 What is up you guys, I'll go back to another one. If you're new to the channel, I am Goldpony, I do new car track SUV reviews on YouTube. And today we're in the brand new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, courtesy of younger Toyota in Hagerstown, Maryland. For more information on their inventory, please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so we are in this one today because this is Toyota's largest three row SUV. There is a ton of space with an adult friendly third row. And I'll be showing that to you guys later in the video, but you also get two years or 25,000 miles of complimentary maintenance. So you got to save a little bit of money there. And ultimately this one is going to be competing with the Chevy Traverse and the Volkswagen Atlas. So ultimately in this video, we will be testing out and going over everything about this one from acceleration to braking, steering fuel, ride quality, sound system, exhaust clip, all that fun stuff. So having said all of that, what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with bracing. And so as you can imagine, there are a few different trim levels for the 2024 Grand Highlander. First one being the XLE starting at $43,070. Then there is the limited, which is the one we are in today, starting at $47,860. And lastly the Platinum going for $53,545. And so that Platinum trim level comes standard with all wheel drive. The other two trims come standard with front wheel drive, but you can add all wheel drive to either of those. Simply add $1,600 to those first two prices then. But regardless of trim level that you go with, the power plant on this one is going to be the same. Powering the Beast is a 2.4 liter turbocharged four cylinder, putting out 265 horsepower at 6,000 RPM, 310 pound feet of torque coming in at 1,700 RPM. That power being sent to front wheels or all wheels through an eight speed automatic. And you will get paddle shifters if you go with the Platinum trim level if you want to those. Zero to 60 time coming into approximately seven seconds flat, which on paper isn't all that bad for the size of this SUV. MPG numbers then coming in at 21 in the city, 28 on the highway for the front wheel drive, 20 in the city, 26 then on the highway for the all wheel drive, taking regular unleaded fuel. So before we do any kind of fun acceleration test here in our Grand Highlander, do want to mention to you guys the drive modes are some buttons located kind of behind the cup holders and the shifter and all that. Those drive modes will include normal, eco sport, mud and sand, rock and dirt and actually a snow mode as well. Just in things like the shift points, the throttle response, steering sensitivity, the all wheel drive system engagement then as well. So now we've got all of that out of the way. What do you guys say? Let's go ahead and put it in that sport driving mode. Let's find a straightaway and let's see how quickly we can get our new Grand Highlander here up to speed. All right, in three, two, one, go. There it is. Almost shifts nice. I will say that. Yeah, there's obviously plenty of get up and go for a three row SUV of this size. You're not gonna have any issues emerging onto the highway, that's for sure. Quite honestly, it's a lot quicker than I expected it to be. Again, giving the size of this SUV. So yeah, you're not gonna have any issues with that. But anyways, to go along with that acceleration as always, braking is equally important. So upfront, you will find 13.3 inch ventilated front discs. In the back, 13.3 inch ventilated rear discs as well. As far as that 60-zero stopping distance goes, that comes in at a respectable 127 feet. Now, I say it that way because typically with larger three row SUVs, they're usually in the 130s. 127, it's not the best number, but it's honestly the better number if you're comparing it to some of the competition. So I'll just put it that way. As far as braking feel goes, it's fine. It's definitely on the softer side of things. No doubt about that. So expect that. You're not gonna have a firm braking feel in a vehicle like the Grand Highlander anyways. But then touching on suspension and handling up front, you're gonna get an independent strut type front suspension. In the back, independent multi-link rear suspension, of course, front and rear stabilizer bars. As far as ride quality goes, it's what I expected. Honestly, there's some nice roads that we're driving on right now. So ride quality has been perfectly fine, but it's as you would expect a larger three row SUV to ride like. As far as steering feel goes, I will say it is a much weightier steering feel when you have it in that sport driving mode. It is a big time noticeable difference. If I were to take it out and put it back to normal driving mode here, it does loosen up. But if I'm being honest, even in the normal driving mode, the steering feel really is quite nice. It's weighted a little bit on the heavier side of things, which is traditionally not what you find in SUVs. Usually you find a very loosey-goosey steering feel. So the fact that it's a little heavier of a weight to it, that's something I personally prefer. So quite honestly, I think Toyota did a wonderful job when it comes to the steering feel. As far as cabin noise goes, that's wonderful as well. Now we'll say I got the air conditioning on, I got the ventilated seat on right now as well, but having said that, as far as road and wind noise goes, it's been excellent. You do get an acoustic laminated front windshield for all trim levels across the board, but you also get acoustic laminated front side glass. That's something where a lot of luxury vehicles don't even have that still to this day. A lot of times it's an option on some of the other competition, but to have acoustic laminated front door glass, that is definitely a big win. And it makes for a very serene cabin in the Grand Highlander. So I will say that, I love that Toyota did that. Touching on visibility, I can see perfectly fine out the back. I will say when you have those third row headrests up, they are gonna impede visibility slightly, but it's no issues for me. Rain-sensing windshield wipers do come standard on the limited and platinum trim levels. So if the Grand Highlander detects any kind of mist or rainfall, it's gonna automatically turn on this windshield wipers for it, so I love that as well. And you will actually get a head-up display with the platinum trim level. So that's gonna display your speed, speed limit and safety features up onto your windshield, better helping with forward visibility. So you could better focus on actually enjoying the drive in the Grand Highlander. But that pretty much rounds out the performance segment of this review, guys. Let's now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of our brand new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander. All right, so here she is, you guys, the new Toyota Grand Highlander finished in Celestial Silver Metallic. In case you were curious of our exact exterior color name, but as always, let's go ahead and start with where this one is made. Taking a look at the bin. First character is the number five, indicating that the Grand Highlander is built and assembled here in the US. Then starting up front, painted front grille does come standard. LED headlights do come standard for all trim levels across the board. Gotta love that. They do come with the automatic feature along with automatic high beams. So if you have your high beams on tonight in the senses of vehicle coming in the opposite direction, it's gonna automatically dim them back to low beams. And when that vehicle is gone, it's gonna automatically then bounce it back to high beams for you. So very convenient feature there. If you were to go with the limited or platinum trim levels, you're gonna get LED daytime running lights and LED fog lights as well. You guys can see those down below. They definitely look up overall. The front end looks really good in my opinion. So let me know what you guys think in the comments section below, but that pretty much rounds out the front end. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the side of the Grand Highlander. All right, so now since we are around to the side of this one, silver roof rails do come standard for all trim levels across the board. Rear privacy glass also coming standard for all trim levels across the board. Of course, chrome belt line molding, once again, all trim levels. Take a look at the side mirrors, body colored power adjustable side mirrors do come standard. They will also be heated for all trim levels as well. And then if you were to go with the limited or platinum trims, they will actually be power folding as well. So if you lock the vehicle up, they're gonna fold in. If you unlock it, the side mirrors are gonna fold back out. So pretty cool there. Take a look down at the wheel setup, 18 inch silver painted alloys coming for the XLE, but both other trim levels are gonna get 20 inch silver multi-spoke aluminum alloys. So that pretty much rounds out the side profile. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the back. All right, so now since you are around to the back all the way to the top there, you will find a body colored shark fin antenna. Just below that rear spoiler with an integrated brake light. Just below that rear window wiper. You do have LED tail lights coming standard across the board. I absolutely love that. Got some like the video lettering spelled out horizontally. That definitely helps. So go ahead and like the video. Definitely helps me out. I appreciate it greatly, but in all seriousness, brand high lander lettering spelled out horizontally. Got the all wheel drive badging. If equipped, there is a tow package of course available. You guys can see that setup down below there. And then all the way down below as I get down here for you guys, you will find dual exhaust outlets. They are tucked away. So having said that, I do believe you guys know what we have to do next. As always here is that exhaust clip. All right, so now since we are around to the back of the Grand Highlander, when it comes to opening that rear tailgate, it is a power tailgate for all trim levels across the board. So I love that. And then it's going to be a hands free power tailgate for the limited end platinum trim levels. But once opened up, cargo capacity comes in at 20.6 cubic feet behind that third row. So decent amount there. If you were to fold that third row down, that's going to bump that up to 57.9 cubic feet. So that's going to be the third row that's going to bump that up to 57.9 cubic feet. Then with all rows folded 97.5 cubic feet. And so this is exactly in line with the Traverse and the Atlas. So for example, Chevy Traverse comes in at 98.2, Volkswagen Atlas 96.8. So it's right in the middle of the pack there. So all three of those SUVs essentially the same size. So very large SUVs. Of course there's 60, 40 splits. That's how the rear seats fold down at least. There's some LED cargo lighting for the platinum trim level only. And you will find some cargo tie-down anchors back there. There are some grocery bag hooks I found as well. Then if you were to lift up underneath of that cargo floor you will find some tools for jacking the vehicle up. And you can actually store your cargo cover back there if you have the third row up and the third row is not in use. So yes, you get a cargo cover as well. But anyways, let's now go ahead and make our way up to the third row legroom. Cause this is actually really impressive on the Grand Highlander, 33.5 inches. So that's a pretty good bit for reference. I believe it's six feet tall. This is how much space I had back there. There are cup holders back there as well. There are also USB charging ports for those third row passengers as well. So 100% love that. And of course there's rear ventilation that's going to be found on the ceiling of the Outlander for all three rows. So love that as well. But then making our way up to the second row, that legroom is going to come in at 39.5 inches for reference, I mean even six feet tall still believe it or not. This is how much space I had back there. Captain's chairs do come standard for all trim levels, but if you wanted bench seating that is going to be optional for the XLE and the limited. So it is doable. But anyways, of course that second row is reclining along with the third row. I should mention that as well. Three zone climate control does come standard for all trim levels, meaning the rear passengers can set their own individual kind of temperature as a group back there if they wanted to. Rear window sunshades surprisingly come standard on all trim levels across the board. I don't believe the competition makes that standard. So that's pretty cool, especially if you have a newborn and you don't want the sun blinding them. If you're coming out from the hospital, you're sitting in a parking lot eating Chick-fil-A or whatever the case. Of course there is a rear center armrest with cup holders as expected and heated rear seats are available and we got them as well. So that is pretty darn cold. Of course you got the USB charging ports for their second row passengers. So love the heated rear seats, love the rear window sunshades, love the charging ports. So the second row is definitely set up quite nicely back there. And now let's go ahead and make our way to the front seats. Leatherette seating is gonna come with the XLE, but limited in platinum terms, they're gonna give you full leather seating, 10-way power driver seat with power lumbar for all trim levels, but even the passenger seat gets power adjustable seats. Eight-way power adjustable passenger seat for all trim levels, heated front seats, all trim levels yet again, but the ventilated front seats, you get that with the limited and the platinum. So not the XLE there, memory settings yet again with the limited and the platinum and that's for up to two different drivers in case you were curious, but overall, seat comfort was actually perfectly fine. Toyota usually does a pretty darn good job with their seating and seat comfort overall, and that is definitely the case here in the Grand Highlander. So not gonna have any issues taking this thing on the long road trip. But now let's take a look at the steering wheel. It's tilt and telescoping. It is gonna be leather-wrapped for the limited and platinum trim levels, and then heated actually for the limited and platinum trim levels as well. 10 and two grips are kind of on the scrawny side. So wouldn't mind it if they beefed them up just slightly, but other than that, steering wheel is perfectly fine. Then make your way to the startup. Let me start by showing you guys the key. You got this cool Grand Highlander lettering on one side. Then when you flip it over, you got your Toyota logo lock unlock and that power tailgate button as well. But it is all keyless entry with a push button start. So all I'm going to do here is simply put my front of the brake and press that engine start button located just in front of the shifter. And so once started up when it comes to those gauges, it will be analog gauge cluster for the XLE, but then a 12.3 inch digital gauge cluster for the limited and the platinum. So that is what you guys are looking at right now. And let's go ahead and change drive mode. I want to see if it adjusts, definitely just the colors a good bit. So if I were to put it in that sport driving mode, it gives you kind of more red hues. And then the eco drive mode is going to kind of give you a grayish cyan and the normal is gray. And I don't know, the cool thing about digital gauges is you guys can probably see when I'm changing all the drive modes here, it gives you this cool graphic display when you actually go to change the drive mode. So I am a big fan of that, that is pretty cool. But tachometer on your left speedometer is on your right. How many miles do you have left and to hit empty? You got a large digital speedometer, outside temperature, pretty much everything you could possibly want on the digital gauges up there. But now let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality. If you wanted a panoramic moonroof, go with the platinum, but that is going to be optional on the XLE and the limited like we have today. So we do got that option. So that is pretty darn cool. Overhead sunglass holder is going to come standard for all trim levels across the board. I like that. Auto dimming rear view mirror with homely controls to up to three different garage doors found at the bottom part of that rear view mirror. That comes standard for all trim levels. So love that wireless phone charger, all trim levels yet again, 13 cup holders in case you were curious of the exact number on this thing. Ambient lighting coming with the limited to platinum trim levels. You got metal door sales for the limited to platinum as well. But overall just a ton of space. So take for example, the passenger seat here. If they look forward, they got this nice storage just above the passenger side glove box along with a USB charging port just beside that as well. Just in front of the shifter, you have a massive amount of storage along with that wireless mode charger. To the right of the shifter, you have some pretty deep storage along with your cup holders, lecture mechanical parking brake and an absolute ton of storage within the center armrest. There is a ton like you could fit a dog in there if you wanted to. There is so much space. Don't try to do that, but there is really a ton of space in there. So overall, it's very practical. I'll put it that way. But I will say I like the accent pieces that kind of look like wood, like a beach wood look, but it's not real wood. Of course it is plastic, but it does look good. So overall, I think Toyota did a pretty darn good job with the interior quality. But now let's go ahead and make our way to this infotainment screen. And so what you guys are looking at is a 12.3 inch color touchscreen display. And yes, that does come standard for all trim levels across the board. So I do like that. Bluetooth and audio streaming coming standard, but wireless Android Auto Apple CarPlay. So many vehicles now are still wired for the Android Auto Apple CarPlay, but you don't have any wires here with all of the trim levels. So I love that. Factory navigation system coming with the Platinum and you can check out your car statistics up here as well, of course, along with your radio information. And so there will be a couple different sound systems for the Grand Highlander. You got a six speaker sound system with the XLE, but then an 11 speaker JBL sound system with the subwoofer and an amplifier for the limited and the Platinum. So that is the one that we have today. So I do believe you guys know what we have to do next. Let's go ahead and turn on the radio, see what we got playing today and let's test out the clarity of this one. All right, that is not bad. That is definitely not bad. And I've said this before, I actually had, I had an external subwoofer. It was a JBL subwoofer in my first car. So I knew JBL has been around for quite a while. That is why I said that. So very reputable brand and there's nothing wrong with that sound system. Ton of bass, plenty of clarity. So well done Toyota yet again. I should say well done JBL. But anyways, last thing I wanna mention to you guys on the infotainment screen, of course, so when you do put this thing in reverse, if you get too close to something it is gonna beep at you. That's what that noise is. But you do get a rear view camera coming standard and a 360 degree monitor is gonna be standard on the Platinum, but then optional on the limited that's gonna be the bird's eye view to the left there. But that's not bad, but that is always is going to lead us into safety. And so usually start by mentioning the IHS safety rating, but this one has not yet been rated by IHS. And I'm not gonna do that for that reason. Front side, side current airbags do come standard driver's knee airbag as well. Passager seat cushion airbag. This one that you don't usually find. Of course, you have latch in the back AKA lower anchors and tethers for children for the rear car seats, rear child door locks, tire pressure monitoring system, but also coming standard, a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, proactive driving assist, blind spot monitoring system with rear cross traffic alert. And then the limited trim level is gonna add to that front and rear parking sensors with automatic braking then as well. So overall, when it comes to my final thoughts here of the Grand Highlander, there is a ton of space in this thing. And that's really why you buy this particular SUV is because there really is so much space in easy road trip vehicle for sure. Very usable third row as well. So if you wanted to take adults and you're cramming a bunch of adults into a vehicle, this is gonna be a solid option. It's 33.5 inches in that third row. That is dang impressive. You also get the two years or 25,000 miles of complimentary maintenance. So nothing wrong with that. So I love the digital gauges as well. I think they did that beautifully. The only thing for me personally is I would probably go with the hybrid variant of this. And so I'll be reviewing that at a later date, but there are two more power plants available for this one. You have a regular hybrid powertrain which has been found in the Highlander hybrid for a while now. So battle tested already. That's the one I would go with. Then there is also a hybrid max which should have plenty more power. That's I guess the performance version of this vehicle. But ultimately I would go with the hybrid because I have read articles with the Highlander hybrid lasting for over a million miles and it's definitely got the reliability going for it. Not that there might be anything wrong with the turbocharged engine but it's turbocharged in the end. So I'm just saying. Let me know what you guys think and what your thoughts are of the Grand Highlander in the comments section below. That is about it for this one. You guys, thank you so much for watching for free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen. If you wanted to see what cars coming next on the channel before it gets to YouTube, be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're into new car reviews because that is what we do here on this channel. After all, do appreciate you guys watching more than you know and I will see you guys all in the next video. Stay Gold.