Toyota Australia has no immediate plans for Toyota’s new Grand Highlander eight-seat SUV
Toyota has revealed the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander in the US overnight ahead of its launch there later in the year, however at this stage it seems the stretched Kluger isn’t on the radar for Toyota Australia.
“Toyota is always considering exciting new models as they become available for our market, but we have no announcements to make today,” a local spokesperson told carsales.com.au.
This position doesn’t come as too much of a surprise given Toyota’s Australian arm already offers three different large SUVs here in the form of the regular Toyota Kluger, the rugged Toyota Fortuner and the Toyota Prado off-roader.
Still, the Toyota Grand Highlander could provide the local division with an answer to the Hyundai Palisade, which holds a monopoly on the eight-seater large SUV segment in Australia.
The Hyundai Palisade, and the related Hyundai Telluride will probably be the Toyota Grand Highlander’s two biggest rivals in North America, however the Toyota Grand Highlander is armed with a trio of powertrain options, as well as captain’s chair-style second-row seating.
The entry-level engine for the Toyota Grand Highlander is Toyota’s new turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol unit, alongside a 2.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid engine and the 270kW, 524Nm 2.4-litre turbo-hybrid shared with the Toyota Crown and Lexus RX.
No performance figures or transmission choices were given for the other two engines, although it is likely they will be close to what is in the current Toyota Kluger, including the eight-speed automatic transmission.
Toyota reckons the Hybrid MAX-powered Toyota Grand Highlander will go from 0-97km/h in 6.3 seconds, and tow up to 2268kg – marginally more than the Hyundai Palisade’s 2200kg maximum braked capacity.
While positioned and sold as the bigger sibling to the Toyota Kluger – sold as the Toyota Highlander in the US – the Toyota Grand Highlander doesn’t hold much of a family resemblance in its styling, instead looking more like a drastically upscaled Toyota Corolla Cross.
Dominating the cabin is a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a configurable centre console, wireless device charging pad, numerous USB ports and a digital instrument cluster.
Second-row passengers can slide into a traditional three-seat bench or climb into their own free-standing captain’s chairs split by an independent console.
The third row is described as “adult sized” and offers three seats with their own USB port and all the storage cubbies you’d expect of a family SUV; the same goes for the second row.
The three Toyota Grand Highlander trim levels offered in North America include the XLE, Limited and Platinum, with each grade available with a choice of all three engine options.
The Toyota Grand Highlander will come equipped with the full suite of Toyota’s latest safety innovations, as will features such as connected services, smartphone mirroring, voice command, heated seats and digital key compatibility.
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander off Australia’s shopping list, for now