The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander will arrive at U.S. dealerships this summer to battle the Kia Telluride and Volkswagen Atlas. While the crossover makes a good first impression and offers two different hybrid powertrains, there were naturally questions about the possibility of a plug-in hybrid Grand Highlander Prime. Unfortunately for families looking to upgrade from the RAV4 Prime, the answer appears to be no.
That will likely disappoint some
consumers, but Toyota’s Lisa Materazzo said the company is “confident” in the
existing hybrid options. It’s hard to argue with that belief as the Grand
Highlander Hybrid is expected to return up to 34 mpg combined and that’s 11 mpg
more than the thriftiest Telluride. Customers can also opt for the
performance-focused Grand Highlander Hybrid Max, which has 362 hp.
Despite wearing the Highlander name, the
Grand Highlander is an “entirely new model” that features unique styling inside
and out. This naturally begs the question of why the company stuck with the
Highlander name and didn’t just create a ‘Highlander L’ like Jeep has done with
the Grand Cherokee L. The first answer is pretty straightforward as officials
told us there is “equity” in the Highlander name. However, the automaker did
consider other options early on. As for why Toyota didn’t create a Highlander
L, it’s not unusual for automakers to have multiple mid-size three-row
crossovers. Kia has the Sorento and Telluride, while GM has the Chevrolet
Traverse and GMC Acadia – among others.
In Toyota’s case, officials told us the
Highlander and Grand Highlander target different consumers. In particular, the
larger of the two will appeal to buyers looking for more space and a third-row
that can easily accommodate adults. As for how the Grand Highlander will impact
the rest of Toyota’s lineup, officials acknowledged the crossover will likely
cannibalize some sales from the Highlander and Sienna. Despite this, the
company believes there’s still a market for minivans.
