2024 Toyota Grand Highlander vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a standout in Toyota's lineup of crossovers and SUVs, offering a larger and more spacious alternative to its smaller siblings. Built on the TNGA-K platform, it shared its underpinnings with the regular Highlander and other Toyota models, but it was not a body-on-frame vehicle like the Sequoia. This design choice limited its towing capacity to 5,000 pounds. The Grand Highlander was notably larger than competitors like the Kia Telluride, with a length of 201.4 inches and a wheelbase of 116.1 inches, providing a spacious interior. Its styling was inspired by rugged vehicles, featuring a blockier design with a trapezoidal grille and narrow headlights reminiscent of the Toyota 4Runner. Inside, the Grand Highlander offered three trims with varying levels of luxury, including real leather upholstery in the higher trims. The interior was well-appointed with features like a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat, heated front seats, and a large center console.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport was positioned as a sportier SUV within the Range Rover family, boasting a more athletic appearance with its shorter wheelbase and chopped top. The model lineup included SE, Dynamic SE, Autobiography, and SV Edition Two trims, with the latter being the highest-performance model. The SV Edition 2 featured unique styling elements like 23-inch carbon-fiber wheels and a carbon-fiber hood. Inside, the Range Rover Sport maintained a minimalist aesthetic with a focus on luxury, offering features like red leather upholstery and sport seats with light-up inserts. The interior design aimed to create a cockpit-like feel, although it could feel a bit cramped for a vehicle of its size. Material quality was high, but the use of reflective piano black plastic was a bit excessive. Overall, the Range Rover Sport combined sporty styling with luxury features, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a performance-oriented SUV.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options, starting with a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. For those prioritizing fuel efficiency, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. At the top of the range was the Hybrid Max powertrain, a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine generating 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 Hybrid Max offered impressive acceleration with a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. The Grand Highlander was expected to account for 85% of sales with the standard turbo gas engine, which provided adequate power for everyday driving. The vehicle's size made it a bit challenging to maneuver in tight spaces, and the steering feel was somewhat numb. However, the brakes were solid, and the acceleration was satisfactory. The Grand Highlander featured three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—with additional off-road modes for AWD models.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered multiple powertrain options, all paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive (4WD). The base SE model featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine with 355 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The Dynamic SE offered a higher output of 395 hp and 406 lb-ft, along with a six-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain rated at 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography trim could be equipped with the plug-in hybrid powertrain, delivering 543 hp and 590 lb-ft, or a BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two used the same V8 but with 626 hp, making it the most powerful Range Rover model. It achieved a zero-to-60 time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. The Range Rover Sport excelled in handling with its sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and brake-based torque vectoring. It also offered impressive off-road capabilities with the Terrain Response system and standard air suspension.

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. Behind the second-row seats, there were 57.9 cubic feet of space, and with all three rows up, 20.6 cubic feet were available. The Grand Highlander provided ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in every row, making it comfortable for passengers, even in the third row. Its spacious interior and generous cargo capacity made it an attractive option for families and those needing extra space.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport sat between the Range Rover Velar and the full-size Range Rover in terms of size. It was a two-row, five-seater SUV, offering more room than the Velar but remaining in the midsize range. Front-seat occupants enjoyed similar headroom to other midsize luxury SUVs, while rear-seat headroom was competitive with rivals. The Range Rover Sport provided 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 53 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. It featured power operation for the tailgate and an "access height" setting for the air suspension to facilitate loading and unloading. The Range Rover Sport's towing capacity was 7,716 pounds for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 6,614 pounds.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander came equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering a visually stunning interface. An intelligent assistant was available via a connected-services subscription, allowing voice commands for tasks like adjusting the temperature or 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. The Limited and Platinum trims featured an 11-speaker JBL stereo, providing a good balance between bass and treble. Streaming audio integration was available, and Sirius XM satellite radio came with a three-month trial. Toyota's tech offerings had improved significantly, but shoppers were advised to carefully review subscription options.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport featured a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment functions. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration were standard. The screens offered a clean, minimalist design, but the reliance on touch controls for functions like climate control and drive mode selection had some functional drawbacks. Steering-wheel controls provided limited alternatives, but the Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive and featured natural-language voice recognition. The Range Rover Sport SV Edition 2 included "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers for a unique audio experience, although it felt a bit gimmicky. The Meridian audio system offered up to 29 speakers, depending on configuration.

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 the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite. 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. Adaptive cruise control was also standard, offering four following-distance settings.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport included standard driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver attention monitor. A 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking, although the parking sensors were overly sensitive. The IIHS and NHTSA had not released safety ratings for the current-generation Range Rover Sport.