Toyota Sequoia vs Toyota Grand Highlander

Toyota's 2024 Grand Highlander was built on the TNGA-K platform and distinguished itself as a true crossover. Unlike the Sequoia, which shared the TNGA-F truck platform with the Tundra and Tacoma, the Grand Highlander had underpinnings common to the regular Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, and Camry. Though it was substantially sized, the Grand Highlander remained a unibody vehicle, limiting its towing capacity to 5,000 pounds.

At an impressive 201.4 inches in length with a 116.1-inch wheelbase, the Grand Highlander stood larger than the Kia Telluride, benefiting its spacious interior. Its 8-inch ground clearance was suitable for dirt paths, but this three-row crossover wasn't meant for rugged off-roading.

Stylistically, the Grand Highlander emphasized a more conservative and blocky appearance compared to the smaller Highlander, aligning more with the Ford Explorer, Kia Telluride, and Honda Pilot. Its trapezoidal grille coupled with narrow headlights and a Toyota emblem gave it a resemblance to the 4Runner.

Inside, Toyota offered the Grand Highlander in XLE, Limited, and Platinum trims. Even at the base XLE trim, buyers found light gray or black Softex synthetic leather, while the higher trims upgraded to real leather. The Platinum trim even came with Portobello (brown) upholstery.

Standard features included a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat with lumbar support and an eight-way adjustable front passenger seat. Heated front seats were also standard, with ventilation and a heated steering wheel added in the Limited and Platinum trims. The center console boasted ample storage, accommodating tablets and large water bottles.

Second-row passengers enjoyed standard sunshades and a removable center console in models with captain’s chairs. Accessing the third row was significantly easier thanks to a built-in plastic step.

With 13 cupholders and seven USB-C ports, the Grand Highlander stood out as a comfortable road trip vehicle. Its high-quality materials and seamless interior fitments promised durability and longevity.

The 2024 Toyota Sequoia, sharing its platform with the Tundra, mirrored the truck in terms of design with hexagonal grilles and strong fender creases. The exterior color significantly influenced its appearance; the Capstone model, with its chrome accents and Celestial Silver paint, appeared dated and akin to a "cop car". However, brighter colors like Solar Octane orange gave it a more rugged, "Tonka truck" persona.

Inside, the Sequoia's interior mimicked the Tundra’s blocky, geometric layout, featuring physical buttons for essential controls. The shifter and steering wheel designs echoed those of the Tundra. The Capstone trim featured luxurious semi-aniline leather upholstery, and the standard fabric on the base SR5 trim was replaceable with SofTex or leather, depending on the trim.

Front seats across all trims had at least eight-way power adjustments, with several additional features available as one moved up the trim levels. The Sequoia also came standard with a power tilt-and-slide moonroof or an upgraded panoramic version in higher trims.

The 2024 Grand Highlander offered three engine options. The base engine was a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid provided 245 total horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque for those seeking better fuel efficiency. The top-of-the-line Hybrid Max powertrain, at 362 combined net horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, promised the best performance.

Available in either FWD or AWD for the gas and hybrid engines, the Hybrid Max was exclusively AWD. The Hybrid Max version managed an impressive 0-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds.

Despite its size, the standard turbo gas engine, expected to account for 85% of sales, behaved admirably. While maneuvering through tight roads and parking lots was challenging due to its size, the Grand Highlander offered solid brake performance and sufficient acceleration. The steering felt a bit disconnected, much like directing a well-handled boat.

Available drive modes were Sport, Eco, and Normal, with additional off-road modes for AWD models. Testing these modes revealed incremental differences, making Normal mode the most preferred for everyday driving.

The Sequoia used Toyota’s iForce MAX hybrid powertrain, merging a twin-turbo V6 engine with an electric motor, producing 437 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. This was a significant power boost from its V8 predecessor, coupled with improved fuel economy at 20 mpg combined for 4WD models.

The off-road-oriented TRD Pro trim featured a 4WD system with selectable modes (4Hi, 4Lo, and 2WD), skid plate, and special TRD Off-Road package enhancing its ruggedness. Other trims offered 4WD for an extra $3,000.

The 10-speed automatic transmission operated smoothly, and on-road handling was adequate but typical for its class. For towing, the Sequoia boasted a maximum capacity of 9,520 pounds, significantly increased from previous models, with SR5 RWD leading in towing performance.

At 201.4 inches long and with a 116.1-inch wheelbase, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was larger than the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Palisade, and Kia Telluride. This translated into excellent storage capacity–97.5 cubic feet with the seats down, 57.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and 20.6 cubic feet with all seats up. It even rivaled minivans like the Toyota Sienna in storage capabilities.

Comfort was a significant highlight. Good outward visibility and ample head-, leg-, and shoulder- room in all rows made it possible for even taller adults to sit comfortably in the third row.

The 2024 Sequoia offered 86.9 cubic feet of max cargo space, 49 cubic feet behind the second row, and 11.5 to 22.3 cubic feet behind the third, influenced by the slider position. The presence of the hybrid powertrain's battery pack under the third row didn't allow a flat load floor, reducing headroom slightly and making the rear seating positions a bit cramped.

Second-row seats were easy to maneuver for third-row access, and third-row seats could fold at the push of a button. Legroom varied, with the first row measuring 41.2 inches, the second row 39.2 inches, and the third row between 28.1 and 33.7 inches. The Sequoia was behind the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon in front-row legroom but exceeded the Jeep Wagoneer.

Second-row captain’s chairs were standard on higher trims, although they lacked significant bolstering for better passenger anchoring.

Every 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system which included dual-device Bluetooth connectivity and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Toyota's intelligent assistant, available via a connected-services subscription, responded to voice commands for various tasks.

Additional subscription services provided cloud-based navigation, 24/7 live agent assistance, and streaming audio integration, including Sirius XM and the ability to connect Apple Music and Amazon Music accounts. The 11-speaker JBL stereo system was standard on Limited and Platinum trims, providing good sound quality.

The Sequoia’s infotainment technology varied slightly by trim. Every trim, except for the SR5 with its 8-inch screen, featured a 14-inch touchscreen for the Toyota Audio Multimedia system, which was user-friendly if not visually exciting. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were standard across all trims.

A 12.3-inch driver-information display was standard, as was the Panoramic View monitor, essential for managing the vehicle's size. Capstone and Platinum trims had a 10-inch color head-up display available.

Higher trims featured a 14-speaker JBL Premium Audio system, enhancing the in-car entertainment experience.

The Grand Highlander was yet to be crash-tested by NHTSA or IIHS, but it came with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0). This included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, road-sign recognition, and adaptive cruise control with four distance settings.

The Sequoia was also pending ratings from NHTSA and IIHS. It featured the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) 2.5 suite as standard, packing in technologies like a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane-departure alert with steering assist, adaptive cruise control, and road-sign recognition. Additionally, essential features like front and rear parking sensors with automatic braking and a beefed-up blind-spot monitoring system were standard.

The Tow Technology Package added a digital rearview mirror and trailer backup guide with Straight-Path Assist, helpful for towing.