The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max outperforms its competitors by three rows
- Our test results for the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Max show impressive acceleration times.
- It also outperforms other three-row SUVs in terms of notable fuel economy.
- The Hybrid Max setting is only available on the top two Grand Highlander trim levels.
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We found a lot to like about the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander when we first drove and tested it, but now that we can compare it to the three-row SUV segment overall, we’re particularly impressed with the performance of the new 362-hp Hybrid Max powertrain. This setup, which combines a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine with two electric motors and a six-speed automatic transmission, delivers acceleration and fuel economy.
In a three-row SUV comparison test, the Grand Highlander was quickest in a straight line by a wide margin, reaching 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. This is despite it weighing more than any of its closest competitors, at 4,936 pounds. There are faster three-row SUVs, but not many of them: V-8-powered SRT variants of the Dodge Durango come to mind, as well as more expensive luxury SUVs like the BMW X5 and Audi Q7.
The Grand Highlander also lives up to the brand’s reputation for fuel-efficient hybrids – at least in relative terms. Although the Hybrid Max model doesn’t achieve Prius-level MPG numbers, it was the most economical SUV in our test, averaging 25 mpg during our 650-mile comparison loop. That beats the EPA’s rating of 22 mpg. However, we were a bit disappointed with the Grand Highlander’s result in our 75 mph highway fuel economy test, where it came in at just 24 mpg, slightly below the EPA’s estimate of 26 mpg. .
While the Hybrid Max is significantly more expensive than the 2024 Grand Highlander’s lesser powertrains, which include a non-hybrid turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a less powerful but more efficient hybrid with a non-turbo 2.5-liter gas engine, we think the upgrade is worth it He. She. The Hybrid Max setup is only available on Limited and Platinum trim levels, both of which carry starting prices above $55,000.
Senior editor
Although he grew up on a steady diet of typical Honda and Toyota models — or perhaps because of it — Joey Caparella had an obsession with the automobile industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to start his first professional auto writing gig at Rice University. Car magazine. It was part of Car and driver Team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
