jeep Grand Cherokee L which will go up to about $80,000 it gets pretty darn pricey but the price tag of the grand Highlander is right in line with its key competitors in the US that would be the Honda Pilot the Telly ride the atlas Etc let's dive into the first of those competitors which has to be the kide the teide is here of course not just because it is now the third best seller in the United States in this segment but because Toyota admitted at the launch of the grand Highlander the one that I attended not too long ago that they really did Scurry the development of the grand Highlander along because of the success of the toride and Palisade they also said it was going to compete with the atlas but they weren't too concerned about the atlas sales numbers but they have definitely seen that the koride especially is after a lot of these Toyota customers the toride now sells better than the Honda Pilot and I think rightly so and it was starting to sell better and better and better so they said we need something bigger to compete because the big thing about the toride is that it's big on the inside on the outside it is smaller than the grand Highlander on the inside it is nearly as big it's not quite as wide in some areas it doesn't have quite as much leg room and I do think that the grand Highlander has a greater feeling of space but size-wise it is definitely pretty close in this matchup there are solid reasons to buy either of these options I do think the toride looks a little bit better than the grand highlighter but honestly the grand Highlanders minir Rav 4 looks really work for me and I think it's very attractive the grand Highlander is a little bit biger in terms of the passenger compartment and the cargo area is a little bit more useful due to its size although the cargo area is almost exactly the same size between these two particular vehicles the big advantage to the Grand Highlander especially the hybrid is going to be fuel economy whether you get the hybrid or the hybrid Max system both of those are going to be more efficient than the toride the 2.4 L turbo versus the V6 honestly it's going to be basically a wash it's going to depend on your style of driving exactly what your altitude is and the terrain you're going over Etc neither of these vehicles is quite as child seat friendly as I would like but it is going to be easier to get in the back of the grand Highlander with a child seat latch anchored into the second row simply because of the way the seats move and the size of the door opening the grand Highlander again is pretty darn big if you're torn between these two vehicles here are a few things you should know both are available in eight seat format but both of them are probably going to be more popular on dealer Lots with only seven seats inside because by the time you work your way up to the upper level trims you end up losing a seat seat also on the Telly ride you have to work your way up to the SX trim for $ 47,1 155 in order to get the full two-screen layout in the dash the lower- end trims have a very similar look but instead of a full LCD instrument cluster it actually has large LEDs and some kind of funky 1990s designs in LEDs next to it the look does kind of Disguise the fact that it doesn't have a 12-in LCD over there but on the other hand I think it looks cheesy compared to the SX and above trims now on the other other hand about $47,000 is essentially where The XLE trim of grand Highlander ends you're basically looking at the limited trim at that at that point and price-wise that's probably where a lot of grand Highlander Shoppers are going to be shopping anyway so no big deal there now let's move along to the Honda Pilot another definite competitor to the Grand Highlander probably the biggest one of course because there's a lot of Toyota Honda cross shopping the pilot starts a little bit less expensive at $ 38,46 but it goes up to a relatively similar price $55,500 bearing in mind that there is no hybrid system available in the pilot just like there isn't in the toride the interesting Quirk with the pilot is that in every trim including the topend elite trim you'll find eight seats so if you want the topend feature set the nicer bits the nicer features and functions and you still want the option to seat eight people the pilot is really going to be one of the very few options to choose pretty much everything else goes for Captain's chairs in the middle rather than the bench seat in the middle in the pilot you can remove the middle bench seat which is kind of a handy touch and you can store it away in the trunk or you could just leave it at home if you want the extra storage area the other side of things though the pilot is going to be smaller inside it has about 4 in less SL room and that is very very noticeable the pilot honestly comes across in this generation as a little bit boring if I'm being perfectly honest the interior is very black on black on black especially in the top trims very Audi likee I guess you would say in that respect there aren't as many colors and variations available in the Honda lineup but it does essentially have acurus super handling all-wheel drive system and it has a regular naturally aspirated V6 the 10-speed automatic is also simply one of the best transmissions in this segment the pilot is quick it handles relatively well it definitely feels more sporty and engaging versus the grand Highlander but it's not as big and roomy on the inside and the cargo area is definitely a little bit less practical than the one that we find in the grand Highlander the Volkswagen Atlas on the other hand definitely has family friendliness in mind it has a very practical second row it's big it's boxy it has a big cargo area pretty decent amount of leg room and lots of third row Headroom on the downside even though it was recently refreshed the atlas comes across as a little bit restrained a little bit maybe too sedate also the V6 engine is gone so the only option you have now is a 2 L 4-cylinder turbo this is one of the smaller displacement engines in this segment and it has one of the lower power outputs just 26 69 horsepower 273 lb feet of torque if you're looking at the lower-end trims one odd thing about the atlas is that there has never been an eight passenger version so it's always going to have a twers third row two people up front your choice of two or three people in the middle that does reduce its practicality versus a decent number of the competition because the pilot and the grand Highlander they're always going to have three seat belts in the third row but then again so will the regular Highlander let's take a look at that option now the Highlander definitely has a narrower pricing range than the grand Highland Islander it starts less at 4,515 and fully loaded it tops out less at $ 54,9 45 but remember it doesn't have that hybrid Max drivetrain system the most expensive option is also the most fuele efficient option in the Highlander and that would be the hybrid system it's also the drivetrain I would simply buy whether I was looking at a grand Highlander or a regular Highlander it's the most reliable drivetrain offered in this segment it actually is one of the most reliable drivetrains you can buy in North America period and it will to goodness get you over 35 m per gallon in the regular Highlander relatively similar mileage in the grand Highlander as well the big reason of course to get the grand Highlander is the spaciousness but also the style the style of the regular Highlander I like it just fine it's just never quite looked like any of the other Toyota vehicles on the lot it always reminded me a bit more of a Subaru and as as far as its General styling goes and oddly enough it looks a bit more like a Subaru than the Subaru Ascent to me bottom line the grand Highlander is absolutely fantastic yes it has flaws but so does every new vehicle on sale in North America right now but it is a fantastic combination of big area on the inside thoughtful design High expected reliability and enough gadgets to keep most people satisfied I do like the fact that we get that big LCD in the dashboard it's not my favorite software package but the size of the screen is fantastic and honestly I'm in carplay most of the time so for me I'd rather have a bigger screen that's simple easy to use relatively reliable Etc and speaking of reliability that is a solid reason to buy the grand Highlander and I would get the grand Highlander with the regular hybrid I would skip the 2.4 lit turbo I would skip the hybrid Mac system the hybrid Mac system I just don't care for the way that it shifts yes it is faster it's more powerful it is a bit more fun to drive but it lacks the smoothness that we find in most competitive hybrid systems really I was shocked by how it drives out on the road not that it's objectively bad but when you take a look at say Fords hybrid systems with a regular automatic transmission or a Volvo or a BMW or any of that segment hybrid systems with regular automatic or heck even the Kia systems and Hyundai systems that we find in their hybrid vehicles those are significantly smoother in terms of their operation than the system that we find in the Toyota and there's a reason for that it's simply down to the way that system was designed and architected they're likely going to issue some software updates over time to help polish things up a bit but it's never going to be as smooth as the regular hybrid let me know what you think about all that down there in the comments section below and should the grand Highlander be our SUV of the year I have to say this is the strongest Contender that I have driven this calendar year so far let me know what you think about that down there stay tuned because of course those awards are coming out a little bit later and if you haven't already found us at Facebook Twitter Instagram X all those other social places I will see all of you there just as soon as possible bye [Music] now

Channel: Auto Buyers Guide | Alex on Autos

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Keywords: Alex On Autos, Alex Dykes, Review, Detailed Review, Road Test, Driven, Drive Review, car, cars, auto, EVBuyersGuide

Id: On3vb3rpc0I

Length: 34min 16sec (2056 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 22 2023