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Toyota has a big SUV launch coming. And we mean big.
 Toyota Toyota will (probably) call the new SUV the Grand Highlander The Grand Highlander should be a crossover, not a body-on-frame SUV Toyota has a body-on-frame three-row SUV with the all-new 2023 Sequoia; the Grand Highlander is expected to be a unibody crossover. The Grand Highlander will be built at the same plant as the Highlander. It's not clear yet whether the Grand Highlander will be a stretched Highlander or have different underpinnings. It may look like a bigger Highlander — outselling the Corolla in 2021 suggests people like that look — or take after the Sequoia with a boxier appearance. The Grand Highlander will offer a hybrid engine Toyota noted that the Grand Highlander and its Lexus counterpart will “join a diverse electrified portfolio.” That indicates there will at least be a hybrid option. And judging from some of Toyota’s latest releases like the Sienna, the Venza and the Crown, hybrid engines may be the only option. We don’t know yet whether that will be a plug-in or plug-in hybrid; it probably won’t be all-electric. Toyota didn't show anything Highlander-like in its EV onslaught reveal last year. The Grand Highlander will pack fancy tech Toyota noted that the new SUV will offer both semi-autonomous hands-free driving in certain situations and self-parking technology. It will also have a digital key to allow users to use their smartphone as a key and share the key digitally. How much will the Toyota Grand Highlander cost? Toyota has not revealed pricing info for the Grand Highlander yet as the car has not been revealed. But we can make an educated guess. The Highlander Hybrid starts at $39,555 MSRP. The Sequoia starts at $58,300 MSRP. The Grand Highlander may split that difference. Expect the Grand Highlander to hit dealers in 2023 The 2024 Toyota Compact Cruiser EV: What You Need to Know It's compact, it's boxy, and it looks a lot like the FJ Cruiser. LEARN MORE Interior Specifications of the 2023 Toyota HighlanderFor the added convenience of customers, the Limited and Platinum trims will come standard with power-folding exterior mirrors that protect your vehicle from damage while parking in narrow entrances and exits. The Qi-compatible charger has been moved to the instrument panel shelf from the center console to be more accessible. Along with the Limited and Platinum, XLE and XSE will have a hands-free power liftgate that can be opened with a kick of a foot under the bumper. In terms of passenger capacity, the L and LE trims come standard with a second-row bench and can accommodate eight passengers. In contrast, the XLE and Limited trims have Captain’s Chair second row that can seat seven passengers. The vehicle also has good cargo space of 16.0 cubic feet behind the third row, which expands to 84.3 cubic feet folding the rear seats. The 2023 Toyota Highlander is set to carve its niche in a brutally competitive mid-size SUV segment. If you have questions, contact us at Sheehy Toyota of Stafford near Quantico, VA.
FIND THE BEST PRICE The 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a safe, reliable, and fuel-efficient family SUV, but there isn’t much room in the third row. We expect the 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid pricing to start at about $40,000. For drivers looking for a practical, safe, and fuel-efficient family SUV, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is hard to beat. The standard Highlander (reviewed separately) is already an excellent family hauler with a comfortable 3-row interior, generous standard features, and the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award. The Highlander Hybrid takes all of those good qualities and adds an efficient hybrid powertrain that returns 36 city/35 highway mpg. There are many midsize 3-row SUVs on the market, but the Highlander Hybrid has few direct competitors in the hybrid space. Its closest rival is the Ford Explorer Hybrid, which is more expensive and less efficient than the Toyota. The Highlander is unquestionably the value choice between the two. Another option is the more affordable and efficient Kia Sorento Hybrid, but that’s smaller and less family-friendly than the Highlander Hybrid. One of our only gripes with the Highlander Hybrid is the limited space in the third row of seats. They’re suitable for children, but adults will be uncomfortable on long rides. Consider the Toyota Sienna minivan if you want more space in a hybrid family vehicle. There are a couple of minor changes to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid for the 2023 model year. The stylish Bronze Edition now comes with the upgraded 12.3-inch infotainment system with navigation. Also, the Limited and Platinum trims now have power-folding mirrors as standard equipment. 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid PricingAs a carryover model with few significant changes, we expect 2023 Toyota Highlander Hybrid prices to start at about $40,000 and go up to around $50,000. The Highlander Hybrid is a little expensive for a midsize SUV from a non-luxury brand like Toyota, but it’s actually a value choice compared to the Ford Explorer Hybrid. The Ford starts at over $50,000. A more budget-friendly choice in hybrid 3-row SUVs is the Kia Sorento Hybrid, but it’s smaller than the Highlander Hybrid. If you’re willing to drive a minivan, the hybrid Toyota Sienna is a more affordable and family-friendly alternative to the Highlander Hybrid. Driving the 2023 Toyota Highlander HybridThe Toyota Highlander Hybrid is a pleasant and agreeable SUV to drive. The engine gets a little noisy under hard acceleration, but that’s a forgivable flaw since you probably won’t be flooring it very often. For better or worse, the Highlander Hybrid is an SUV that feels like a minivan from behind the wheel. If you prioritize comfort over sportiness, that’s not a bad thing. The acceleration is good enough for driving around town and passing on the highway, but it won’t blow you away. The steering is a little numb, and there’s some body roll if you take a corner too fast, but none of this is surprising for a midsize family SUV. Adding all-wheel drive (AWD) improves the all-season traction of the Highlander Hybrid. It’s a great upgrade if you live in a snowy climate, especially since it hardly comes with any fuel economy penalty compared to the front-wheel-drive (FWD) model. Interior ComfortThe inside of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid reflects its personality as a practical and comfortable family SUV. The interior design is pleasing, and the materials are pretty nice, especially in the upper trims. Desirable available features you get in the upper trims include a 12.3-inch infotainment system, a panoramic sunroof, and leather seats. The first two rows of seats are plenty spacious, but the third row is a different story. The third row of seats is pretty tight and only suitable for children. The Highlander Hybrid is a good SUV if you’ll only have kids in the third row or if you’ll rarely use those extra seats at all. Second-row captain’s chairs are standard on all but the base LE trim, making the second row more comfortable and the third row easier to access. With a second-row bench seat, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid seats a total of eight passengers. With second-row captain’s seats, it seats seven. The cargo space in the Highlander Hybrid is pretty good when all three rows of seats are in place. However, the more seats you can afford to fold down, the more cargo space you get. With all of the seats behind the first row folded down, this SUV has up to 84.3 cubic feet of cargo space. Exterior StylingThe Toyota Highlander’s exterior is nice to look at, but it’s not the most exciting thing on the road. If you’re looking for an SUV with daring styling that won’t blend in with traffic, you may want to look elsewhere. The look of the Highlander can change a bit depending on which trim you choose. The Bronze Edition has unique exterior accents like bronze-colored wheels, and the top two trims have handsome 20-inch wheels and LED projector headlights. The size of the Highlander Hybrid is about average for a midsize SUV. Its dimensions are similar to the Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot. A couple of bigger and roomier rivals include the Chevrolet Traverse and Volkswagen Atlas. Favorite FeaturesEFFICIENT HYBRID POWERTRAIN TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE 2.5+ Standard Features
The base LE trim of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is well-equipped, which helps to justify its high starting price. Standard features include 3-row seating, 3-zone climate control, LED headlights and fog lights, five USB ports, a power driver’s seat, and push-button start. The standard infotainment system is an 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and Amazon Alexa integration. The Highlander Hybrid comes with an impressive list of standard safety and driver assistance tech features. For starters, the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ system bundles automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, lane-tracing assist, full-speed adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition. On top of that, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert also comes standard. Factory OptionsOne of the most popular options on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is all-wheel drive. AWD gives this SUV better all-season traction and only a slight fuel economy penalty. It’s optional on every trim. This midrange XLE trim is a popular model because of its satisfying balance of features and value. On top of what you get with the well-equipped LE trim, XLE adds SofTex faux leather seating, second-row captain’s chairs, heated front seats, a wireless charging pad, a power sunroof, and more. The Bronze Edition is exclusive to the hybrid model, and it’s primarily an appearance package for the XLE trim. A nice new perk for the 2023 model is the upgraded 12.3-inch infotainment system with navigation now standard on the Bronze Edition. The two upper trims of the Highlander Hybrid push this SUV into luxury territory. The Limited model adds stylish 20-inch wheels, leather seats, ventilated front seats, JBL premium audio, power-folding mirrors, upgraded LED projector headlights, and a power liftgate. Go to the top Platinum trim, and you’ll get treated to a panoramic moonroof, a 360-degree camera, a memory driver’s seat, heated second-row seats, and a head-up display. Engine & TransmissionThe Highlander Hybrid’s power comes from a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine mated to an electric motor. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional. If you opt for AWD, it adds a second electric motor, but it doesn’t change this SUV’s power or torque rating. Every Highlander Hybrid uses an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) a type of automatic. It has a maximum towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds. Compared to its chief rival, the Ford Explorer Hybrid, the Highlander Hybrid is less powerful but more fuel-efficient. 2.5-liter inline-4 + electric motor(s) KBB Vehicle Review and Rating MethodologyOur Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings. We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.) We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability. More About How We Rate Vehicles What has more space a Sienna or Highlander?2022 Highlander vs Sienna: Interior Features & Technology
Many of the features inside are similar, including three-rows of seating that can fold down for a spacious 84.3 cubic feet of cargo volume in the Highlander and a cavernous 101 cubic feet of cargo space in the Sienna.
Will there be any changes in the 2023 Toyota Highlander?For model-year 2023, Toyota replaces the Highlander's proven 3.5L V6 engine (295 horsepower / 263 lb-ft of torque) with a new 2.4L turbocharged four-cylinder (265 horsepower / 310 lb-ft of torque). Horsepower drops by 30, but torque output climbs by 47 lb-ft.
Is Toyota redesigning the Highlander for 2023?The Highlander, which made its debut in Western Europe in 2021, provides refinement with a flexible seven-seat interior and intelligent all-wheel drive (AWD-i) performance. New for 2023 is a rich Cypress Green metallic paint option that heightens the Highlander's distinctive styling and makes it stand out on the road.
Will the 2023 Sienna have removable second row seats?Unlike the Odyssey and the Pacifica Hybrid, the Sienna's second row seats are not removable; however, the optional second-row captain's chairs can slide forward-and-back a total of 25 inches to help provide maximum legroom for rear-seat riders or to open as much room as possible aft of the second row for cargo.
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2023 toyota sienna vs 2023 toyota highlander
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