Toyota Highlander vs Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid

The 2022 Toyota Highlander presented a modern and somewhat aggressive front-end design, with flared fender arches and a distinctive third-row window that gave it a compact appearance despite its spacious interior. Inside, it offered ample cabin space and clever storage solutions, making it ideal for families. The XSE trim, in particular, stood out with its bold red leather interior, contrasting with a sedate navy blue exterior. This trim also featured unique exterior styling, ambient interior lighting, and a sport-tuned suspension, adding a touch of sportiness to the Highlander's otherwise practical nature. The Highlander was available in several trims, each offering a range of features from basic to luxurious, with the Platinum trim boasting high-end amenities like adaptive headlights, a panoramic sunroof, and a 360-degree parking camera.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid, on the other hand, took a more conservative design approach, drawing inspiration from the popular RAV4. This resulted in a larger vehicle with seating for up to eight and impressive cargo space. The interior emphasized function over form, with a focus on practicality and decent material quality. The Platinum trim added a layer of luxury with leather and artificial suede upholstery, heated and ventilated seats, and supportive cushions. However, the Grand Highlander's design had some drawbacks, such as unlined storage locations that could contribute to noise and vibration, and rear doors that required ample space to open fully. Despite these issues, the Grand Highlander offered a comfortable and spacious interior, making it a strong contender in the three-row SUV segment.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander was equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, producing 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. This power was delivered through an eight-speed automatic transmission, with options for front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Highlander offered a smooth driving experience, with a drive-mode button for Sport, Normal, and Eco modes, and an AWD system with Mud/Sand, Rock, and Normal modes. While the V6 engine provided better pickup at higher speeds, it was less lively from a standstill. The Highlander's handling was commendable, especially in the XSE trim with its sport-tuned suspension, which reduced body roll while maintaining a comfortable ride. The Highlander could tow up to 5,000 pounds, with a max payload of 1,685 pounds in the FWD L and LE trims.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid emphasized efficiency and performance with its Hybrid Max powertrain. This setup combined a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with electronic full-time AWD and two electric motors, delivering 362 net horsepower. The traditional six-speed automatic transmission avoided the droning common in CVTs, providing a satisfying driving experience. While the Hybrid Max offered impressive acceleration and towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds, it came with a fuel economy trade-off, achieving 27 mpg compared to the Grand Highlander Hybrid's 36 mpg. During testing, the Hybrid Max averaged 23.3 mpg on a mountainous route, with an expected 24-25 mpg in typical driving conditions. The Grand Highlander's ride quality was soft and isolating, though it exhibited some vertical bounding and lateral rocking on uneven surfaces. Handling was secure at moderate speeds, but the vehicle felt large on narrow roads.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander offered versatile cargo space, with up to 84.3 cubic feet available when the second- and third-row seats were folded. With the second-row seats in use, there was 48.4 cubic feet of cargo space, and 16 cubic feet behind the third row. The Highlander's interior was designed for practicality, with deep cargo pockets, multiple storage compartments, and cupholders throughout. The XSE trim featured second-row captain's chairs, providing a center aisle to the third row and additional space for passengers. While the second-row seats were spacious for adults, the third row was best suited for short trips.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid excelled in interior space, offering nearly 100 cubic feet of maximum cargo capacity. The Platinum trim featured a Portobello interior with leather and artificial suede upholstery, adding a touch of luxury. The front and second-row seats were heated, ventilated, and supportive, though the rear doors required ample space to open fully. The Grand Highlander offered 20.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, with 57.9 cubic feet available when the third-row seats were folded. The second-row captain's chairs provided a pass-through to the third row, which was comfortable for adults and tall teens. Despite some drawbacks, such as unlined storage locations, the Grand Highlander provided a spacious and comfortable interior for families.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came standard with a WiFi hotspot, five USB ports, and an 8-inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with hard buttons complementing the touchscreen interface. A larger 12.3-inch touchscreen was available, though it was less intuitive than the base system. The XSE trim featured a wireless charging pad and a combination of USB and USB-C ports, with an optional 11-speaker JBL premium stereo system.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system across all trims, with wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and access to Apple Music and Amazon Music accounts. The system was easy to use, though it lacked the ability to display multiple main-menu screens simultaneously. The Platinum trim included a color head-up display, a camera-based digital rear-view mirror, and a surround-view camera system. The JBL premium audio system delivered impressive sound quality, enhancing the overall driving experience.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came equipped with the Toyota Safety Sense suite, including forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and automatic high beams. Higher trims added features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a surround-view parking monitor. The lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist systems were active, sometimes overly so, requiring driver adjustment on certain roads.

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid featured Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, with standard safety features and driver-assistance technologies. Proactive Driving Assist was included, though it could be irritating in certain situations. The Grand Highlander earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA but fell short of the IIHS Top Safety Pick due to "Acceptable" ratings for headlight performance and small overlap frontal-impact protection. The safety tech operated with accuracy, though the camera system's screen takeover at intersections was more annoying than helpful.