This enormous and range-topping Toyota Grand Highlander now has a powerful hybrid power unit
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX review by The Road Beat
Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman
Grand has many interpretations. According to Merriam-Webster, these range from "having more importance than others," and "marked by a regal form and dignity," or "large and striking in size." This is a Toyota after all, and so I think we can cross out the middle option, but the others can be quite applicable and accurate in what the Grand Highlander aims for and achieves. Grand in many senses, but not all, this Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid with the powerful MAX powertrain option is one of the most complete cars Toyota has ever produced.
Grand
Well, it's big; That much is very easy to see. Measuring 201" long, it's curiously only four to six inches longer than the normal Highlander, but like many will tell you, sometimes it only takes an inch to make a grand difference. And it's when you climb aboard that you do realize the subtle extension has made for a considerably roomy interior. Have plans to use a third of seats on the regular? Signed, sealed, and delivered, as the previously tiny jump seats are now fully-fledged to accommodate adults even somewhat comfortably.
Packaging was also a priority, with lots of convenient charging ports for children and passengers littered about in each and every corner in logical locations. Ergonomics and comfort are great, and the user interface is also easy to navigate on the large center screen. Storage impresses, too, with generous center console storage and layout for your personal items. There's no other way to say it except that this is a huge car inside, and short of committing to a minivan or an enormously excessive Suburban, this is one of the most spacious vehicles available today and shows the designers put considerable effort into making use of all that precious space.
With Toyota's so-called Hybrid MAX powertrain fitted here, this Grand Highlander churns out a healthy 362-horsepower via a turbocharged engine and two electric motors. If you're keeping score, that's a considerable boost over the 265 horses the non-hybrid version makes, and an increase of 117 above the standard Hybrid's 245 figure. With such potency under the hood, 0-60 MPH happens easily in less than six seconds, but the real story is just how responsive and capable this configuration is in the real world, rendering passing a breeze when needed. I would expect a Toyota hybrid system to have smooth and transparent operation as it switches the combustion engine off and on, and the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max holds up the standard. And unlike older four-cylinder engines Toyota makes, this new 2.4L turbocharged unit shows marked improvements in NVH levels, both sounding better, and just being an overall smoother engine than before. Have a boat? This Grand Highlander Hybrid Max can tow 5,000 pounds, too.
Get the Grand Highlander out on the road, and while it's big, it luckily doesn't feel that huge on the road. Don't mistake what I'm saying, because it does feel big, but I was surprised it didn't feel overly large like a Sequoia. And for what it's worth, this Grand Highlander has a better second and third row seat than the expensive and excessive Sequoia. Back to driving, it's also quiet enough for covering soothing long-distances, and the suspension soaks up bumps nicely. The steering is light, which helps shrink its mass artificially, and makes for easy cruising with little effort. I also like that you can disable the fussy and intrusive radar cruise control on new Toyotas and use just the regular standard mode, which I greatly prefer.
Less than grand
Despite the prodigious and impressive power, the Grand Highlander as configured does not get the gas mileage I would hope from a Toyota hybrid. The window sticker might show a combined 27 MPG, but I averaged a disappointing 23.5 in tame and responsible daily mixed driving. And I just mentioned how the light steering makes it easy for cruising and maneuvering, it does lack substance and feel; I would prefer extra weighting for increased confidence and control around my local country roads.
Even though this is the Platinum edition, which is the top-shelf of the Grand Highlander range, the interior lacks the same luxury as the also-new Mazda CX-90, which showcases rather exquisite leather and finishing in contrast to the Toyota's utilitarian approach. Speaking of Platinum, this Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Platinum costs a whopping $59,878. It's definitely big and packaged well, but I don't think it's quite nice enough inside to warrant that price, especially once you're inside a CX-90. If there is one aspect that is telling, this Platinum is easily on par with a $20,000 extra Sequoia Platinum, which really doesn't look good for the Sequoia all things considered (and this has more interior space...).
Also to be aware of, make sure you fumble through the overly-complicated steering wheel controls to turn off 'PDA,' an active driving assistant that brakes on its own whenever you follow another car, and that's with not using any kind of cruise control. It's so aggressive that, in many scenarios, I had to fight it and push the throttle pedal to maintain speed, as I could feel the car wanting to sharply brake, but with cars following me close behind, I don't want the car to cause a collision and be hit from behind! I would go as far to call it fundamentally dangerous, so turn that crap off. Overly crowded is the steering wheel with too many buttons and it's dumbfounding that some safety features have to be accessed from the wheel instead of the center display, where not only would it be easier, but they're not even present to begin with.
There are other issues, too, but I'm 99% sure these were isolated detractors: that same center display showed several instances of catastrophic failure. What would I classify as a catastrophic failure? Simply, the center display, at random, would repeatedly turn off and on, rebooting over and over. This didn't happen every time, but it happened more than it should (at least four different drives); It should only happen literally zero times. I had a short drive once where the screen was entirely inoperable because it just kept restarting on repeat. That's not acceptable in the slightest, and this test example had over 8,000 miles on it, so I'm confident that I'm not the first to experience this.
Grand enough?
Releasing the Grand Highlander has put Toyota in an interesting position. Despite the technology glitch mentioned above, this is the most complete new vehicle Toyota makes, with several versions to choose from, and it has huge space for those with larger families (both human and fur babies). I would easily recommend it over the standard not-so-grand Highlander as it costs only marginally extra, but you get lots more. Mazda and the CX-90 may be an improvement on the luxury front, but the Grand Highlander bests it for interior space and convenience. And the redesigned Honda Pilot? The Grand Highlander renders it outdated already.
Unless you needed the massive towing capacity of a Sequoia, this is the better daily car, getting improved gas mileage, boasting improved interior space, and it's also just as nice inside (the Sequoia's luxury price tag is very undeserving). So, by its interesting position, it has the ability cannibalize (and kind of rightfully so) sales of both the regular Highlander and Sequoia for most drivers. With most consumers' priorities considered, the Grand Highlander Hybrid can makes quite a lot of sense, and that's a grand achievement coming from Toyota.
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum Hybrid MAX
As-tested price: $59,878
Pros: Enormous and thoughtful interior; Convincing hybrid powertrain
Cons: 60 grand? Lacks the grace of Mazda's CX-90
Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX review by The Road Beat with photos by mitchellweitzmanphoto.com
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