The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Platinum Is Much More Than Your Average SUV

In 2001, Toyotaintroduced the Highlander, a mid-size SUV that is reliable, and all around OK. Well, my review of the Grand Highlander is nothing like that. When my editor mentioned we needed to review the Grand Highlander, I expected nothing more than what the Highlander traditionally offered: a decent SUV that does the job. However, the Grand Highlander is a completely new model that puts the “grand” in Highlander. It’s slightly larger, or grander, and as you go down the list of features, you will find out that both offer different options. This week, my focus is on the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Platinum, the best of the best from the Grand Highlander trim levels.

This Hybrid SUV comes with three-row seating, so its job is to provide enough comfort for a larger family, while offering good fuel economy that makes it competitive in the hybrid SUV market. Naturally, my week-long test would be daily-driving the Grand Highlander through city streets and highways to assess its comfort, cabin space, fuel economy, and give you all my final thoughts on whether this $58,475 SUV is worth the dollars, or if you’re better off going with a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Mazda CX-90.

In order to provide you with an honest and unbiased review, I drove the vehicle reviewed in this article on a daily basis throughout the course of daily life for a period of one week. For detailed insight into testing procedures and data collection, please
review our methodology policy
.

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Platinum Impressions

The Toyota Grand Highlander knows how to make an impression. At first glance, it looks slightly larger than the regular Highlander — slightly, yet noticeable. The front of the SUV has a ton of character, thanks to the extra large grille. The headlights are a very traditional to Toyota design, but it definitely stands out when you compare it to the normal Highlander.

The same goes for the rear, with the smooth taillights spreading inwards, definitely differentiating the Grand Highlander from its younger sister in the Highlander. My loaner wore the Storm Cloud paint job, which is an excellent gray tone that fits this SUV brilliantly. Overall, the exterior is boxy, bold, and feels high quality. It was time to climb into the SUV with the expectation of experiencing a comfortable ride that is average to above average.

Exterior Dimensions

Driving Impressions And Performance

Mind-blown was exactly the effect that the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Platinum had on me as soon as I exited my street and stepped on the throttle. I wasn’t mind-blown because it was the quickest SUV I’ve driven, this title is reserved for the Escalade V-Series I reviewed last year, but simply because it came out of nowhere. Who would’ve thought a mid-size SUV that rhymes with Highlander can have such fun hybrid engine setup.

For me, the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max went from a good SUV to a great one. It’s the type of SUV that you drop off the kids at school with, then have some fun with alone on the drive home. It’s not all fun and games with the Grand Highlander, however: It still feels a bit sloppy in the handling department. For such a fun SUV, this one has its own share of body roll.

The Grand Highlander comes in a few setups, but our loner comes with the Hybrid Max powertrain. This is a 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which comes with a dual-variable valve timing. It delivers 362 horsepower at 6,000 RPM, and 400 LB-FT of torque between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM. This setup works collaboratively with a direct-shift six-speed automatic transmission that is quite engaging. Some of the other Grand Highlander trim levels feature an electronically-controlled CVT.

Braking And Acceleration

Upon acceleration, I can safely recommend the Hybrid Max trim level over any of the other ones. This hybrid engine setup feels powerful throughout the gears, and under all different loads. Getting on the freeway gets you up to speed effortlessly, with a 0-60 MPH rating of 6.3 seconds. For an SUV that weighs nearly 5,000 pounds, this is quite impressive.

After experiencing this level of acceleration, I just can’t picture myself liking anything less

Once you are up to speed, downshifts are quick, and the Grand Highlander performs under heavy load extremely well. The help of the hybrid’s electric setup gives this extra boost of torque whenever you need it, so you never have to wait for the turbocharger to spool up to speed. After experiencing this level of acceleration, I just can’t picture myself liking anything less, which means for me, it’s the Hybrid Max or bust.

The aggressive acceleration is backed by decent braking, but the body roll makes things a little eerie. The body roll is by design, however, and Toyota engineers meant for the Grand Highlander to ride more like a luxury SUV than a full performance one. Unfortunately, the SUV is neither here, nor there. It is quite comfortable, but it’s not a luxury SUV, and at the same time, it comes with its own set of body roll, taking away some of the confidence as you try to bring it to a quick stop. If you aren’t treating the Grand Highlander like a performance vehicle, however, the brakes will provide you with great stopping power and plenty of assurance.

• Acceleration 0-60 MPH: 6.3 Seconds

Performance Specifications

Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Fuel Economy

Toyota rates the fuel economy of the 2024 Grand Highlander Hybrid Max at 26 MPG in the city, 27 MPG on the highway, and 27 MPG in combined city/highway driving. Using the built-in fuel economy display in the gauge cluster, I was able to get a best of 23.4 MPG in combined city and highway driving. It’s important to note that I wasn’t conservative in my driving, and I will confess that I was having too much fun putting the engine to work and feeling all 400 LB-FT of torque down on the asphalt. Realistically, once you’re past having fun with the acceleration, you can conservatively clock in North of 25 MPG.

Interior Design And Comfort

Inside the Grand Highlander is a comfortable cabin that simply won’t blow any minds. The cabin materials feel high quality, but the best part of the interior are the seats. They are extremely comfortable and road-trip/long-drive ready. The Platinum trim level brings very fine materials to the seats, which also offer outstanding support. The Grand Highlander’s cabin feels bigger than it really is, with enough room and comfort for most passengers. The third-row is as good as useless, however, and my 6′ 2″ couldn’t fit there for the life of me.

If three-row seating is what you’re looking for, little children must be the target audience for that zone, because the 33.5-inch legroom back there isn’t enough for most adults. The driver’s position, passenger, and middle-row feel much better, though. The driver gets great visibility all around, with a ton of Lexus-grade surfaces. Between the center screen, shifter, and overall feel, the Grand Highlander shares a ton with the Lexus TX. Given how premium the Lexus is, that’s a great comparison to make.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

As the driver of the Grand Highlander, you will have control over the systems through two 12.3-inch screens. Directly in front, the digital gauge cluster offers plenty of functions, and you can even get turn-by-turn directions through it. Personally, I never cared to get my directions through the gauge cluster. It’s always just an arrow and distance, which leaves me to picture the rest. It’s OK, however, because turning your eyes slightly to the right gives you access to the second 12.3-inch infotainment screen, which offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system also encourages safety through a great voice recognition feature that listens when you say, “Hey, Toyota.”

In addition to its luxury features, the Grand Highlander also comes with a long list of safety features, most notably the pre-collision system with pedestrian detection system, a dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, and proactive driving assist. Technology-wise, the Grand Highlander truly lacks nothing.

Cargo And Storage Space

While the third-row seating isn’t enough to fit humans, folding it and the second row seating can create 97.5 cubic-feet of cargo space. It’s a massive amount, but it’s not always realistic to fold down the second row seats despite how easy it is to do so. The third-row seating can also fold flat by itself, making it incredibly easy to load up the Grand Highlander without having to lift too high to clear it, and giving you 57.9 cubic-feet of storage.

If you opt to keep all seats up, you will get just 20.6 cubic-feet of storage, just enough for some groceries. There are 13 cupholders around the cabin, and every passenger has access to one. Overall, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is customizable enough to be whatever you need it to be, given it’s not to fit someone my size in the third-row seating.

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max Vs. Its Competitors

The Toyota Grand Highlander is in a unique position where competition isn’t as fierce as other vehicles in other segments. When I tested the Toyota Tundra, I had to compare it to a long list of trucks, but the Grand Highlander only has two main competitors that are hybrid and offer similar space: the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the Mazda CX-90. All three of these hybrid SUVs are on the market as comfortable people moveers that offer enough space for larger families, while maintaining competitive fuel economy. The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe is the SUV that puts up a real fight against the Grand Highlander, even winning some of the battles.

How The Toyota Grand Highlander Compares To The Jeep Grand Cherokee

• 	2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe	2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max
  Trim	Summit Reserve	Platinum
  Model	Grand Cherokee 4xe	Grand Highlander Hybrid
  Engine/Motor	2.0L Hybrid Turbo I-4, Dual Electric Motors	2.4L Hybrid Turbo I-4, Dual Electric Motors
  Horsepower	375 HP	362 HP @ 6,000 RPM
  Torque	470 LB-FT	400 LB-FT @2,000-3,000 RPM
  Drivetrain	4WD	Front Engine, Electric Motor, AWD
  Transmission	8-Speed Automatic	Direct Shift-6AT 6-speed automatic Transmission (ECT)
  MSRP	$60,000	$58,475
  0-60 MPH	5.3 Seconds	5.9 Seconds
  Max towing capacity	6,000 Pounds	5,000 Pounds
  Max payload capacity	1,206 Pounds	1,575 Pounds

With Jeep introducing the Grand Cherokee in a plug-in hybrid setup, it makes this 4xe platform a direct competitor to our Grand Highlander. The Grand Cherokee arguably brings more flair to its design and interior, and feels younger and cooler than the Grand Highlander. This doesn’t make it the better SUV, however, especially given Jeep’s legendary reputation for (lack of) reliability, which is the complete opposite to Toyota’s of simply being the most reliable. The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe starts at $60,000, which is a hefty price tag, but it’s not that much different from the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max. This means it comes down to performance, comfort, technology, and, of course, reliability.

Performance

The Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max delivers 362 horsepower, and 400 LB-FT of peak torque. The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe delivers 375 horsepower and 470 LB-FT of torque. This makes the Grand Cherokee the more powerful option. In addition to the added power, the Grand Cherokee 4xe has an all-electric mode and up to 25 miles of all-electric range when driving around town, which gives it the clear advantage over the Grand Highlander.

Comfort

The Grand Cherokee’s cabin gets yet another advantage over the Grand Highlander. I usually make a claim that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but the Grand Cherokee’s interior is just that much better than the Grand Highlander that I am speaking for everyone, and claiming that it’s better. Both SUVs come with the third-row seating, and both are relatively cramped.

The Grand Cherokee gets a slight disadvantage when it comes to cargo space, with a total of 84.6 cubic-feet of storage when both seats are folded, significantly smaller than the Grand Highlander’s 97.5 cubic-feet. While the Grand Cherokee offers the better cabin from a design aesthetic standpoint, the Toyota Grand Highlander wins in terms of space.

Technology

Upon first glance, the Grand Cherokee seems to pack a hefty list of technology within its cabin. It even comes with a co-pilot console that sits in front of the passenger, which allows them to send directions to the driver’s display, as well as have control over the rear seat entertainment. In addition to this cool feature (if you allow your passengers to have input), the Grand Cherokee comes with a hands-free active driving assist system, as well as all the safety features I mentioned in the Grand Highlander. Technologically-speaking, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is flashy, with a lot of impressive features.

Our Recommendation For Which Model You Should Buy

If the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max goes toe-to-toe with the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, the Jeep will win the battle with its flashiness and technology, but the Grand Highlander will always the war with its reliability. It truly would be difficult to compare Chrysler quality to Toyota, so this should be the end of this comparison. After driving the Hybrid Max trim level, I can confidently say that it’s either that or nothing.

The Grand Highlander isn’t the biggest or smallest SUV, and it could arguably be neither here, nor there in terms of size, but what makes it special is how fun it is to drive, mainly because of its acceleration. If it was any slower, I personally wouldn’t want it. The good news is, when equipped with the Hybrid Max setup, you will forget all about your cramped passengers in the third-row and have some pure fun behind the wheel.