What is the Highlander Hybrid?
The Toyota Highlander Hybrid is one of the few truly fuel-efficient three-row crossovers on the market. For a mild price increase over a comparable non-hybrid Highlander, you get a powertrain that offers significant fuel economy gains — greater than 50% in the EPA's city cycle. Even better is that the Highlander Hybrid isn't significantly slower than its non-hybrid sibling. The zero to 60 mph run takes 8.2 seconds in the Highlander Hybrid, compared to 7.4 seconds in the non-electrified version. We think the slight price bump and marginally slower sprint speed are more than counterbalanced by the savings at the gas pump.
But this year, the Highlander Hybrid faces stiff competition from an unexpected place — Toyota itself. That's because the new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is an almost identical vehicle, but with a larger third row and more cargo space. In short, it solves the only two issues we have with the existing Highlander and Highlander Hybrid. Moreover, the Grand Highlander offers a unique turbocharged hybrid powertrain. You no longer have to choose between fuel efficiency and performance.
If you won't frequently use the very back seat, the Highlander Hybrid still makes a compelling case for itself. But growing families might want to eye the Grand Highlander Hybrid instead.