The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Is Toyota Finally Offering A Crossover For Large Families And Their 15 Cups

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Toyota’s popular Highlander crossover now has a larger sibling and it’s aimed directly at a lucrative slice of the family people hauler market. The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander adds to Toyota’s lineup of SUVs, crossovers, and minivan with three rows of seating. Despite Toyota’s extensive lineup of family cars, the company has left a hole for a crossover that could comfortably transport adults in its third row. Sure, the regular Highlander has three rows, but it just can’t boast the space that larger crossovers like the Kia Telluride and Volkswagen Atlas have. Here’s what I think of the Toyota Highlander’s new sibling.

I got to drive the new Grand Highlander in Hawai’i, and was surprised to learn that this late entry into the large crossover market isn’t a forgettable also-ran. If you’re a growing family in need of space, and you’re afraid of minivans for whatever reason, this might be a serious contender for the next vehicle to arrive in your driveway. It seats up to eight people, has up to 362 horsepower from one of its hybrid powertrains, and oh luxurious comfort that includes more cupholders than you will know what to do with.

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(Full Disclosure: Toyota sent over 100 journalists to Hawai’i’s big island to experience the new Grand Highlander. Along the way, a wild new Tacoma also appeared. Toyota paid for my flights, a long stay in a resort where one night is more than my rent, and fed me more food than I could imagine. I’m still recovering from my red-eye flights.)

But Why?

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Many of you are probably wondering why this crossover exists. Initially, I wondered that as well. Toyota’s line already includes a bunch of popular three-row vehicles, all of them offering their own utility on top of seating capacity. Go to Toyota’s site today and you’ll notice that you could pick up a Sienna, a Highlander, a 4Runner, and a Sequoia. This is on top of Toyota’s greater line of two-row crossovers. You would think that Toyota already offers a little something for everyone. I mean, Toyota offers multiple sports cars, a minivan, and trucks all under the same roof.

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Well, for years, Toyota has left some money on the table. See, crossovers have gotten pretty granular over the years. There aren’t just small, medium, and large, but those sizes plus sizes in between. Toyota has the small Corolla Cross, the slightly larger RAV4, and the even larger Highlander. There’s also the Venza, which slots somewhere in there.

Despite offering four different crossovers, Toyota didn’t have a crossover with a spacious third row, leaving Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Jeep to print money with their large three-row fare. Toyota says that one complaint with the Highlander is that it doesn’t really offer the space found in the marque’s named competitors like the Volkswagen Atlas, Kia Telluride, and Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Thus, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was created in response to the demand for a larger Toyota crossover that slots in under the big Sequoia.

One Mission: Family

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This First Drive will be a little different than our readers are used to. The Grand Highlander wasn’t really built for enthusiasts. This is a crossover that in its highest trim levels with the most powerful engine, weighs 4,920 pounds. For comparison, that’s 400 pounds more than a loaded Volkswagen Atlas. It’s 16 feet, nine inches long (the regular Highlander is 16 feet, three inches long) and seats seven or eight people. What I’m getting at here is that the Grand Highlander isn’t going to thrill you, and my driving experience with it reflects that.

Instead, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is supposed to be the ultimate Toyota family hauler, and it shows in the features Toyota added to make road trips less stressful. This is supposed to be something like a private jet for your family, only forever grounded.

[Editor’s Note to the future owners of the Grand Highlander: As a Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee owner, I can tell you that, when you search for parts at the car parts store, you will definitely be asked by a clerk who has dealt with far too many folks who don’t know the difference: “Regular or Grand Highlander?” You, annoyed, will say “I said Grand Highlander, didn’t I?!” -DT].

In testing the Grand Highlander, I tried my best to treat it like a road trip car. I teamed up with the inspirational Scotty Reiss from A Girls Guide To Cars. Together, with her video man, we took the Grand Highlander on a route that took us around Hawai’i Island. We sat in every seat, tried out the 15 cupholders, and tried to use the thing perhaps as a family would.

Subdued Styling

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If you’re familiar with Toyota’s current design language, you’ll quickly notice that the Grand Highlander looks nothing like its smaller sibling. The regular Highlander takes a sporty approach with a sculpted front fascia featuring a prominent chin, a massive grille, and scoops to the side. Adding to the sporty effect are its headlights, which look like they’ve been peeled back from the high speeds you’ve been piloting the crossover to. Here, take a look at the regular Highlander:

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Toyota

The Grand Highlander takes a more conservative, classy approach. It retains a rather large grille, but in person, it’s not nearly as in your face as the regular Highlander’s. The design–created by Calty Design Studios–features a lot of what you’d expect from a crossover today. Look up front and you’ll spot a faux skid plate, black plastic cladding gives the appearance of perhaps a serious off-roader, and the wheel wells were given muscular bulges. Yet, again, all of it is toned down. This is, after all, a family vehicle.

The Grand Highlander is perfectly inoffensive. It’s a vehicle you could drive to a fancy hotel and not have the valet question every decision you’ve made in life. Perhaps I’m crazy, but it seems like car design may be getting back to a simpler era, one where cars don’t have as many jagged edges as a low-polygon vehicle from the PlayStation 1.

Anyway, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander has a look that feels like a familiar Toyota. It seems like designers took a hint of Corolla Cross, a dash of RAV4, and maybe a sprinkle of 4Runner, put it all into a pan and simmered it into one large crossover.

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I should note that the Grand Highlander also has some weird heritage. See, the Grand Highlander rides on a modified TNGA-K platform, which are bones it shares with the Highlander. However, it has a longer 116.1-inch wheelbase and a wider track width. But, as demonstrated above, it doesn’t look anything like its larger sibling. Toyota says that initially, it wasn’t a Highlander, and the marque considered different model names. Ultimately, Toyota decided to brand the new crossover as a variant of the Highlander to capitalize on the equity the Highlander name has.

Under The Hood

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Hybrid MAX engine

The Grand Highlander offers up three flavors of propulsion. Its base powerplant is a 2.4-liter turbocharged four making 265 HP and 310 lb-ft torque. Taking up the middle of the pack is the Hybrid, which uses a 2.5-liter four paired with a hybrid system. That engine is making 187 HP on its own and with the hybrid system, total output is 245 HP. The top powertrain is the Hybrid MAX, which pairs a 2.4-liter turbo four making 265 HP on its own with the hybrid system, which bumps total output to 362 HP and 400 lb-ft torque.

In terms of getting that power to the ground, the gas engine is available in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive, as is the Hybrid model. Grand Highlanders with Hybrid MAX is all-wheel-drive. Power is transmitted to the wheels from an eight-speed automatic in the gas model, an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission in the Hybrid, and a six-speed automatic in the Hybrid MAX.

The kind of all-wheel-drive system you get depends on your powertrain. Gas-engine Grand Highlanders get an AWD system with a physical driveshaft going to the rear. This uses an electromagnetic coupling ahead of the rear differential to engage and disengage the rear wheels as the vehicle deems fit.

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Hybrid models use an electric motor to dole out power to the rear. Toyota says that the hybrid AWD system activates when necessary for traction and front and rear wheel power can be split between 100:0 and 20:80. Meanwhile, Hybrid MAX models have a full-time AWD system where Toyota’s eAxle electric motor sits out back. Unlike the previous two AWD systems, this one powers the rear wheels at all times and the power split is between 70:30 and 20:80.

The gas engine can push the Grand Highlander to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, the Hybrid can do the job in 7.8 seconds, and the Hybrid Max stomps out the 60 mph run in 6.3 seconds. The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander certainly isn’t the fastest big crossover out there, but none of the powertrains are going to leave you in the dust of a school bus. Toyota says that thanks to the Hybrid MAX, the Grand Highlander is the marque’s most powerful midsize SUV ever.

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Turbo gas engine.

Fuel economy isn’t bad, either. The Hybrid MAX powertrain will do 26 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Meanwhile, the gas engine will do 21 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, 27 mpg on the highway when equipped with AWD. Subtract 1 mpg from both city and highway numbers for gas models in Platinum and Limited trim levels.

The best, in terms of fuel economy, is the middle Hybrid engine, which scores 36 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway, subtract 1 mpg from both for Limited and Platinum models. I was able to test the non-hybrid gas engine and the Hybrid MAX. Both engines scored a little below the quoted fuel economy numbers, but then again, there was a lot of idling and a number of acceleration tests in there.

Step Inside

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Now that we’ve gotten through the mechanicals, let’s talk about the star of the show. The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is supposed to be an ultimate family hauler and it shows with the work Toyota has put into the cabin.

For starters, the rear doors open up wide, revealing second-row seats with easy levers to pull to slide them out of the way. From there, you can use a step to get into the third row. I’m not a small person by any means, yet I found getting into the rear of a 2024 Grand Highlander easier than any recent SUV that I can think of. Dare I say, getting in and out of the third row of the Grand Highlander can be graceful. Usually, I tumble out of these things, looking like a drunk.

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Once you’re situated in the third row, you’re greeted to an environment that Toyota says is designed for adults. Well, Toyota is technically correct here. As a test, I left both of the second-row seats in their rearmost position. This would give the second-row passengers plenty of legroom. Toyota says the second row has 39.5 inches of legroom while the third row has 33.5 inches of legroom. For those of you counting, the second row is 0.8 inches larger than the regular Highlander while the third row is 5.5 inches larger. That also makes this third row 2.1 inches larger than the family favorite Kia Telluride!

What do those numbers mean in real life? Well, I’m 5 feet, 6 inches tall. I’m unsure of how long my legs are, but I’d say about average. My legs come right up to the second row’s seatbacks. I was very comfortable but may not have been if my legs were any longer.

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Scotty and her video guy also crammed themselves into the rear seats and both seemed to fit fine and comfortably. I figure that if you’re of about average height or shorter, you’ll feel comfortable back there. Realistically, for the best comfort, I think you’ll want to have the second-row occupants scoot up a little bit and share some space. Keep in mind that you do keep cargo space with all seats up.

Toyota says you get 20.6 cu.ft of trunk space with every seat up, which Scotty and I found to be about equal to one car journalist comfortably sitting in a trunk. Apparently, this is enough room for seven carry-on suitcases. Fold down all but the front seats and you get 97.5 cu.ft.

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If your occupants will be kids, then the whole vehicle will feel nearly land yacht-spacious. Considering that Toyota’s target market for the Grand Highlander is young and growing families, I’m sure most owners will be happy with the space on hand.

Family Hauling In Comfort

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Since the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is a family vehicle, there are loads of features geared at making everyone comfortable. Standard in all Grand Highlanders is a 12.3-inch infotainment display. This is your central hub for entertainment and navigation. Contained on the center stack are two USB ports and three cupholders. The front seat passenger gets their own USB port and a pocket for a small bag or a bottle.

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Moving to the second row, you get an HVAC control panel plus two more USB ports. The middle row can be configured either with bucket seats or as a bench. If you choose bucket seats, you get a center console. This piece is easily removable to make a small aisle to the third row and provides for some storage for devices. You also get two cupholders here. Both rear doors get two cupholders each, so you can have up to six cupholders for the second row.

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Moving to the third row, once again you get two more USB ports flanking the occupants and three cupholders per side. Add it all up and this interior will swallow up 13 to 15 cups, not including unofficial cupholders like the door pockets.

Speaking of those cupholders, Toyota made these cupholders so that they could hold Big Gulps and other massive drinks. You do get cupholders for smaller drinks, too, but most of them are useless for small drinks. Toyota gave us fancy metal bottles of water to drink during our drives. These bottles occasionally slipped out of most of the Grand Highlander’s cupholders during many stops. Basically, the cupholders in this are so large that they don’t quite fit small cups well. So, smaller cups are free to bounce around or just fall out of the cupholders.

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The solution is clear: always buy big drinks. If you have kids, I’d recommend a sippy cup or some other unspillable container.

What impressed me most about the Grand Highlander was how comfortable those rear seats were. The second row in particular was so comfortable that I found myself nodding off to sleep when Scotty was behind the wheel. I have driven some of the competition like the Volkswagen Atlas. That crossover seemed to trade some comfort for handling.  The 2024 Grand Highlander rides on a cloud compared to an Atlas. It soaks up the bumps so well that even a light sleeper like myself could start to count sheep.

It’s not the best riding vehicle I’ve ever been in but for a family car? The suspension is sublime. Even bumps that seemingly should have unsettled the vehicle did not, and I found myself smiling as I enjoyed my cushy seat. And it’s not like Toyota did anything special. Up front are MacPherson struts and multi-links bring up the rear, but Toyota tuned this suspension just right. It feels almost like a Lexus.

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Even the rear row, which in my experience is normally a place where you seat the in-laws, was comfortable enough that I intentionally sought out sitting there.

How luxurious those seats are depends on the trim level of the Grand Highlander. The crossover is available in XLE, Limited, and Platinum trim levels. The interior of the XLE is pretty barren with highlight features like power heated front seats and second-row sunshades. Stepping up to Limited gets you leather seats, those front seats now get ventilation, ambient lighting is splashed in, and the second row gets heat. Also handy is a 100W power outlet for gas models and a 1500W outlet in both hybrids. Notable in the Limited trim is a hands-free power tailgate.

The Limited trim also throws in a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an 11-speaker JBL sound system. I love to test car audio systems with the same song, the theme of Star Trek: Voyager. My test more or less replicates how an average driver (as in, not an audiophile) would utilize the system.

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I paired my phone to the vehicle, popped open Android Auto, and let the tunes rip. The JBL system seemed to muffle some of the notes of the Voyager theme, but overall it came out loud, largely clear, and with what felt like the right amount of bass. This system is Mercedes Jam Session Approved.

Of course, the top-of-the-line gets the coolest stuff. Platinum owners will get a head up display, panoramic roof, two rows of heated and ventilated seats, digital rearview mirror, paddle shifters, and Traffic Jam Assist. That last one is a Level 2 semi-autonomous driving mode that can handle steering, braking, and acceleration in dense highway traffic at and below 25 mph.

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If I do have an additional complaint about this interior, it’s with the center console armrest. It’s so small that when I rested my arm on it, I found myself accidentally hitting the vehicle’s drive mode dial. Thus, I ended up inadvertently changing drive modes a number of times. In the end, I just rested my hand on the shifter. I do think this area could be configured better for more comfort.

Driving The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

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I left the driving portion for last because honestly, how it drives is sort of not what this crossover is about. Our drive took us around the northern portion of Hawai’i Island, a place where if you played that old Punch Buggy game but with Toyota Tacomas, the backseats of your Grand Highlander would look like a UFC match. Seriously, the island loves Toyota so much that Tacomas are as ubiquitous as Ford F-150s are everywhere else.

Aside from the Island’s Toyota love, it was the perfect place to test Toyota’s family road-tripper. Our route saw us driving the Grand Highlander along the Hawaiian coast before climbing up the mountain high enough to drive through a cloud or two. Words cannot quite describe the beauty of this place.

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Postcards and photographs simply cannot do it justice. Hawai’i Island might be my new favorite place in the United States. You know how I said my Royal Enfield is pure euphoria? Yeah, this is that, but as a place. Anyway, back to the car.

I was able to test a Grand Highlander with the non-hybrid gas engine and the Hybrid MAX. There wasn’t much to write home about with the gas engine. It did exactly as it says on the tin and hit 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds. There wasn’t any theatrics going on and the eight-speed automatic swapped cogs quickly and smoothly. It also handled Hawai’i’s steep hills with grace. I believe this engine and transmission pairing is excellent for drivers looking for something that just works in the background and doesn’t have any hybrid wizardry.

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The Hybrid MAX was a different story. This isn’t really an enthusiast vehicle, but the Hybrid MAX gives you a dose of fun with just a blip of drama. Drop the hammer in the Hybrid MAX and you’ll get initial wheelspin as the Grand Highlander scampers up to 60 mph. Remember, a Grand Highlander Platinum weighs a driver short of 5,000 pounds. It’s not going to pin you to your seat, but the acceleration feel produced by such a heavy machine can give you a smirk. The Hybrid MAX punches out power way harder than you’d expect for an otherwise laid-back, conservative vehicle.

This powertrain, with its 362 HP and 400 lb-ft torque total output, seemed entirely unfazed by Hawai’i’s steep grades. It accelerated hard up hills and if you weren’t paying attention, you’d blow past the common 35 mph and 45 mph island speed limits without even noticing.

I tested a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum with this powertrain and I wouldn’t call it fun, but satisfying. It’s the kind of power that gives you confidence at busy junctions, not the kind of power that makes you want to race. Handling is a similar story. The suspension feels composed in corners and the Grand Highlander has plenty of grip, but it will never let you forget that you’re flogging a 5,000-pound vehicle. That, plus steering so light you can turn with just one finger, means you’re not going to be hunting apexes in this crossover. Again, that’s not really the point.

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That said, I would recommend this powertrain only for someone who needs the 5,000-pound tow rating that comes attached to it. Otherwise, the winner would probably be the gas engine for its low price or the regular hybrid for its fuel economy. Most people buying a Grand Highlander will probably be buying it for their family. They will never need to hit 60 mph so fast because if they did, a metal bottle of water is ending up smacking some kid in the forehead.

Like the new Tacoma, the Grand Highlander is chock-full of driver-assist technology. You get goodies like parking assists, blind spot monitoring, radar cruise control, a pre-collision warning system, a road sign display, and more. And like the Tacoma, the Grand Highlander can stop itself should the driver become incapacitated.

Pricing

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XLE shown – Toyota

Speaking of low prices, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander has a starting price of $43,070 before destination charges. That nets you a FWD Grand Highlander XLE. Paying $44,670 gets you AWD. The cheapest way into a Limited is $47,860 and that one is FWD. The cheapest hybrid is a Grand Highlander XLE Hybrid for $44,670. To get the Limited with the hybrid powertrain is $51,060. The Hybrid MAX powertrain is first found in the Grand Highlander Limited for $54,040 then shows up again in the Grand Highlander Platinum Hybrid MAX for $58,125.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander hits the road this summer. When it does, I suspect Toyota’s cash register will be ringing non-stop. Toyota has long missed out on the race between large crossovers, but now it has its own competent entry. As I said, this isn’t really an enthusiast car, but I have no doubt you’ll see kids piling into one in no time at all.

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92 thoughts on “The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Is Toyota Finally Offering A Crossover For Large Families And Their 15 Cups

    1. Oh, trust me, I would if they offered it with a Hybrid Max powertrain and modern driver assist functions. The Sienna is the red-headed stepchild of the Toyota family with a premium price tag but none of the features to back up the price.

      This model gets all of the glitz and glory for barely more money.

      1. The Sienna retains the most important features: lots of space and legendary Toyota reliability 😀

        Too bad they don’t sell the Alphard over here 🙁

  1. So can we call this a crossover? A crossover is a tall SUV/wagon/van body on a unibody car chassis.

    This is a 5000lb beast withmore than a half ton of payload and a GVWR around 7k. I think this is an SUV on a purpose built FWD unibody half ton chassis that likely shares basically nothing with a Camry.

    1. That question was stirring in my head throughout this article as well. What makes this a large crossover vs a SUV? I don’t even think it can be considered a small SUV because of the size. Has the term Crossover become such a coveted keyword for SEO and marketing? Does a SUV need to be built on a ladder frame and all unibodys are Crossovers, regardless of size and utility?

      Fantastic review, otherwise. Mercedes is great at writing to her audience.

  2. Hybrids not being Plug designs should probably be removed from sales consideration these days. I am also baffled by the CVT in the standard Hybrid offering. the NA 2.5 coupled to the base hybrid is probably the most reliable gas engine they offer here yet it has the added complexity of the hybrid system and the crappy CVT attached. I suppose I am out all around on this one.

    1. Why? They reduce consumption of fossil fuels and emissions and they require 0 lifestyle adjustments. They work right now. If anything they should be the default ICE offering on appliance cars across the board.

        1. You’re not wrong but a PHEV that isn’t ever plugged in doesn’t return fuel economy that’s as good as a traditional hybrid. The added weight of the bigger batteries presents an issue. It all comes down to use case…I think there’s plenty of room for both in our current situation.

          1. Non-plug in hybrid owner here – I think there are still a lot of benefits, especially local. My Camry will still drive a few miles in pure Ev mode and normal mileage is in the 40 mpg range. I get 37 or so on the interstate at 75-80 mph speeds, easily in the 40’s on rural 2 lanes. The Toyota hybrid CVT is NOT a typical CVT, it basically shares the load between the ICE engine and the electric motor. I have 215,000 miles on mine so far with only fluid changes.

      1. These CVTs work great with hybrid powertrains because the electric motors are generally what propels the vehicle from a stop, dramatically reducing drive belt/chain wear.
        On a regular ICE vehicle, the CVT must propel the vehicle from a stop. This wears the CVT and causes expensive premature failure, which is why Toyota added an actual first gear to it’s low end CVTs.
        Conventional CVTs have a lifespan and are designed to wear out a few years past warranty.
        Conventional autos on the other hand, almost always last the life of the vehicle.

    2. Why baffled? Toyota’s hybrids have long used an eCVT, which is simpler and differs from a regular belt/chain driven CVT. It’s actually more unusual for Toyota to be pairing the hybrid to a conventional automatic as they are on the Max powertrains.

      Now driving feel may be a different story since several hybrid Toyotas are still known to drone on at WOT, but to my knowledge the reliability of the eCVT seems to not have been an issue over the last 20+ years, nor the reliability/complexity of the standard hybrid system as a whole.

      A Grand Highlander Prime would make sense, but even in the Prius, the Prime is a $5k bump. This thing ain’t cheap, but maybe the Lexus TX variant would be a better spot for a PHEV.

      1. I believe Toyota’s hybrid ‘eCVT’ is not even close to a traditional pulley-and-belt or pulley-and-chain drive CVT like Subaru or Nissan use. It’s just a planetary gear set that connects the myriad of power sources to the wheels.

        1. Yeah, think the commonality is more just in name than function and design – I thought about elaborating more, but not being anything like an engineer, didn’t want to complicate it further than “no, not the same and Toyota’s used it all along”, lol.

    3. The eCVT on Toyota hybrids really needs a different name. It’s unrelated to the crappy belt or chain CVTs. It’s closer to simplified automatic with only a single planetary gearset and the two electric motor/generators hooked directly to it. Basically a beefier version of the Prius setup. I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever heard of one failing.

    1. It’s kind of appealing too? It’s hybrid only and can be kitted out to Lexus levels. If you need a mid sized SUV appliance it’s a great choice.

      1. +1. Actually surprised I see as many of them as I do, since a lot of reviews seem to say the Venza doesn’t make sense against the RAV4 since it’s actually smaller inside, but it’s more plush like you say and the prices are actually close when you look at the equipment. I think some compare the trim names 1:1, but a base LE Venza is equipped more like an XLE hybrid RAV4 and they run pretty close from there. It’s still pricey, but so is a RAV4. It’s basically the equivalent now of the Avalon’s place in between a loaded Camry and the Lexus ES.

        Main issues I have with it are touch-capacitive buttons on some infotainment, bumper-mount turn signals (at least they’re amber LEDs so that helps visibility a bit), and non-opening moonroof (Toyota keeps doing this, why bother…but at least it’s not standard on every trim for those that don’t want it at all).

  3. I’m not a fan of this car finally coming to market, mostly because I’m going to assume that Toyota is going to prioritize production of this cash cow over the Sienna. The Sienna is already nearly impossible to get your hands on. I assume it’s only going to get worse when Toyota starts selling every one of these that they can build.

    1. Maybe, but Toyota is probably more likely to reprioritize from the regular Highlander. I think Toyota keeps Sienna production lower anyway with the segment being so much smaller now, while the crossovers are where the volume is. In Q1 2023 vs. 2022, Sienna and Highlander sales were both down, although Sienna moreso while Highlander Hybrid sales were actually up.

      Anyone that was thinking of spending north of $40-45k for a regular Highlander is surely more likely to just spring for this. The fact there aren’t lower trims on the GH as there are the Highlander makes it seem like they know Highlander is going to be a ‘budget’ alternative once the GH hits.

      1. Possibly, but I’m skeptical. Sometimes it feels like the manufacturer marketing teams are desperately trying to jettison any sort of niche vehicle that can hurt their branding. I never see anyone truly promoting how great of a form factor that vans are, but boy do they seem to like the image of “everyday is an adventure with your plastic clad battle wagon!” versus “your life with children can be a slog and you want your vehicle to simply not be part of the problem”.

        1. Eh, seems like everyone that tries to do a “different” campaign (Sienna swagger wagon, Kia with the MPV branding for the Carnival) ends up giving up. I think at this point nobody is expecting to change anyone’s mind, manufacturers or consumers alike. If people decide they want a minivan, they seek it out.

          Toyota may actually have a better shot at moving more Siennas now if people are going in to look at the Grand Highlander, since every review before talked about the Highlander being smaller than the competition – so people may not have even bothered stopping at Toyota at all.

          I do agree with you though that the minivan image is just, family now. Growing up I remember a couple DINK neighbors on our block that had minivans, but now crossovers pretty much took that place. That’s why I think most people view the minivan as a size class “above” a large crossover even if they’re the same exterior footprint. May not be as much space inside, but a minivan is “more than they need.”

    2. My hope is it eases demand on the Sienna a bit, so I can actually get a Sienna.

      Who’d guess a minivan “no one wants” would be so hard to get.

      Unfortunately the list of vehicles with space for a bunch of stuff, AWD, and over 30 mpg combined is….pretty much non-existent outside of Toyota.

      Or most likely, I’ll expect the Grand Highlander Hybrid to join the Sienna, Highlander Hybrid, and RAV4 Prime as being impossible to find unless you want to personally fund the bonus pool at Crazy Jack’s Toyota.

      1. It sucks because I would have absolutely snapped one up at MSRP in a low trim, if they even existed. 35mpg for a van is fantastic.

        I am happy with the used Voyager so far though.

  4. My wife and I are essentially the target demographic for stuff like this and the Mazda CX-90. We’re in the process of starting a family and once that’s up and running the extra space will be very handy…not even because of seating necessarily, just carrying everyone and the dog’s stuff on road trips.

    The luxury without a badge tax segment is really appealing for this use case. We’ll be able to afford to buy a 50-60k car when it’s time but I don’t think either of us want a luxury badge, especially when kids and the dog will be in the car. It’s not really worth the extra money if the car is going to live a hard life. This offers a middle ground solution that gives you some of those perks without the premium or the prestige. If we roll up to family functions or work in a Lexus people are going to notice, and not really in a good way. But if we roll up in a Toyota or Mazda? No one will look twice.

    It’s also important to mention the hybrid powertrain options. The Pilot, Telluride, Grand Cherokee L, Palisade, etc. don’t offer any and they’re absolute gas hogs. I don’t want a daily driver of any form that gets less than 20 MPG in the city in this day and age…and even 20 is pretty terrible. We live in the city and either the hybrid or hybrid max options would offer the best day to day fuel economy in this class of vehicles for us by a country mile. That’s a big deal.

    I think Toyota has a hit on their hands and I think Mazda does with the CX-90 that we’ll inevitably cross shop with this. They offer a more luxury oriented big hauler experience while still managing to be respectable on gas. That’s a big deal in the 40-60k space that all these vehicles operate in. Plus Toyota reliability speaks for itself. I’m sure these will go for 200k miles with nothing but fluid changes.

    And before Minivan Gang chimes in angrily: I know! I agree! Vans are the best solution for this. But some people just won’t drive them. As of now my wife is one of them but I’ve got time to keep trying to vanpill her. Wish me luck.

    1. This IS a minivan, just the hinged door variety but yeah, your wife is going to wish she had gone with a Sienna. Why? All those angry stares after Ralphie (AGAIN!) dents the car in the next stall by kicking his door into it. He’ll tearfully blame his sister, the dog, or he’ll say he just didn’t see the car. “I’m sorry” ain’t going to get that scratch and dent out kid.

      Ralphie’s a good kid but when he’s buzzing on sugar watch out!

    2. Borrow a baby and a toddler from some friends. Have your wife try loading them both into an SUV. Then have her load them into a minivan where the doors magically slide open. That should do the trick.

      1. The tricky part is getting your friend to take the kids back afterward.
        “Can you watch them a little longer? Maybe until they’re through college?”

    3. After a few months with the van, my wife now understands the value of van. Once an SUV or bust lifer, she now looks at them with disdain like I always have. The sliding doors are sooooo good. The cargo space and low load floor makes hauling kid shit easy. It drives no worse than any other crossover.

      Once you’re in your 30’s and have kids, it’s over, nobody will ever care to analyze whether you’re cool or not, because you can’t possibly be cool anymore anyway. Give into the van. It is way.

      1. We had 3 kids. I removed one of the center seats so we could get in an easily make sure they were all buckled in place. It was insanely easy.

    4. When we went through this exact shopping process I told my partner we would buy whichever vehicle she liked the best, no questions asked, after doing the test drives. My only conditions for the test drives were: 1. there would be at least one minivan in the list 2. she would get in and out of the 3rd row of every vehicle. The second one was really important because we do lots of activities with her parents so the 3rd row would be used a lot. I don’t remember all the SUVs we drove other than the XC90 (that was her choice before we started) but we stopped looking after she drove the Pacifica because she knew that was the winner.
      The advice above about practicing/pretending to load and unload kids is really good as well. The last thing I would suggest is to rent a van for your next vacation to help get an idea of just how usable and livable they really are.

    5. Fingers crossed! My partner and I are both small, manual wagon/hatch people but now we’ve enough kids that it was either take two cars everywhere or bite the bullet on a 7/8 seater. She was at least as reflexively opposed to a minivan as I was, finding them to be super ugly, but the driving experience of these 3-row monsters with their giant, flat hoods and tiny windows and 22mpg combined is just unacceptable. We were actually both pretty excited about id.buzz, but I’ve run out of patience and am confident it will be both too expensive and impossible to actually get once they actually start selling them in [perpetually thirteen months out].

      A little over a month ago I happened to be running an errand across the street from the local cdjr dealer and saw they had a pacifica hybrid on the lot. So I took a spontaneous test drive and came away quite impressed. PHEV seemed like a no-brainer since we have the ability to plug in by the garage but don’t typically drive a ton of miles in a given day, and I find it to be one of the better looking vehicles of its massive size.

      We ended up pulling the trigger on a different one (in a real color!) in pretty short order and so far really like it. It’s so much more pleasant to drive than the atlas/palisade/etc. If cost were no object, I’d maybe still prefer the phev xc90, but that’s 50% more costly and less practical because of the doors and seating arrangement. 2 seat second row is *so much* more convenient for getting kids in and out of the 3rd row.

      Anyway, you probably already know all this, but maybe it gives some hope that a conversion is possible?

      1. Oh, and the half a tank of gas we’ve used in three or so weeks of ownership was almost entirely last weekend’s trip to the grandparents (240mi round trip) – computer said the total trip average was 39mpg

    6. I’m in the same position. Wife will not get a minivan. It also doesn’t help that although I completely know a minivan is the best solution here, one of the cars I learned to drive on was a late 80’s grand voyager minivan. That does not leave a good impression… so it’s hard to purge from my memory.

  5. It’s not an exciting car, but its an important car. What Toyota needs lately is not more great new models…it’s getting them into customers hands.

  6. Holy family truckster batman what a station wagon. Slicing the pie thin between models, kinda like the bmw X1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (joking)
    Also, how is this better than a awd minivan?

      1. Yes and no. This has a turbo four cylinder, I promise it’s gonna get really frickin hot pulling 5000lb in a way that an old v6 minivan won’t.

        1. except no minivan now or in the past is rated for much over 3600 lbs of towing capacity. But I also guarantee anyone trying to tow much over 3,000 with this will soon after be shopping a 10 year old tundra to have for towing stuff anyway.

      2. True, but I’ve got to know a few dozen people with 3-row crossovers. None of them tow anything. To be fair to them, I also know plenty of people with trucks. Most of them do not tow anything.

        And the available vans can tow 3500#, which is something if one cares or bothers to tow with it.

      3. If you’re doing that amount of towing maybe the Sequoia is a better answer. I somehow don’t think this will be as good at that, though I guess if you only do it a few times a year…

  7. Dammit. Give me the newest land cruiser without it being all luxed up and costing too much money. That’s what the Lexus is for.

    For pure family hauling this is fine. Even looks like an enjoyable place to spend some time. Although the sienna hybrid(especially with a couple extra inches of clearence) will fit most families needs much better. Lord forbid someone see you in a minivan tho.

    1. The big island is awesome. I went for a destination wedding of a friend’s 7 years ago, and it was genuinely the coolest place I’ve ever been. Just in a day’s drive around the island the landscape and climate changes so dramatically that it feels like a videogame overworld a la Donkey Kong Country. We were there for 10 days and I felt like I barely scratched the surface (we only did the big island). I can’t wait to go back someday.

  8. I was skeptical of the 5k lb weight of the top model til I checked Toyota’s spec sheet, but I don’t know why I doubted it between the turbo plumbing and battery and all.

    The base XLE looks rather plain compared to the others but also to the XLE trim regular Highlander. But overall a better looking vehicle than the regular Highlander too – especially the interior, much less jumbled together looking.

    Between regular gas variants I think I’d still prefer the new Pilot over this, but the regular hybrid is compelling even.

  9. The regular Highlander isn’t already considered a large crossover? My brother has one, and while it isn’t huge you can still fit 6 adults in it with the 2 in the back having a tolerable amount of space. It’s definitely better for kids back there, but how often is the typical buyer for one of these vehicles even going to need to carry more than 4 adults at a time?

    1. “Large” is a relative term. We used to cram 10 kids into a station wagon with backwards facing seats and maybe 4 lap belts total. And the luggage still fit in the back. These days that vehicle would only be sufficient for a two-child family and half their stuff would be strapped to the roof like Grandma in National Lampoon’s Vacation.

      These days even my dog gets a seat belt.

      Edit: Forgot the obligatory “get off my lawn”

  10. If I recall correctly, the Subaru Ascent has 22 cup holders. Like, where does this cup holder arms race ultimately lead?

    Will there be a Dunkin’ Edition Ford Explorer that simply has a Coolatta Dispenser installed in the cargo area, that you can refill at your local dealership

    Does Mitsubishi attempt to regain market share in the US with a “Never Be Thirsty Again” advertisement campaign?

    Perhaps the interior of every seat has a tank for liquid and a fill port, and there’s just a drinks delivery system built into each seat.

    1. drinks delivery system built into each seat”

      Perfect example of how the technology developed for Formula 1 trickles down into everyday life. Expect this in every new Mercedes within two years.

  11. I think the combination of NA engines and hybrid systems will be a sweet spot going forward for power and reliability. Gets that extra boost without the added stress of a turbo

    1. My sliding-door fetish is as strong as they come, but not every response to the release of a 3-row SUV needs to be “just buy the minivan.” Let people enjoy things.

      This is a genuine 3-row SUV that can pull 33mpg on a commute and take six people down BLM roads for dispersed camping on the weekend. You know, the kind of roads whose ruts and rocks would be ripping bumper skins and gas tank mounting brackets off the underbelly of a minivan.

        1. A quick Google search tells me that a Toyota Highlander SUV has a massive 8″ of ground clearance while a Toyota Sienna minivan has a mere 6.9″ of ground clearance.

          I guess for some people that extra 1.1″ makes a world of difference 😉

          1. You are vastly underselling how much that 1.1 difference in ground clearance matters. A 2 inch lift for an off-roader is a sizable lift that opens up a lot of new terrain. It doesn’t sound like much, but it matters.

      1. As a minivan fan and having grown up in minivans rather than SUVs, fully agree.

        Sure there’s absolutely people that don’t want the minivan image (I read a comment on this on another site talking about how men not wanting to damage their masculinity – from what I’ve ever seen, it’s moms that tend to be minivan-image-averse, but I digress). There’s also a number of other reasons I can see someone choosing the large crossover compared to a minivan like ground clearance or towing capabilities or even the ergonomics (Siennas have always had odd seating positions to me).

        But above all, I think most buyers just see minivans as another size class above the Grand Highlander/Pilot/etc. Exterior dimensions may be the same, but the minivan feels like more than they need even by the standards of buying something bigger for more space. It’s not like minivans are meaningfully cheaper either, like in the 90s when you could pick up a Chrysler minivan for Camry money. Let people buy what they want, if people just bought what made the most logical sense all the time, sites like this wouldn’t have nearly the readership.

                1. so it’s $575 for Aluminum strut spacers, extended sway bar links and other bits of hardware. Frankly, I think that’s a deal. It’s neither here nor there though, because it’s what it costs to do the thing.

      2. “My sliding-door fetish is as strong as they come, but not every response to the release of a 3-row SUV needs to be “just buy the minivan.” Let people enjoy things.”

        Like scuttling away without leaving a note after one of the kids dents the adjacent car by kicking a door into it.

    2. I agree in principle, but I also recently saw a new Sienna in the wild. Pictures do not convey how offensively ugly it is. I can’t blame anyone for refusing to buy it on looks alone. It’s that bad.

  12. I’m sure it’s an artifact of refresh and redesign timing, but I do find it humorous that Honda has gone to all turbo 4s and hybrids in the Accord while the Camry maintains the V6, whereas the exact opposite is the case in minivans and large SUVs.

    1. It felt pretty odd reading that normally conservative Toyota was switching to a turbo 4 in the Highlander for 2023. Of course the Camry will almost definitely dump the V6 in the next gen.

      1. When the V6 Camry goes, it will be the sad ending of a long era.

        If I had any need whatsoever for another sedan, I’d be all about buying one while I could.

        1. My old beater was a 1998 Camry with the 1MZ-FE V6. I’ve had seat time in six-figure sedans, and I’d still rather have that Toyota V6. Something about its sound (from inside the cabin) and smoothness just feels right in ways everything else does not.

        2. If the Camry is like the Accord its worth cross shopping the 4cyl. I drove both the I4 and V6 Accord and found the V6 while a bit faster and more growly was noticeably nose heavy and had an annoyingly wider turning circle. The I4 was much more agile and felt lighter. Better gas mileage and no timing belt too. Easier to wrench on as well.

          1. I have many irrational automotive quirks, and one of them is that I will never buy a 4 cylinder when a larger number is offered*. In an appliance commuter car like a Camry or Accord, I’m not as worried about steering feel. In this case its academic, because I have no need for a Camry anyways.

            *Really, it would be unlikely for me to buy fewer cylinders in any scenario, but since I have done it in the past, I can’t be as definitive. Never a 4 though.

            1. Well at least you admit it’s irrational! My own rule is to never get two banks of cylinders when one bank is available, especially in transverse applications. I don’t miss the stress of scanning for an ignition coil fault and praying it’s the front bank of cylinders.

              Really this is me lamenting that Piech-era VW never developed a batshit VR8 engine.

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