The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander debuted about a month ago to fill the gap between the regular Highlander with seven seats and the larger Sequoia. This new three-row SUV is now available with three engine options with the most powerful of them offering up to 362 horsepower (266 kilowatts). This isn’t bad for a family vehicle, though there are certainly fast dads who will probably want even more ponies under the hood and a sportier look. Is that possible at all with the Grand Highlander? Yes, but in virtual reality.
X-Tomi Design – a Hungarian independent digital artist – presents his vision for a sportier take on the recently unveiled family hauler. X-Tomi imagines the vehicle with factory GR tuning, adding some notable exterior upgrades, such as a new front bumper with a modified grille and added lower diffuser, larger wheels, two-tone paint, and body-colored wheel arches. Matching the sporty look is a lower suspension attempting to make the large SUV more confident in the corners.
Gallery: 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
Needless to say, the chances of seeing an actual GR-tuned Grand Highlander don’t seem high at the moment. The factory performance division has plenty of other vehicles to work on and the family SUVs have never been its focus. However, if you are not really looking for that crazy low stance and the aggressive body kit, the 2024 Grand Highlander has a capable engine that should deliver at least some fun behind the wheel.
That is the Hybrid Max powertrain, which, to our knowledge, pairs a 2.4-liter turbocharged gas engine with electric motors. The same setup can be also found in the Toyota Crown and in the seven-seat SUV, it delivers 362 horsepower (266 kilowatts) sent to all four wheels. With this mill, the Grand Highlander is capable of reaching 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) from a standstill in around 6.3 seconds, which is respectable for a vehicle that can also tow 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms). Should you want a more affordable, front-wheel-drive option, Toyota offers two of them – a 2.4-liter turbo with no electrification and a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated hybrid.
As a final note, it’s important to note that you can’t actually order the GR Grand Highlander. Soon, however, you will be able to buy the regular 2024 Grand Highlander as the automaker is expected to announce on-sale date and pricing details this summer.
