The Toyota SUV with the best value for money on the market today

Toyota is a brand known for its excellent value for money and unwavering reliability. This is something they wanted to preserve as they moved into the future. Despite the introduction of hybrids and the massive wave of SUVs, the Japanese brand has managed to stay true to its reputation.

With such a huge range, you may be wondering which of the many SUVs offers the best value for money. The Grand Highlander may be on the expensive side, but it offers a lot of features at a price that virtually none of its competitors can match.

To help you understand why the Grand Highlander offers such fantastic value for money, we present you with all the information you could possibly need about this large SUV. We take a look at its trim levels, the standard equipment offered and the powertrain under the hood. We also take a look at how Toyota offers you additional value after you drive your car off the showroom floor.

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The Grand Highlander is already well equipped in its basic configuration

It can be frustrating when cars are offered at a certain starting price and then you find out that the trim level with all the desirable features actually costs a lot more than the base model. You don’t have that problem with the Grand Highlander, which comes with a long list of standard features.

Equipment variants

The Grand Highlander only comes in three different trim levels. It starts with the XLE, a name usually reserved for Toyota’s mid-range trim levels. That’s because the Grand Highlander is essentially a stretched version of the Highlander, and Toyota didn’t expect its customers to opt for lower trim levels on a larger car. The stretched version solves the main problem of the regular Highlander, which is the size of the third row of seats.

The great thing about the XLE is that it comes with all the desirable equipment you would normally have to look for. Toyota has made sure that the Grand Highlander has all the modern technology and safety features you could want, as well as a whole host of convenience features that are just nice to have.

The right disguise for you

For most people, we would recommend the XLE. Everything the average consumer could want is included as standard in this trim level. While it doesn’t quite reach luxury comfort levels, it exceeds most people’s expectations, especially given the price. The other two trim levels are aimed at those who want to add a touch of sophistication to their Grand Highlander. Leather seats, a power panoramic sunroof and a larger, more comprehensive head-up display are some of the features included in the Limited and Platinum models.

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Toyota’s Grand Highlander has an adult-friendly third row of seats

As mentioned above, the spacious third row of seats is one of the Grand Highlander’s main advantages. Many midsize SUVs with three rows of seats suffer from a cramped back seat that is only designed to accommodate comfortable child seats. Toyota’s largest midsize SUV does not have this problem.

Internal dimensions

The Grand Highlander offers plenty of room for all passengers. Passengers in the first and second rows can expect a spacious cabin and can stretch their legs on long journeys. The third row, while not quite as spacious, is much more functional than almost any other SUV with three rows of seats in this segment.

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Cargo space is also plentiful. If you use the third row, you’ll still have plenty of room for luggage or groceries. But if you ever need to haul cargo instead of passengers, you can fold both the second and third rows down for a total of 97.5 cubic feet of usable cargo space.

Comfort

Comfort is clearly a priority in the Grand Highlander. SofTex-covered seats are standard even on the XLE trim, as are heated front seats and a power driver’s seat. You can also equip the Grand Highlander with a second-row bench seat, increasing passenger capacity to eight.

The interior design of the Grand Highlander is also extremely high quality. Soft-touch materials adorn almost every surface and the infotainment screen is tastefully integrated into the dashboard. It may bear a Toyota badge, but the brand’s slow transition to higher-quality vehicles is starting to become clear.

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The Grand Highlander 2024 is packed with modern technology

The Grand Highlander is also excellently equipped technically: Toyota has equipped it with numerous comfort and safety features as standard, which help it to leave its competitors in this price range behind.

Infotainment and comfort

Toyota equips the 2024 Grand Highlander with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen that is standard regardless of trim level. A seven-inch instrument cluster is also standard on the XLE, while the Limited and Platinum trim levels feature a larger 12.3-inch display with a fully digital readout. A wireless charger is also standard on every Grand Highlander.

The level of luxury is also impressively high. While the XLE’s sound system is no less than excellent, the higher trim levels get access to a JBL sound system with 11 speakers. A 10-inch color head-up display is also available as an extra.

Security and guarantees

Toyota has been raising the bar on driver assistance and safety technology of late, and the Grand Highlander benefits greatly from this, as it comes standard with what Toyota calls Safety Sense 3.0. This offers all the standard features you’d expect, such as blind spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking, as well as advanced features like automatic high beam headlights and a traffic sign recognition system.

As with all Toyota cars, you’ll also save a lot of money thanks to Toyota’s free maintenance. For the first two years or 25,000 miles, Toyota will take care of scheduled maintenance on your Grand Highlander. The limited warranty also covers you for three years or 36,000 miles, and the powertrain warranty extends to five years or 60,000 miles.

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An efficient inline four-cylinder engine with 265 hp drives every Grand Highlander

With fuel prices rising, efficiency in cars, especially family cars, is becoming increasingly important. The Grand Highlander features a single powertrain across all models and delivers good performance without putting too much of a dent in fuel economy.

Performance

The Grand Highlander has a snappy turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine that delivers enough power for decent acceleration both from a standstill and when reaching highway speeds. While it won’t win any awards as the fastest SUV, it’s impressive how much Toyota gets out of the four-cylinder.

An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard on all models, and you have the choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Equipping your Grand Highlander with all-wheel drive will cost you an additional $1,600. The Grand Highlander is rated to tow a maximum of 5,000 pounds, which will be more than enough for most people.

Fuel consumption

According to the EPA, there isn’t much difference between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models. The only real disadvantage is when driving on the highway. The figures given are for the XLE model; the Limited and Platinum trims achieved slightly worse fuel economy figures, getting one mile per gallon less in each test.

There is a hybrid model of the Grand Highlander that comes with two different powertrains and is more fuel efficient overall, but these models cost significantly more and don’t offer much more in terms of overall performance.