‘GRANDER’ HIGHLANDER
FOR A THREE-ROW SUV, THERE’S ACTUALLY QUITE A LOT OF CARGO SPACE INSIDE THE VEHICLE
Bigger — or in this case, grander — is better, right? I made a pretty bold statement a few months ago after my test of the all-new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. I’m a diehard minivan lover but after a week of testing the three-row SUV, I went on record (it lives online) saying, “If there was ever a vehicle to change my mind about minivans, it’s this 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. Now if only I could get it with sliding doors…”
What better way to figure out how true that may be than with a long-term test of the Grand Highlander, which is exactly what we’re going to do — albeit still with no sliding doors.
Though I haven’t tested the Hybrid Max Platinum trim seen here, I do have some second first impressions of this large SUV because I’ve driven the non-hybrid GH before, and there are some specific things that quickly stand out, so take note if you’ve got the Grand Highlander on your shopping list.
IS THE TOYOTA GRAND HIGHLANDER HYBRID MAX FUEL-EFFICIENT?
It may be big (and boy, does it feel heavy), it may be quiet, it may even be a hybrid, but no, this specific tested model is not the most fuel-efficient SUV, nor is it the most fuel-efficient Toyota, heck, it’s not even the most fuel-efficient Grand Highlander. Granted, Hybrid Max isn’t necessarily meant to be translated into ‘ultimate fuel savings’ (but it kind of feels like it should be). Instead, as Matthew Guy pointed out in his review of this Max trim, it blends the powertrains of the other Grand Highlanders — its turbocharged engine and two electric motors are paired with a six-speed automatic transmission that makes 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, and allwheel drive is standard. The non-hybrid Grand Highlander has a combined fuel consumption of 10.0 L/100 km (11.2 city, 8.6 highway). The Grand Highlander Hybrid has a combined rating of 7.0 L/100 km (6.6 city, 7.4 highway), which is similar to the hybrid-only Toyota Sienna. The Hybrid Max should fall somewhere in between those numbers, and on paper it does; it’s got a combined rating of 8.8 L/100 km (9.0 city, 8.6 highway). However, when I got into the vehicle, it was reading 11.9 L/100 km, which is significantly higher than its rating. After two full days of driving, I managed to bring it down… to 11.8 L/100 km. We’ll work on that over the next couple months and see if there’s anything else we can do to bring it down lower — at least the weather is getting nicer (KNOCK ON WOOD).
THE 2024 TOYOTA GRAND HIGHLANDER HAS SO MUCH INTERIOR SPACE
The vehicle is super roomy inside. Toyota claimed the Grand Highlander could comfortably fit adults in the third row, and that’s entirely true. It doesn’t mean we actually like being seated in the third row, but if needed, it’s nice to know it’s adequate. The second row’s Captain’s chairs easily fold down for third row passengers to get in, but my nine-year-old struggles to pull it back into its upward position — she’s been advised to start working out. If totally necessary, someone can jump over the centre console in between the second-row seats, but fair warning, muddy boots and reckless children will quickly get that dirty — they’ve been advised to clean up after themselves.
For a three-row SUV, there’s actually quite a lot of cargo space, and that would be obvious if I meant with the third row folded, but I don’t! With the third-row seats in use, there’s a surprising amount of usable cargo space. You can’t fit a big stroller back there or anything, but you can definitely fit a load of groceries into the 583 litres of space (20.6 cubic feet), and that’s without stacking things up like you’d have to do in the Hyundai Palisade. In general, it’s usually more legroom or more legroom in threerow SUVS, but it’s hardly ever both. The Grand Highlander gets both, in addition to being big all around, which also comes at a cost — and this time, I’m not talking about price.
THE TOYOTA GRAND HIGHLANDER IS HUGE
As someone with three kids, I understand the need for a car that’s bigger than average but does it really need to be this big? Lorraine Sommerfeld wrote a column a couple years back called “The vehicles we buy today are just too big.” And of course, there’s a ton of safety gear included — Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 has automatic emergency braking, lane departure alert with steering assists, and more — and sure, they work well, but, as Lorraine explained, automakers are “trying to solve a problem they themselves created.” .