Toyota’s largest SUV debuts an even larger versionis called toyota grand highlander and it is the relative that you would like to see in Europe, but that unfortunately it will be very difficult for us to see on this side of the Atlantic. Designed to be able to take the whole family and still enjoy a large trunk, the Grand Highlander will also be able to accommodate 7 adults insidesomething that is rarely possible in a car.
On the occasion of the Chicago motor show, the Japanese firm Toyota has presented an important novelty in its range. designed as an even more spacious version of the Toyota Highlander that is sold in Europethe new Grand Highlander is a car that bets on its own philosophy by being a new model developed on the group’s TNGA-K modular platformthe architecture intended for the larger Toyota and Lexus models.
Its exterior design evidences an evolution of the image seen in “our” Highlander, using a stylistic language where straight lines are more protagonists and where we also find a stretch of the body in order to gain that extra space for the trunk and the third row of seats. And it is that The best of the Toyota Grand Highlander is precisely in the rear area of its cabinan environment that has been conceived to be able to enjoy different configurations, but where in all of them we find a lot of available space.
Thus, the Toyota Grand Highlander will be marketed in 6-seat configuration with individual seats in the second row and a two-seater bench in the third row, or with a 7-seat configuration with the second and third row of seats making use of bench seats to make the most of the available space. Given its initial conception as a vehicle with 3 rows of seats in all its versions, The trunk offers a considerable cargo volume to be able to carry different packages or luggagebeing able to widely extend that space as soon as the third or even the second row of seats are folded down.
But the most striking point of the Grand Highlander is the fact that it promises 7 true adult seats, thus distancing itself from the bulk of 7-seater cars where the last two seats are only suitable for children. In addition, all rows have specific ventilation outlets, drink holders (there are 13 in the entire cabin) and USB-C charging outlets (there are 7 in the entire car).
In the North American market, which, a priori, will be the only one where this Grand Highlander will be sold, will be offered three different engines with powers up to 367 hp. Of these three engines, the two most powerful will be hybrids, including the most high-performance of all, which will be the same Hybrid Max configuration based on a 2.4 Turbo that the Lexus RX 500h has just released.
