DRIVEN: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander | Bigger & Better? | Driving Impressions, Interior & More!
DRIVEN: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander | Bigger & Better? | Driving Impressions, Interior & More!
The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is a larger version of Toyota’s bread-and-butter Highlander midsize SUV, and that means it’s finally got a third-row seat that’s actually usable for adults. But the Grand Highlander is more than just an extended version of the standard car. In this first drive video, Edmunds’ Alistair Weaver takes you through the ins and outs of the Toyota Grand Highlander!
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander pricing \u0026 review: https://edmu.in/3ox6fAC
00:00 Intro
00:27 Overview
00:43 Interior
04:09 Cargo
05:17 Powertrain
05:51 Driving Impressions
07:28 Edmunds’ Take
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Content
0 -> ALISTAIR WEAVER:
Hi, Alistair Weaver
1.5 -> here for Edmunds with a 2024
Toyota Grand Highlander,
5.43 -> which is basically like
a Highlander but bigger
8.28 -> and says Toyota grander.
10.9 -> [MUSIC PLAYS]
12.53 -> In this film, we're
going to tell you
14.07 -> all about this new
family three row.
15.99 -> We're going to compare
it with great rivals,
17.91 -> like the Kia Telluride.
19.32 -> We're going to tell you what we
like, and just as importantly,
22.48 -> we're going to tell
you what we don't like.
24.3 -> And now, without further
ado, let's get on with it.
27.84 -> The Grand sits between
the standard Highlander
30.06 -> and the gargantuan new Sequoia
in Toyota's lineup Priced
33.77 -> around 45 to 60 grand,
it's built in Indiana
37.29 -> and is billed as a proper
three row with space
39.54 -> in the back for real people and
at least some of their luggage.
43.8 -> Welcome to the interior of
the Grand Highlander, which
46.59 -> is very Toyota, by which I
mean it's very practical, very
50.46 -> sensible, conservative,
but not necessarily
53.4 -> the last word in luxury,
style, or sophistication.
57 -> This is the flagship
platinum trim,
58.62 -> so you're looking at
$55,000 worth of SUV.
62.1 -> And to be honest, it
doesn't quite feel like it.
65.04 -> Kia's done a good
job of bridging
66.93 -> that gap between mass market
and luxury, but to be honest,
70.17 -> Toyota hasn't quite
got there yet.
72.12 -> Some of the plastics still
feel a bit hard and cheap.
75.36 -> I'm far from convinced by this
fake wood, which has clearly
78.24 -> been nowhere near a tree.
79.56 -> And this has been a
long bugbear of mine--
82.17 -> that key would have felt
cheap back in the '90s.
84.87 -> But it does work.
85.92 -> You have a total of 13
different cup holders littered
88.83 -> across the cabin.
89.61 -> That's 13 cupholders for up
to eight passengers, remember.
92.67 -> You also have seven
USB-C charging points.
95.76 -> You have wireless charging
here for your iPhone,
98.97 -> and it's also good to see
AC plug sockets for charging
102.12 -> things like a laptop.
103.83 -> So the family should be able
to keep themselves entertained.
107.42 -> As you'd expect,
there's also tons
108.84 -> of ornament space for the
kind of family detritus
111.15 -> that characterizes
my family life--
113.1 -> decent bin here in the middle,
door pockets, glovebox,
116.97 -> little shelf here, something
else going on here,
119.44 -> and plenty of stuff in the rear
that we'll get to in a moment.
122.76 -> This vehicle has been
clinic'd, it's been discussed,
125.88 -> and it's been built for
American family life.
128.93 -> If you're buying
one of these, you're
130.47 -> going to care just as much
about the rear quarters
132.69 -> as you are the front.
133.62 -> This seat set up for me.
135.15 -> I'm 6 foot 4.
136.05 -> And as you can see,
a decent amount
138.09 -> of space here in the middle row.
139.74 -> Also a few little features
that I should point out,
142.51 -> which I'm quite a big fan of.
143.8 -> You actually have a
couple of slots here.
145.51 -> So each of your pesky kids gets
a spot for a different iPad
149.91 -> in the backseat.
150.72 -> More cupholders, more ornament
storage, and data access.
154.17 -> You can actually take this
out and do something with it.
158.49 -> Quite well.
160.62 -> I'm not so sure.
163.05 -> In theory, you can
put it back as well.
164.95 -> What else we got back here?
166.26 -> Well, on this
flagship model, we've
168.42 -> got separate controls
for the air conditioning.
170.98 -> We've got ventilated seats.
172.38 -> We've got heated
seats, more USBs.
174.6 -> Here's a little AC PowerPoint.
177.03 -> I mentioned earlier
decent door pockets.
179.43 -> Nice to see some blinds as well.
182.01 -> I mean, none of this
is standout or unusual,
184.98 -> but it's nicely put together.
186.27 -> And there is a decent
amount of space.
189.03 -> These doors are
impressively wide.
190.62 -> So actually getting into the
third row is pretty easy.
194.98 -> Let's just pull this down,
lock that into place.
198.12 -> But slightly frustratingly,
that hasn't gone back
201.57 -> into the position which
it was originally set.
204.29 -> Now by the magic of
television, we've
205.83 -> actually readjusted the
seat back into the position
208.14 -> that it was.
208.72 -> And as you can see,
I actually have
210.18 -> got a decent amount
of space back here
212.22 -> even if my knees are
kind of up near my chin.
214.69 -> It's also nice that
I can shove my feet
216.33 -> under the seat in
front, which gives you
218.19 -> the impression of more legroom
than you've actually got.
220.98 -> You've got more cupholders,
more USB-C charging.
224.7 -> Now this bench is designed.
225.96 -> Technically, you have 3, and
it would be pretty intimate.
228.33 -> But you can genuinely fit two
proper sized adults back here.
231.93 -> And nice to see I've
got headroom, too.
233.76 -> The other thing I
should point out
235.18 -> is that you sit quite high
on this third row of seats.
237.63 -> And that's a good
thing because you're
239.21 -> looking over the top of
the middle passengers.
241.14 -> You've got a decent view out
through these big windows
243.39 -> as well.
243.88 -> So I've been in a
lot of three rows
245.34 -> where it starts to feel
claustrophobic back here.
247.38 -> Not in this Grand Highlander.
249.15 -> Lots of three rows suffer from
an absence of luggage space
252.51 -> when all the seats
are up, and Toyota
254.49 -> is making some
fairly bold claims
255.96 -> that you can fit eight
smaller suitcases in here.
258.69 -> But to be honest, we're
not fully convinced.
260.52 -> If you look at the
volume figures,
262.2 -> there's about 20 cubic
feet of space in here.
264.73 -> Now that's just
over half what you
267 -> get in the much smaller RAV4.
269.37 -> There's probably enough
here for a weekly shop.
271.89 -> This is a 13 inch MacBook Pro,
just for a bit of context.
276.03 -> You can also make it feel
slightly bigger by adjusting
278.85 -> the angle of these rear seats.
280.23 -> But if they're that
upright, you're
281.88 -> going to get lots of complaints
from those in the back.
286.23 -> So a weekend away or the
weekly shop, no problem at all.
289.99 -> But if you're taking seven or
eight passengers for a week's
293.7 -> vacation, you're going
to need a roof box.
296.04 -> But if you're willing to ditch
grandpa or some of the kids,
298.8 -> you can actually turn
your Grand Highlander
300.71 -> to a pretty effective
family [? hold all. ?]
302.96 -> These rear most seats
split 60-40 and fold flat.
307.91 -> Then, if you fold
down the middle row,
309.53 -> you've got almost 100 cubic feet
of space, which is impressive.
313.32 -> It's also nice to see the
head rests fold automatically
316.04 -> as the seats tip.
317.93 -> Let's talk engines.
319.34 -> There are three
different options.
321.03 -> There's an entry level gas
engine with 265 horsepower,
324.5 -> a hybrid with 245, and then
the flagship hybrid max
328.64 -> with 362 horsepower
and 400 pounds
332.12 -> feet of torque, which is a lot.
334.04 -> The gas and base
hybrid models are
336.11 -> available with either
front or all wheel drive.
339.05 -> The hybrid max is
all wheel drive only.
341.81 -> That's the quick overview.
343.16 -> But if you want to deep dive
all the facts and figures
345.56 -> and those of its rivals, head to
our dedicated Grand Highlander
348.98 -> page on edmunds.com.
351.46 -> Now as you can
probably tell from all
353 -> the glamorous photography,
we're actually in Hawaii.
355.88 -> Why?
356.45 -> No idea.
357.29 -> My wife is utterly convinced
that I'm actually on vacation.
360.35 -> But as you can see, I'm
working very hard indeed.
363.83 -> Now nobody's buying
a Grand Highlander
365.6 -> to have it pose as a
sports car, but nor
367.73 -> do you want your kids
vomiting in the rear seats.
369.86 -> And on this twisty
stuff, it generally
371.72 -> handles itself pretty well.
373.19 -> Body roll is well
contained, and the steering
376.43 -> has a nice, positive
feel about it.
379.01 -> One thing I do like
about this gas version
381.17 -> relative to the
hybrid is the fact
383.06 -> that it's got a proper gearbox,
in this case, an eight speed
385.82 -> automatic.
386.99 -> The hybrid continues
with the unloved CVT.
390.65 -> But if you go for
the hybrid max,
392.45 -> that has a different
kind of hybrid system.
394.98 -> And that allows
Toyota to fit a six
397.04 -> speed more traditional
automatic, which we much,
400.23 -> much prefer.
401.63 -> If you want significantly
more performance and smoother
404.99 -> operation and are
willing to pay for it,
407.06 -> then the hybrid max
is worth a look.
409.16 -> We've driven it here in Hawaii.
410.6 -> And the 362 horsepower-- it's
100 more than this vehicle--
414.08 -> really makes a difference.
415.61 -> It's smoother, it's faster,
and the fuel consumption
418.82 -> is actually less.
420.14 -> 27 miles per gallon combined
compared with 22 for this
424.31 -> and just 21 for the
rival Telluride.
427.25 -> For a family focus
vehicle, it's also
428.87 -> good to report a pretty
impressive array of safety
432.11 -> equipment both to protect
you should the worst happen
434.45 -> and to help you avoid an
accident in the first place.
437.67 -> There's even a little
gadget in front of me
439.46 -> that's monitoring me
for driver distraction
442.61 -> and keeps binging at me
on a pretty regular basis.
446.42 -> We're not friends at the moment.
448.4 -> Apparently, Toyota thought about
giving this SUV an entirely new
451.59 -> name, reflecting
the fact that it
452.96 -> is very different vehicle
to the familiar Highlander,
456.44 -> different and better
in a very Toyota way.
460.43 -> Apart from the hybrid options
that promise better fuel
462.68 -> economy than its rivals,
there's little here
464.84 -> that's truly different
or stand out.
467.15 -> What we have is a very
sensible, very practical,
470.09 -> and, in many ways,
very likeable family
472.34 -> SUV in the best
Toyota tradition.
474.74 -> The extra space compared
to the standard Highlander
477.05 -> is hugely welcome
and should help
479.33 -> it appeal to families
who might otherwise
481.07 -> have chosen a minivan.
482.27 -> Even Toyota accepts that
it might steal sales
484.82 -> from the Sienna.
485.93 -> Will this healthy
dollop of common sense
488.09 -> be enough to see the Toyota
topple the Kia Telluride
491.42 -> as Edmund's favorite three row?
493.34 -> Well, we'll have to wait for
the full test to find out.
496.19 -> For more on this Toyota
and all of its rivals,
499.55 -> head to edmunds.com.
501.59 -> That's it for now.
502.67 -> Goodbye from Hawaii.
504.14 -> And thanks for watching.
505.22 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]
508.27 ->
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2SJ8dpOT-4