Buying an SUV today is likely to be one of the most difficult car purchase decisions you can make, as they are the most popular vehicle class on the road. Due to this fact, just about every vehicle manufacturer is producing an array of models. They come in various shapes and sizes, with their stand-out key features, amounting to a truly large selection to choose from.

In particular, the midsize SUV market has grown into a hotly contested space over the past 10 to 15 years with a broad spectrum of options being offered by pretty much every mainstream automaker. The two and three-row midsized SUV market is so flooded with options that it can be quite an overwhelming task to narrow down the choices and identify your top pick. A staunch contingent of models provides high performance, practicality, creature comforts, advanced connectivity, and safety features, making it a tall order to stand out from the crowd.

In this article, we'll help you narrow down this choice by taking a look at why the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is the best midsize SUV under $60,000, alluding to its specs, price estimates, and detailing some of the differences between the Grand Highlander vs Highlander.

RELATED: Top 10 Features Of The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

10 The Grand Highlander Will Have Adults Calling Dibs On Third Row Seats

2024-Toyota-Grand-Highlander-Seating-Space
Toyota
2024 Toyota Grand Highlander rear seats 

In its official press release, Toyota stated that the highly anticipated 2024 Grand Highlander will seat a maximum of eight people. What's more, Toyota has gone on to claim that the Grand Highlander will confidently accommodate three full-size adults in its third row. The third row offers an impressive 33.5 inches of legroom, which is about six inches more than the regular Highlander and sufficient for an adult to sit in relative comfort.

Even with all three rows up, there is 20.6 cubic feet of cargo space and a massive 98 cubic feet with the second and third rows down. This equates to a sizable 14 cubic feet increase in cargo capacity when compared to the standard Highlander, which has 84 cubic feet of cargo space with all seat rows folded down. With its spacious third row and nearly 21 cubic feet of cargo capacity in the rear, it can fit the whole family and pack in practically everything you need—with room to spare.

9 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Promises To Be A Performance-Driven SUV

2024-Toyota-Grand-Highlander-Engine
Toyota
2024-Toyota-Grand-Highlander-Engine

Toyota offers both high performance and all-around efficiency in the first-ever Grand Highlander. With three powertrains offered with both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) – the well-balanced 2.4L turbo gas engine (FWD/AWD), the efficiency-leading 2.5L hybrid (FWD/AWD) and the ultimate performance-seeking, 362-horsepower Hybrid MAX with 400-pound feet of torque with standard AWD – there is something for everyone. As for gas mileage, you can expect the Hybrid to be the most frugal of the bunch, but given the larger dimensions of the Grand Highlander, combined mpg will be slightly lesser than the 36 combined mpg the standard model offers.

All three powertrain options come with three Drive Modes (Sport, Eco, Normal) to make driving more engaging – while Multi-Terrain Select with Three Modes (Mud & Sand, Rock & Dirt, Snow) are offered on the gas AWD and Hybrid MAX powertrains for even more on and off-road capability. The Hybrid MAX powertrain makes the Grand Highlander the most powerful mid-size SUV Toyota has ever built. Drivers will experience impressive performance off the line, as well – thanks to a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds.

The Hybrid MAX powertrain also offers 5,000 lbs. of towing capacity. But performance is not just about the engine. The new Grand Highlander also features advanced suspension tuning and handling, such as the available adaptive variable suspension. These features allow for a smooth and comfortable ride.

8 The Grand Highlander Is A New Addition To The Toyota Lineup

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Toyota
A front 3/4 studio shot of a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

Although it features the Highlander name, the Grand Highlander will be an all-new addition to the Toyota lineup when it goes on sale sometime in late 2023. Toyota expects the Grand Highlander to fill the space between the full-size Sequoia and the regular Highlander. Dimensionally, it does just that. At 201.4 inches front to back, the Grand Highlander is 6.5 inches longer than the Highlander and roughly 7.0 inches shorter than the Sequoia. The 2024 Grand Highlander also stands 2.0 inches taller and spans 2.3 inches wider than the regular Highlander.

With about 116 inches between its axles, the bigger Grand Highlander's wheelbase is approximately 4 inches longer than the standard Highlander. The Grand Highlander's increased exterior proportions translate to a roomier interior, particularly in the cargo area and third row. As previously discussed, when compared with the regular Highlander, the Grand Highlander's third row gains 5.5 inches of legroom (33.5 versus 28 inches). There's also an extra inch of headroom and over 2.0 inches of additional shoulder space.

RELATED: This Is The Best Feature Of The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

7 It Punches Above Its Weight Class

A shot of the roomy third row of a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Toyota
The roomy third row of the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

Is the Grand Highlander bigger than the Toyota Sequoia, you may be wondering. The short answer is no. The Toyota Sequoia boasts a lot of space in an SUV that makes its presence felt. It has an overall width of just under 80 inches. Its height is slightly over 74 inches, with a length of just over 208 inches. Comparatively, the Grand Highlander measures 201.4 inches long, 70.1 inches tall, and 78.3 inches wide.

In its interior, the all-new Toyota Sequoia is spacious while the Sequoia is undoubtedly a larger SUV than the mid-size Grand Highlander. However, the Grand Highlander makes better use of its space. To illustrate, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander will have 153 cubic feet of total interior space, 21 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats up, and as the brand claims, an adult-suitable third row. On the other hand, the 2023 Toyota Sequoia offers only 86.9 cubic feet of total interior space and a pretty cramped third row that doesn't even fold flat completely.

6 The Mature Look Of The 2024 Grand Highlander

A Gray 2024 Toyota Grand Highalnder in a studio
Toyota
2024-Toyota-Grand-Highlander-Side-View

When it comes to the Grand Highlander vs Highlander, the regular Highlander has a rather distinctive look with prominent side surfacing, whilst the Grand Highlander appears more mature. From a design perspective, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander doesn't look like a derivative of the standard Highlander. It diverges away from the curvaceous lines of its smaller sibling, going instead for a boxier and more angular route similar to the Sequoia. The trapezoidal grille is different and looks more Sequoia-ish. On the side, we see lots of Toyota Sequoia once again.

While the back doors look like the standard Highlander, the rear window looks different and more angular. A hint of chrome accents the bottom of the window frames, and the glass house is pretty generous. Minimal lines are also the flavor of the day for the Grand Highlander, emphasizing its boxy and rugged looks. Depending on the variant, wheel sizes range from 18 to 20 inches.

5 Creature Comforts With Added Versatility

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Toyota
Inside shot of 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

A family vehicle like the three-row Grand Highlander is all about the interior. The reason most people buy a large crossover, is so that they can haul their family comfortably and safely. As soon as you get into the Grand Highlander, you'll be greeted with a familiar Toyota layout where everything is where you expect it to be, and everything is relatively simple to use. The base XLE comes with a 7.0-inch semi-digital instrument cluster, along with synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, a 12.3-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, second-row sunshades, and a powered tailgate.

Moving up to the Limited variant adds genuine leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch fully-digital gauge cluster, an 11-speaker JBL sound system, heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, heated steering, ambient lighting, foot sensor for the powered tailgate, power outlet (100 watts for 2.4-liter or 1,500 watts for the hybrid models). Lastly, the top trim Platinum grade adds a panoramic sunroof, Multi-Terrain Select for AWD gas and Hybrid Max, head-up display, puddle exterior lamps, 360-degree camera, and a digital rearview mirror

RELATED: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander: Better The Than Standard Highlander And Sequoia?

4 Advanced Safety Features

2024-Toyota-Grand-Highlander-Front-Three-Quarters
Toyota
2024-Toyota-Grand-Highlander-Front-Three-Quarters

Every Grand Highlander is equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which has a host of standard driver-assistance technology that includes adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and even blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Proactive Driving Assist is a new feature of Toyota Safety Sense. When system operating conditions are met, using the vehicle’s camera and radar, this system provides gentle braking into curves or gentle braking and/or steering to help support driving tasks such as distance control between a preceding vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist.

This feature, however, does not replace the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection. Other safety features of the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander include a five-door smart key, which allows the driver to lock and unlock the doors and start the engine without having to take the key out of their pocket or purse. The auto-dimming mirror reduces glare from headlights behind the vehicle, while the power liftgate makes loading and unloading cargo a breeze.

3 The Grand Highlander May Just Stifle The Competition

2023 Subaru Ascent vs 2024 Grand Highlander
Subaru / Toyota
A side-view shot comparing the 2023 Subaru Ascent and the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The Toyota Grand Highlander is not the first in its segment, not by a long shot, so it has to, at the very least, keep up with the competition. There are several competitors in the mid-size three-row SUV segment. Competitors include models like the Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Traverse, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Honda Pilot, Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru Ascent, and the upcoming Mazda CX-90. While Toyota does admit that the Grand Highlander may eat into Sequoia’s sales, they are okay with it.

Toyota should be very confident of the success of the Grand Highlander knowing that over the past two years, Toyota has sold nearly 487,000 Highlanders, making the three-row mid-sizer its second-best-selling SUV in the U.S. behind only the compact RAV4. Further, given that Toyota’s hybrid models have stolen sales away from non-hybrid competition in the last few years, it will be interesting to see what the debut of the Toyota Grand Highlander does to the likes of the popular Palisade, Telluride, and Pilot, none of which currently offer a hybrid option.

2 Warranty And Maintenance Coverage

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Toyota
A front profile shot of 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The limited Toyota warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles, Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles, Hybrid-component warranty covers eight years or 100,000 miles. Electrified Grand Highlander models come with a separate hybrid-component warranty that provides eight years or 100,000 miles of coverage. Toyota's warranty coverage adheres to the norm of the segment; however, buyers get two years of complimentary scheduled maintenance, which is a nice perk that most rivals don't offer.

RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About The All New Toyota Grand Highlander

1 All That's Left To Decide Is Which One You Buy

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Toyota
A back 3/4 destination shot of 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

As previously mentioned, the 2024 Grand Highlander will be available in three different trim levels - XLE, Limited, and Platinum. Those hoping for a cheap L or LE trim won't find those options on the list. Yet to be formally announced, the prices are expected to start at around $45,000. This puts it at a premium compared to the regular Highlander, but with its larger size and luxurious features, it's well worth the investment for families in need of more space and comfort from their three mid-size crossover SUVs.