• The Toyota Grand Highlander has been spotted in road testing in the U.S.
• While the name for it hasn’t been officialized, the coming of this SUV was confirmed in 2021 by Toyota.
• Lexus will also have its version of this model, the TX.
• It’s expected the Grand Highlander will get a hybrid powertrain.
The Toyota Grand Highlander, a new SUV expected to launch next year as a 2024 model, has been spotted in road testing recently, and dutifully captured in spy images. As we don't have the rights to those images, we can’t show them to you, but they’re easy enough to find online.
The testing of the upcoming Grand Highlander was reported on by Motor Authority and Carscoops, among others.
The vehicle, highly camouflaged, clearly shows that it is the anticipated model promised by Toyota. Indeed, in 2021, the automaker announced an investment of $803 million to support the production of two new SUVs at its plant in Princeton, Indiana. One will be offered by Toyota, the Grand Highlander, the other by Lexus, to be called the TX. Both those nameplates have been registered by Toyota and Lexus.
Last year Toyota also said that both models will be of the three-row variety and able to accommodate eight occupants, with the primary target audience young active families. The company spoke of electrification as well, though without giving any details on that.
The model now seen in testing bears the Highlander signature, which pretty much guarantees it is to be the Grand Highlander.
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The model is expected to use the current structure of the regular Highlander, the TNGA-K. This explains its presence in the range. Toyota’s aim is to offer another three-row model besides the Sequoia, an SUV built on a ladder frame.
No word has been spoken yet on the powertrains planned for the model. More likely than not, we can expect to find in the offering the current engines of the regular Highlander, namely a 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder (265 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque), as well as a hybrid alternative. Will Toyota go with the current hybrid model's 2.4L 4-cylinder or the 340-hp 2.4L turbocharged 4-cylinder used for the new Toyota Crown, given the future Grand Highlander's bigger size and heftier weight? Not yet known.
Stay tuned. The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander will likely get its official presentation some time next year.