Highlander Versus Grand Highlander: Which Is Best for You?

Toyota offers two vehicles in the mid-size crossover class, the Highlander and the Grand Highlander. While the latter’s name implies a Highlander with a longer wheelbase, it is a different vehicle. Although they share the same drivetrains and have three rows of seats, they each have their own exterior and interior styling and separate feature packages. If you are shopping for a roomy mid-size crossover with the reliability and quality of a Toyota, Toyota gives you two choices. Which is best for you? Valley Hi Toyota won’t answer that question for you, but this comparison should help you decide for yourself.

Similarities

Let’s start with what won’t impact your decision because they are identical or nearly identical for both models—the drivetrains. In non-hybrid form, both models are powered by a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four, producing 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. For both model lines, the engine is connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission with Sequential shift mode.

As the name implies, the Grand Highlander is a bigger vehicle and in front-wheel-drive (FWD) form, has a curb weight of 4,300 pounds (compared to 4,199 pounds for the Highlander). Ground Clearance is 8.0 inches for both models.

Car and Driver tested both and counterintuitively found the all-wheel drive (AWD) Grand Highlander to be a little faster with a 0-60 mph time of 7.0 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 15.3 seconds at 92 mph. The same publication clocked a 0-60 of 7.2 seconds for the all-wheel drive Highlander and a quarter-mile time of 15.5 seconds, also at 92 mph. In any case, you can probably consider acceleration pretty much the same for either choice.

As expected for a model powered by the same engine but weighing less and punching a smaller hole in the air, the FWD Highlander’s EPA city/highway/combined estimated mpg of 22/29/25 respectively is slightly higher than the Grand Highlander’s 21/28/24. Both models drop a single mpg in highway and combined mpg when equipped with AWD.

Of course, if fuel economy is a priority, both models are available with the same 2.5-liter inline-four hybrid drivetrain rated at 243 combined horsepower (245 for the Grand Highlander Hybrid) and 175 lb-ft of torque. The FWD Highlander Hybrid is rated at 36/35/36 mpg, and the Grand Highlander Hybrid is rated at 37/34/36. Again, these are so close that they do not make much of a real-world distinction.

Both models consider family comfort in their handling characteristics, so neither will be the go-to vehicle for canyon carving, but everyone should be comfortable for long trips. Of course, both models have the same warranties and can be expected to have the same high level of build quality and reliability.

Differences

Unsurprisingly, size is the biggest difference between these two models. The Grand Highlander is about seven inches longer and four-tenth of an inch taller, but only two-tenths of an inch wider. It also has four-tenths of an inch longer wheelbase. Regarding overall passenger volume, the Grand Highlander has 153.3 cubic feet compared to 139.5 for the Highlander. In terms of specifics, the Highlander actually has a little more front legroom (42.0 versus 41.7 inches), but the Grand Highlander has eight-tenths of an inch more rear legroom (39.5 versus 38.7). The Grand model has eight-tenths of an inch more front shoulder room and four-tenths of an inch more for the second row.

The big differences exist behind the second row, where the Grand Highlander has 33.5 inches of rear legroom to the Highlander’s 28.0, and two more inches of shoulder room. That can be the difference of seating adults or just children. Behind the third row, the Grand Highlander has 29% more cargo space (20.6 cubic feet verses 16.0). With the third seat down, the Grand Highlander has 57.9 cubic feet versus 48.4 for the Highlander, and in full cargo mode, the Grand Highlander has 94.5 cubic feet to the Highlander’s 84.3. Not that this is often a factor, but the Highlander actually has a higher maximum payload rating of 1,671 pounds compared to 1,410 for the Grand Highlander.

Safety

As a newer model, the Grand Highlander features an updated Toyota Safety Sense system with version 3.0, compared to version 2.5 for the Highlander. The advancements include enhanced sensors with a wider detection range and improved collision avoidance capabilities. At intersections, version 3.0 is better at detecting cyclists, and when using adaptive cruise control, the system can automatically slow down for curves.

In crash testing, the Highlander has a 5-star overall rating from NHTSA and is a Top Safety Pick by IIHS. The NHTSA has not tested the Grand Highlander, and it has been tested but is not rated a Top Safety Pick by IIHS.

Pricing

There is an extensive price overlap between the two model lines, but the Highlander generally emerges as less expensive for similar equipment levels. The Highlander LE starts at $39,520 and tops out at $53,675 for a Hybrid Platinum grade. The Grand Highlander starts at the XLE level at $43,630 and reaches $58,775 for its Hybrid Platinum grade. For the sake of a closely equipped comparison, the Highlander XLE starts at $42,670, or approximately $1,000 under the Grand Highlander XLE.

Decisions, Decisions

With power and efficiency being very close, the differences may come down to how much you value the extra space of the Grand Highlander, and that depends very much on how you plan to use the vehicle. Will you use the third seat regularly, or will it be on rare occasion and not for long trips? When not using the third-row seat, will the Highlander’s space be enough? Or will the extra space of the Grand Highlander be handy? Of course, with different styling, it could also come down to which model looks better to you. Or will that extra seven inches in the garage be a factor?

These are questions only you have the answers to, but be assured you cannot go wrong with either of these high-quality choices. We invite you to try out both at Valley Hi Toyota.