2024 Toyota Highlander Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Toyota Highlander gets a new Nightshade Edition for 2024, and a hands-free power liftgate becomes standard for the XSE trim.

The Toyota Highlander is a three-row family hauler. It’s gone more upscale in the past several years as the segment gets more competitive with the likes of the Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade. The Highlander is also available as a hybrid, which we treat as a separate model.

What’s New for the 2024 Toyota Highlander

The Toyota Highlander carries over mostly unchanged for 2024, after some updates for 2023 and its last full redesign in 2020. It’s available in LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum trims. This year, the XSE model gets a standard hands-free power liftgate. For more interesting styling, look to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and its new Nightshade Edition.

Design

The Highlander is a stylish midsize crossover that emphasizes comfort and functionality outside and in. It doesn’t really stand out from the crowd in any meaningful way, but it also avoids polarizing trends and design elements. With muted exterior colors and cabin finishes, the Highlander positions itself as a welcoming vehicle for family travel.

Powertrain

The 2024 Highlander features the same engine across the lineup, a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated for 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive (FWD) comes standard, and all-wheel drive (AWD) is available. With FWD, the Highlander is rated for 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined; with AWD, those numbers drop to 21/28/24. Properly equipped, the Highlander can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

Interior

The 2024 Highlander seats eight in its standard configuration, or seven if the second-row bench is swapped out for a pair of captain’s chairs. A power-adjustable driver’s seat and cloth upholstery come standard. Options include leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated second-row seats. The Highlander has 16 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, which opens up to 84.3 cubic feet with all seats folded down.

Technology

The 2024 Highlander comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen display is available on most mid-tier trims and standard on the Limited and Platinum. These two trims also gain a 12.3-inch digital information display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and several USB ports also come standard, and a Wi-Fi hotspot and wireless device charging are available.

Safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Highlander a five-star overall rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the Top Safety Pick+ rating. Every Highlander comes standard with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward-collision warning, traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beam headlights, rear-seat reminders, and a reversing camera. Options include adaptive headlights, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, parking sensors, and a head-up display.

Pricing

As of this writing, Toyota lists pricing for the 2024 Highlander as starting at an MSRP of $39,120, plus a $1,335 destination charge. That’s good for the LE model. The XLE starts at $42,270, the XSE starts at $43,865, the Limited starts at $46,375, and the Platinum starts at $49,575. Depending on the trim level, AWD costs $1,600 or $1,950 more. The 2024 Toyota Highlander will be available in late 2023.