2024 Toyota Grand Highlander vs 2024 Land Rover Defender

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a standout in Toyota's lineup of crossovers and SUVs, offering a range of options from all-gas to hybrid-powered models. Built on the TNGA-K platform, it shared its underpinnings with the regular Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, and Camry, distinguishing itself from the body-on-frame Sequoia. With a length of 201.4 inches and a 116.1-inch wheelbase, it was larger than competitors like the Kia Telluride, providing a spacious interior. Despite its size, the Grand Highlander was not designed for off-road adventures, but its styling drew inspiration from rugged vehicles, featuring a blockier design and a trapezoidal grille reminiscent of the 4Runner. Available in three trims—XLE, Limited, and Platinum—the Grand Highlander offered a comfortable and well-built interior with options for Softex synthetic leather or real leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, and a large center console.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender combined a classic, boxy profile with modern features, such as angular headlights, connecting it visually to other Land Rover models. Its interior was more durable and adventure-ready, akin to a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco, but with more soft-touch materials. Offered in three body styles—two-door 90, four-door 110, and extended-wheelbase four-door 130—the Defender came in various trims, including S, X-Dynamic SE, X, Carpathian Edition, and Outbound. The Defender 110 S, the most popular configuration, featured a County visual package with vintage graphics and white wheels. Standard features included 19-inch alloy wheels, power-adjustable and heated front seats, partial leather upholstery, and a panoramic glass roof. The Defender's interior was a blend of refinement and utility, with a straightforward infotainment system and practical features like grip handles and rubberized floors.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options. The base model featured a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. The top-tier Hybrid Max powertrain, a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid, generated 362 combined net horsepower and 400 combined net lb-ft of torque. Both gas and hybrid engines were available with front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD), while the Hybrid Max was AWD only. The Grand Highlander was not a sports car, but the Hybrid Max offered impressive acceleration with a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. The standard turbo gas-engine model was expected to account for 85% of sales. While the Grand Highlander was larger and less maneuverable than the smaller Highlander, it offered solid brakes and adequate acceleration. Three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—were available, with additional modes for AWD-equipped models.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender offered several powertrains, starting with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the P300, producing 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The P400 test model featured a mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, delivering 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Two supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine options, P500 and P525, produced 493 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, and 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, respectively. All engines used an eight-speed automatic transmission with full-time active four-wheel drive (4WD). The six-cylinder and eight-cylinder powertrains allowed the Defender to tow up to 7,716 pounds, while the four-cylinder version could tow up to 5,500 pounds. The Defender excelled in off-road capabilities, with features like adaptive air suspension and Terrain Response 2 system. The P400 test model provided ample power for highway speeds, though it exhibited a slight lurch off the line and during deceleration.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was larger than its primary rivals, measuring 201.4 inches in length with a 116.1-inch wheelbase. This extra length translated to increased storage space, with a total cargo capacity of 97.5 cubic feet, surpassing the Kia Telluride by about 10 cubic feet. With seats in position, it offered 57.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 20.6 cubic feet with all three rows up. The Grand Highlander provided a comfortable and spacious interior, with ample head, leg, and shoulder room in every row, making it suitable for adults even in the third row.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender offered a blend of luxury and functionality, with soft-touch materials, grip handles, rubberized floors, and numerous cargo compartments. Seating capacity ranged from five to eight passengers, depending on the configuration and body style. The Defender 110 had an optional third row best suited for children, while the Defender 130 offered three seats in the third row, increasing seating capacity to eight. However, it lacked the full three rows of adult-friendly seating found in larger SUVs like the Chevy Suburban. Cargo capacity varied by model, with the Defender 130 offering 15.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 35.8 cubic feet behind the second row, and 76.1 cubic feet with all rear seats folded. The Defender 110 provided 34 cubic feet behind the second row and 78.8 cubic feet behind the first row in the two-row version, while the three-row configuration offered 10.7 cubic feet behind the third row, 34.6 cubic feet behind the second row, and 69 cubic feet with both rows folded.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a significant improvement over previous Toyota interfaces. An intelligent assistant, activated by saying "Hey Toyota," was available via a connected-services subscription, allowing voice command control for tasks like adjusting temperature and changing radio stations. The subscription also included cloud-based navigation and 24/7 live agent assistance. Standard features included dual-device Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an 11-speaker JBL stereo on Limited and Platinum trims. Streaming audio integration was available, with a three-month trial of Sirius XM satellite radio and options for connecting Apple Music and Amazon Music accounts through the Wi-Fi Connect package.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender came with a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel and an 11.4-inch touchscreen. While smaller than some competitors, the touchscreen was simple and aligned with the Defender's utilitarian persona. It included standard navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, along with Bluetooth, satellite radio, HD radio, and a 10-speaker Meridian stereo system. The straightforward setup provided a blend of refinement and utility, with home buttons on the left and right rails for easy access to features like Apple CarPlay.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander had not yet been crash-tested or rated by the NHTSA or IIHS. However, it came with an impressive list of standard advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) under Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0). Features included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The updated lane-departure alert could identify three-dimensional objects like guard rails. Adaptive cruise control was also standard, offering four following-distance settings.

The 2024 Land Rover Defender included a comprehensive list of standard driver assistance features, such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Additional safety tech included traffic sign recognition, automatic high beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a 360-degree parking camera system. The lane-departure and lane-keeping assist features were noted to be overly sensitive, but they could be deactivated. As of this writing, the Defender had not been crash-tested by the IIHS or NHTSA.