2024 Toyota Highlander

2024 is a carry-over powertrain year in the XU70 generation — the only change was dropping the entry L trim and making a power tailgate standard. The volume gas trim (XLE) runs the T24A-FTS 2.4L turbo four at 265 hp, which replaced the 295-hp 3.5L V6 for 2023; the 2.5L hybrid makes 243 hp combined. Modest peak output in an SUV band that stretches to 550 hp.

The turbo four's 310 lb-ft arrives low and stays broad — 17% more torque than the superseded V6's 263 lb-ft, and the reason the 2024 Highlander feels adequate in traffic despite unremarkable horsepower.

Edmunds' instrumented run of the four-cylinder AWD returns 7.4 seconds; U.S. News quotes 8.0 s and GreenCars 7.5 s, so the honest range is mid-7s to 8s. Either way it is mid-pack for the mid-size three-row class and roughly a second slower than the V6 the turbo replaced.

Adequate rather than polished. The 2.4T pulls willingly on low-end boost but is repeatedly called loud and coarse when worked, with some lag off the line — a step back in smoothness from the V6 it replaced two years earlier. The hybrid is noticeably more refined around town but drones under full throttle.

The Direct Shift-8AT is smooth and unobtrusive in normal driving but hesitates before a quick downshift; the hybrid's eCVT is seamless in traffic and only objectionable when held at full throttle. Solidly mid-band — neither a strength nor a flaw.

5,000 lbs properly equipped with the turbo four matches the Pilot and Explorer and is a real advantage over compact crossovers, though it trails body-on-frame and turbo-six three-rows. Choosing the hybrid drops the rating to 3,500 lbs.

AWD is optional — not standard — on every 2024 trim in both the gas and hybrid lines (electronic on-demand E-Four on hybrids; AWD became standard across the hybrid range only for 2025). Sophistication is genuine at the top: XSE, Limited and Platinum turbo models get Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD with Drive Mode Select and rear driveline disconnect, while LE and XLE make do with a basic on-demand coupling. No low range.

Squarely pavement-oriented: 8.0 inches of ground clearance, unibody construction, no skid plates, no locking differential and no dedicated off-road grade anywhere in the 2024 lineup (LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, Platinum in both gas and hybrid; Nightshade is a cosmetic package). Well below the Pilot TrailSport or any TRD-equipped Toyota.

Two distinct powertrains for 2024 — the 2.4L turbo gas four and the 2.5L hybrid — cover mainstream needs and put an electrified option across the entire trim range, including the entry LE. No PHEV, no EV variant and no performance engine (unlike the Grand Highlander's Hybrid MAX) keeps it out of the top band.

The volume configuration is the XLE with the 2.4L T24A-FTS turbo four and 8-speed automatic in AWD, EPA-rated 24 MPG combined; the optional 2.5L hybrid lifts that to 35–36 MPG but remains an extra-cost powertrain rather than the volume one.

City is the turbo four's weakest cycle — there is no electric assist off the line in a roughly 4,300 lb three-row — and it trails the hybrid by 14–15 MPG in exactly the stop-and-go driving where three-row families spend most of their miles.

The 8-speed automatic's tall top gears make the highway cycle the turbo four's best case, closing most of the gap to the hybrid (28 vs 35) — the hybrid's advantage over this powertrain is overwhelmingly a city-cycle advantage.

A 17.9-gallon tank at 24 MPG combined gives roughly 430 miles between fills — mid-pack for a mid-size three-row and enough for a normal travel day, but the hybrid on its 17.1-gallon tank goes nearly 200 miles farther.

At EPA's standard 15,000 miles a year the turbo four burns about 625 gallons of regular, an annual bill around $2,060 — ordinary for a mid-size three-row but roughly $650–685 a year more than the same vehicle in hybrid form, which returns most of the hybrid's price premium inside a typical ownership period.

Both powertrains run on 87-octane regular with no premium recommendation, no diesel or E85 complication, and no charging infrastructure to arrange — the cheapest and simplest energy story available short of home charging.

The 2024 Highlander (XU70, carry-over year after the 2023 powertrain change) earns NHTSA's top 5-star overall rating, with 4 stars in the frontal barrier test and rollover and 5 stars in side impact.

The 2024 Highlander is an IIHS Top Safety Pick — Good in the driver-side small overlap front and the updated side test — but falls short of TSP+ because its updated moderate overlap (rear-passenger) result and its standard headlights are Acceptable rather than Good. Solid but not best-in-class among three-row rivals.

Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ is standard on every 2024 trim — pre-collision with pedestrian detection, full-speed-range dynamic radar cruise, lane departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist and automatic high beams — and with the L trim dropped for 2024, Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert is now standard across the entire range.

IIHS rates the Highlander's standard pre-collision system Superior in both the daytime and the nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention evaluations — the strongest tier, and notable because night pedestrian performance is where most rivals lose ground.

Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert is standard on every 2024 trim, but coverage is alert-only — active rear cross-traffic braking and the 360-degree bird's-eye camera stay bundled with Limited and Platinum, and there is no safe-exit assist.

Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist plus Lane Tracing Assist is standard and works whenever radar cruise is engaged, but reviewers describe the centering as competent rather than confidence-inspiring — it needs clear markings and gives up on faded lines or tight curves, and the lane-departure nudge can feel abrupt.

Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with stop-and-go is standard on all trims and pairs with Lane Tracing Assist for a genuine highway-assist experience, but Toyota's calibration is conservative — long following gaps and unhurried resume — and there is no lane-change assist or navigation-linked speed adjustment.

No hands-free highway system is offered on the 2024 Highlander at any trim. Toyota's hands-free Advanced Drive/Teammate remained limited to the Lexus LS and Mirai in the US, so the Highlander is hands-on-wheel only — a clear gap versus Ford, GM and BMW three-rows.

Every 2024 trim gets LED projector headlights rated only Acceptable by IIHS; the Good-rated adaptive-beam units are reserved for the top Platinum trim. Automatic high beams are standard, but the volume LE/XLE buyer gets the weaker lighting — this is the single item keeping the Highlander out of TSP+.

The upright seating position and tall glass give a commanding forward view and the door mirrors are large, but thick rear roof pillars and the small third-row quarter window pinch the over-the-shoulder view, and the 360-degree camera that would compensate is a Limited/Platinum item rather than standard.

IIHS awards the Highlander its top Good rating for LATCH ease of use — a rating fewer than a third of vehicles earn. Two full sets of easy-to-reach lower anchors sit in the second-row outboard seats, tether anchors cover both the second- and third-row center positions, and the second-row lower anchors can be borrowed for a center seat.

The 2024 Highlander is the fourth-generation XU70 in post-2023-refresh form, sold in LE, XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum grades after the entry L trim was dropped for this model year. Three rows are standard; a second-row bench gives eight seats and the optional captain's chairs give seven, so the representative maximum is eight.

Front headroom of 41.2 in sits near the top of the mid-size SUV band and is a real strength of the Highlander's upright greenhouse. The figure quoted is the non-moonroof measurement as the item specifies; moonroof-equipped upper trims give up well over an inch.

Front legroom of 42.0 in is mid-pack for the segment — adequate for most drivers but noticeably behind the Grand Highlander and the Palisade/Telluride pair, reflecting the standard Highlander's tighter packaging on the GA-K platform.

Second-row headroom of 39.4 in is high in the SUV normalization band — the boxy roofline pays off in the middle row, where adults sit without brushing the ceiling.

At 41.0 in fully rearward the second row is class-competitive and genuinely adult-sized, but that measurement is taken in exactly the position that leaves the third row unusable. Most aggregators publish the forward-set 38.7 in figure instead, which is the honest number when all three rows are occupied — the value carried here is Toyota's maximum, unchanged from 2023 through 2025.

The third row is the weakest part of the package: about 28 in of legroom and 36.1 in of headroom on a thin, low-mounted cushion make it a children-only bench, and adults can only be seated by sliding the second row uncomfortably far forward. Access via the tilt-and-slide second row is easy enough, but Toyota conceded the point by launching the Grand Highlander alongside it for 2024 buyers who need real third-row space.

With the third row folded the Highlander offers 48.4 cu ft — usable but well short of the new-for-2024 Grand Highlander's 57.9 cu ft and of the larger Korean rivals. The 16.0 cu ft available with all three rows up covers a grocery run, not a family's luggage.

Maximum cargo volume of 84.3 cu ft is solidly mid-pack for a mid-size three-row SUV; both rear rows fold 60/40 to a near-flat load floor with a low lift-over height, and for 2024 every trim gets a power liftgate to reach it.

Competitive everyday storage without a headline trick. The full-width dashboard shelf with a pass-through behind the center stack is genuinely useful, and the deep center console with its rolling top, removable utility tray, wireless charging pad, large door bins and USB-C/USB-A ports fore and aft cover family duty. There is no underfloor cargo well, no fold-flat front passenger seat and nothing approaching a Pilot-style removable middle seat or a giga-console.

Front seats are well shaped and comfortable over long stints, with power adjustment and heating on the volume XLE and above, and the available second-row captain's chairs are nearly as good. The score is held out of the top band by a third row that is uncomfortable for anyone larger than a child and by cloth/Softex upholstery on volume trims that reads plain next to the Palisade and Telluride.

The Highlander rides in a composed, absorbent way that suits its family-hauler brief — body motions are well damped and broken pavement is soaked up without float at either low or highway speeds. Platinum's 20-inch wheels pick up noticeably more sharp-edged impact harshness, which keeps it below the segment's plushest offerings.

Wind and road noise are well suppressed at steady cruise, but the four-cylinder powertrains are the weak point: the 265-hp 2.4-liter turbo that replaced the V6 for 2023 sounds coarse under load and the 2.5-liter hybrid drones under hard acceleration. Reviewers also flag more highway road noise in the hybrid specifically.

Comfort equipment is strong and reaches well down the range: tri-zone automatic climate control with second- and third-row vents is standard from the base LE, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel arrive on the volume XLE, and Limited adds ventilated front seats, a heated wheel, driver's memory and a hands-free liftgate. It falls short of the top band because ventilation stays a Limited-and-up item and heated second-row seats are Platinum-only.

For 2024 Toyota dropped the entry-level L grade, so the XU70 range now opens on the LE FWD at $37,875 plus a $1,395 delivery charge — $39,270 delivered. That is mid-band for a three-row mid-size SUV but a meaningful step above the Palisade and Telluride entry points the Highlander is cross-shopped against, and losing the L trim raised the price of admission by roughly $1,400 versus 2023.

XLE is the best-selling Highlander grade, and AWD — a common pick in a three-row family SUV — adds $1,600, putting the representative 2024 car at about $44,000 delivered. That is real money for a mainstream badge, and the newly launched Grand Highlander XLE at $43,070 undercuts it while offering a genuinely usable third row, which is the central knock on the Highlander's 2024 value case.

The 2.4L T24A-FTS turbo four and 8-speed automatic need ordinary service and Toyota's defect record keeps the repair line small inside the warranty years, so the ledger lands just past the middle of the band for a heavy three-row SUV at mid-size-SUV labor rates. Sources disagree sharply because Edmunds prices dealer-retail scheduled service while CarEdge and RepairPal reflect what owners actually spend.

This is the Highlander's best ownership-cost line and the main offset to its high sticker: it holds roughly ten points more value at five years than the mid-size SUV average, on Toyota reliability equity and steady demand for three-row family crossovers. The hybrid does better still.

Standard Toyota coverage and the industry floor — the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride, the Highlander's direct rivals, both give 5 yr / 60,000 mi basic.

The gas XLE scored here gets the segment-minimum 5 yr / 60,000 mi, half the 10 yr / 100,000 mi Hyundai and Kia hand three-row buyers. Stepping to the Highlander Hybrid buys materially longer coverage on the electrified hardware, which does not apply to the representative gas trim.

ToyotaCare covers factory-scheduled service for 2 yr / 25,000 mi with 2 years of unlimited-mileage roadside assistance — genuine savings on the first several services, but a short window with no extended connected-services package and no charging credits. Mid-band: better than the no-coverage brands, well short of the multi-year programs that earn 80+.

$44,020 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (63% retained, or about $27,733) leaves about $16,287 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,900 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $22,187 in total.

The 2024 Highlander is the fifth year of the XU70 generation and both major raters put it above the class norm, but this is only the second model year of the 2.4L turbo four that replaced the V6 for 2023, and Consumer Reports' owner data for that engine already flags engine-rebuild/replacement, turbocharger and timing-chain trouble spots. Solidly above average rather than top-tier — a step below the 2025 car, whose turbo had another year of running changes behind it.

Toyota is the benchmark mass-market brand for dependability and tops Consumer Reports' brand reliability rankings ahead of Subaru and Lexus. Held just short of the top of the band because J.D. Power's three-year dependability study places Toyota outside the top five, though still comfortably better than the industry average.

The 2024 model year carries heavier recall exposure than the years either side of it, and two of the campaigns are occupant restraints rather than software. The 2021–2024 second-row seat-back recall alone covers roughly 550,000 SUVs and traces to a supplier design change Toyota was not told about, and the 2024–2025 third-row belt anchor was installed at the wrong angle. Nothing systemic to the engine, transmission or hybrid system, and the Denso fuel-pump campaign stops at the 2020 model year — but four-plus campaigns with two restraint defects is worse than typical for the segment.

The hybrid's 2.5L A25A-FXS with THS II eCVT is among the most proven high-mileage powertrains on sale, shared with Camry and RAV4. The gas volume trim's 2.4L T24A-FTS turbo four with the 8-speed automatic, however, was only in its second Highlander model year for 2024 and carries early flags — intake carbon buildup, a lighter timing chain, EGR concerns and a hesitation/surging bulletin — so it has none of the 3.5L 2GR-FKS V6's high-mileage record. Rated a notch under the 2025 car because the turbo had a year less of production maturity and CR owner data already shows engine-replacement reports.

Toyota spends where hands land — padded upper dash, door tops and center armrest — but hard plastic dominates elsewhere and gets worse toward the second and third rows, and lower trims read plainly bland. Perceived richness trails Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and Honda Pilot at comparable money, with only Limited and Platinum narrowing the gap via leather and wood trim.

Assembly is a genuine strength — a fifth year of XU70 production at Toyota's Indiana plant yields consistent panel gaps and few rattle or squeak complaints, and reviewers call the cabin solidly put together. Not higher because Toyota does not lead J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study, where infotainment friction now drives much of the score.

One of the densest service networks in the country — roughly 1,230 franchised dealers across all 50 states — so a Highlander can be serviced almost anywhere, with two years of scheduled maintenance included from new. Service satisfaction rates solidly rather than exceptionally among mass-market brands, which keeps this short of the top of the band.

Highlander's volume and long production run make parts cheap, abundant and familiar to independent shops, and measured repair cost runs well below the mid-size SUV average with fewer unscheduled shop visits than the class. The 2.4L turbo adds some complexity versus the old V6 but no unusual parts pricing.

The 2024 Highlander's volume XLE grade ships the 8.0-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia head unit; the 12.3-inch panel is a paid upgrade on XLE and XSE and standard only on Limited and Platinum. Eight inches sits at the very bottom of the mid-size SUV band for 2024, when Palisade, Telluride and Traverse standardized much larger displays.

Toyota Audio Multimedia (new to the Highlander for 2023 and carried into 2024) is quick, sharply rendered and logically organized, and the Highlander keeps a physical volume knob plus real HVAC switchgear — a genuine daily-use advantage over touch-only rivals. It loses ground for the small 8-inch panel on the volume trim, the loss of a physical Home button, and a home screen with no split-view.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard on every 2024 Highlander grade — the lineup now starts at LE after the L trim was dropped for this model year — alongside a Wi-Fi hotspot and Amazon Alexa integration. This is the top band and the vehicle's clearest tech win.

The 'Hey Toyota' Intelligent Assistant handles natural-language destination, climate and audio requests well, but it and Cloud Navigation are bundled into Drive Connect, which runs on a one-year trial and then converts to a paid subscription, with no embedded offline maps to fall back on. Volume-trim owners largely end up navigating through phone projection instead.

The six-speaker base system fitted to LE and XLE is merely adequate, and the 11-speaker JBL premium upgrade — optional on XSE, standard from Limited up — is solid but unremarkable next to the Harman and Bose systems in Palisade and Telluride. A volume-trim buyer has to move up a grade or buy a package to get branded audio at all.

The volume XLE keeps an analog gauge cluster with a 7-inch color multi-information display; the 12.3-inch full-digital cluster is an optional upgrade on XSE and standard only on Limited and Platinum. That is squarely the 'partial digital / full digital on upper trims only' band, and the cutoff sits a grade higher than on the following model year.

Toyota Audio Multimedia accepts over-the-air updates for infotainment software and map data over Wi-Fi or the embedded data connection, but the XU70 Highlander has no whole-vehicle OTA architecture that adds powertrain, chassis or driver-assist capability after delivery. Infotainment/maps-only lands in the middle band.

The Toyota app covers the core set — remote start and climate, lock/unlock, vehicle locate and status — and Digital Key phone-as-key is offered, but both Digital Key and app-based remote start ride on Remote Connect, which reverts to a paid subscription after a one-year trial. Key-fob remote start remains standard and subscription-free, which softens the hit.

Five USB ports and 12V outlets are standard and Qi wireless charging arrives with the volume XLE. The real shortfall is coverage: the ports serve only the first two rows, so a three-row family SUV in 2024 leaves third-row passengers with nothing to plug into — a gap the larger Grand Highlander launched the same year specifically to fix.

Proximity keyless entry with push-button start is standard, and for 2024 a power tailgate became standard equipment on every remaining grade (LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, Platinum) — a real year-specific gain. The hands-free kick-sensor liftgate comes with the volume XLE and Digital Key phone-as-key is available; only the subscription tie on phone-as-key keeps this out of the top band.

A backup camera with projected path is standard and Limited/Platinum add dynamic guidelines, but the Panoramic View Monitor surround camera is optional on Limited and standard only on Platinum, its resolution trails newer rivals, and no automated parking system is offered anywhere in the 2024 lineup.

The 10-inch color head-up display is confined to the range-topping Platinum grade, so no volume-trim buyer can order one at any price — the textbook 'HUD limited to top trims' band.

Everyday kid logistics are handled well: wide rear door openings, a tilt-and-slide second row that opens a path to the third row without uninstalling a child seat, an IIHS Good LATCH ease-of-use rating with two complete lower-anchor sets, and — new for 2024 — a power liftgate standard on every trim now that the base L is gone. It stays mid-band because the second row is too narrow for three car seats abreast (the eight-seat bench is confined to the LE), captain's chairs from XLE up cut a seat, and only 16.0 cu ft behind the raised third row leaves nowhere for a stroller when the car is actually full.

The safety proposition on the trims families actually buy is strong for 2024: Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ is standard on every trim, Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert became standard from the base LE once the L trim was dropped, NHTSA awards 5 stars overall, and the Highlander holds a 2024 IIHS Top Safety Pick award. It falls short of the top band because it is TSP and not TSP+ — the updated moderate overlap (rear-passenger) result and the standard headlights are Acceptable rather than Good — and because rear cross-traffic braking, the 360-degree camera and Safe Exit Assist stay locked to Limited/Platinum.

The front two rows travel well — 41.0 in of sliding second-row legroom, 39.4 in of headroom, tri-zone automatic climate with second- and third-row vents standard from the LE, second-row sunshades from XLE, and USB-C power fore and aft. It sits mid-band because the third row is a children-only bench that reviewers single out as the car's biggest liability, luggage space with seven or eight aboard is just 16.0 cu ft, and no rear-seat entertainment is offered anywhere in the 2024 lineup.

Commuting is the Highlander's home ground: the hybrid's eCVT is seamless in stop-and-go, the suspension smooths broken pavement without float, controls are light, the driving position is commanding, and TSS 2.5+ puts full-speed-range dynamic radar cruise and Lane Tracing Assist on every trim including the LE. It stops short of the top band because the 265-hp 2.4L turbo four is coarse and boomy under load, rearward sightlines are pinched with the third row raised, and 2024 predates the Proactive Driving Assist that TSS 3.0 brings a year later.

For 2024 the hybrid is still offered in front-drive form, so the cheapest commuter configuration returns 36 MPG combined (~$1,375/yr in regular unleaded at 15k miles) — near the top of anything with a third row, and better than the AWD-only hybrid Toyota switches to for 2025. Toyota consumables and service costs are class-leading and ToyotaCare covers 2 years/25,000 miles. It misses the top band because the volume gas XLE runs the 2.4T at only 24 MPG combined with AWD (~$2,060/yr), which is merely average for the class.

At about 194.9 in long the Highlander has the smallest footprint among mainstream mid-size three-rows — easier in garages and city streets than a Telluride, a Pilot or the new-for-2024 Grand Highlander parked beside it — and roughly a 37.4 ft turning circle is good for the class. It stays mid-band because thick D-pillars and shallow rear glass create a real over-the-shoulder blind zone, the Bird's Eye View 360-degree camera is confined to Limited and Platinum, and no automated parking assist is offered at any price.

Properly equipped with the 2.4L turbo the 2024 Highlander tows 5,000 lbs — enough for a small utility trailer, a pair of jet skis or a modest boat, and level with the Pilot and Explorer — but the hybrid most efficiency buyers take home drops to 3,500 lbs. It sits at the floor of the light-duty band because there is no bed, the unibody platform offers modest payload, and 265 hp is working hard anywhere near the rating.

Toyota's dependability record is the strongest in the mass market — top-tier brand reliability, cheap and universally stocked parts, and a dealer network that reaches everywhere — and the cloth and SofTex interiors on LE and XLE shrug off abuse better than the leather-lined rivals. It stays out of the fleet-proven band because this is a family unibody crossover with no commercial or work-fleet history in the role, and the T24A-FTS turbo four that replaced the 3.5L V6 for 2023 was only in its second model year in 2024 and remains comparatively unproven under sustained load.

Work-oriented provisions are thin: cargo-area tie-down hooks, roof rails from XLE up, an accessory tow hitch and an all-weather cargo mat are essentially the whole list. It lands in the low band because there is no high-output inverter of the kind the Grand Highlander offers, no factory washable or rubberized cargo surfaces (the liner is a dealer accessory), and no commercial upfit ecosystem behind the vehicle at all.

A capable mile-eater for the front two rows: generously cushioned front seats, captain's chairs nearly as good in row two, a compliant and well-controlled highway ride, roughly 600–640 miles from the hybrid's 17.9-gallon tank, and TSS 2.5+ radar cruise with Lane Tracing Assist to take the edge off a long day. It stays in the upper-middle of the band because the gas 2.4T covers only about 430 miles a tank, the hybrid is criticized specifically for highway road noise, and no hands-free highway assist is available at any price.

AWD is optional across the 2024 range — Dynamic Torque Vectoring with a rear driveline disconnect on upper gas trims, electric E-Four on the hybrid — and roof rails plus the 5,000-lb gas tow rating cover bikes, a cargo box or a small camper. It sits mid-band because 8.0 in of ground clearance, unibody construction, no low range, no skid plates, no locking differential, no genuine off-road trim (Nightshade is a cosmetic package) and no camp-grade onboard power keep it to gravel roads and trailheads rather than trails — and unlike 2025, hybrid AWD is still a paid option rather than standard.

Both rear rows fold 60/40 to a near-flat floor for 84.3 cu ft, roof rails from XLE and an accessory hitch cover bikes, boxes and a small trailer, and a power liftgate on every 2024 trim makes loading easier than before. It stays in the middle of the band because 84.3 cu ft is no better than mid-pack for a three-row, the 16.0 cu ft behind the raised third row is genuinely restrictive with the car full, and there is no underfloor cargo well and no fold-flat front passenger seat for long items.

2024 is a carry-over chassis year in the XU70 generation (TNGA-K platform) — per Wikipedia the only 2024 changes were dropping the entry L trim and standardizing the power tailgate, so no suspension or structural revision. At ~195 in long on a 112.2-in wheelbase the Highlander is the most compact mainstream three-row and is easy to place, with body roll well contained for the class, but grip on comfort-biased all-seasons is modest and it leans noticeably once the pace rises. Secure and confidence-inspiring rather than engaging — mid-band, near Pathfinder (66.9) and above Pilot (59.4), well short of CX-90 (74.5).

Reviewer opinion on the 2024 car splits between 'accurate and well-weighted' and 'slow,' which is itself the mid-band verdict: Toyota's electric rack is consistent and light enough to make parking-lot work effortless, suits the family mission, and never feels nervous, but it is heavily isolated with negligible road feedback and little off-center weight build-up. Precise enough but numb — behind the segment's better-steering entries (CX-90, Grand Cherokee), roughly level with Palisade and Telluride.

A quiet strength rather than a weakness. Stopping power is class-typical to slightly better than typical for a ~4,300–4,600 lb three-row with no fade complaints attached to this generation; the 2.4T's pedal is firm and predictable, and the hybrid's regen blending avoids the grabby initial bite that afflicts several electrified rivals. Held out of the top band only because no standout instrumented stopping distance supports it.

A split result across the two 2024 powertrains. The T24A-FTS 2.4L turbo four (265 hp / 310 lb-ft) with the Direct Shift-8AT is quick enough for the class — Edmunds timed 7.4 sec to 60 mph — but trades away the pre-2023 V6's linearity, with off-idle lag at tip-in and a transmission slow to commit to a downshift. The 2.5L hybrid's eCVT (243 hp combined) is the smoother of the two, with seamless engine start/stop and no shift shock. Averaged across the volume gas and hybrid trims this lands mid-band.

The clearest dynamic weak point of the 2024 car. The 2.4L turbo four is audibly coarser and less pleasant under load than the V6 it replaced — a criticism that has followed this engine across Toyota's lineup — and the hybrid drones under hard acceleration as the eCVT holds revs. Both are well isolated at a steady cruise with no objectionable vibration through the wheel or pedals, which keeps this out of the bottom band.

Published curb-to-curb turning diameter for the 2024 Highlander is 37.4 ft, consistent across trims and both the 18-inch (LE/XLE, P235/65R18) and 20-inch (Limited/Platinum, P235/55R20) wheel packages. That is mid-pack within the SUV band (34–42 ft) and tighter than larger three-rows such as the Pilot or Traverse, consistent with the comparatively short 112.2-in wheelbase.

One of the Highlander's genuine strengths: a tall, commanding seating position with thin front pillars and good forward sightlines, an easy step-in height for a three-row, front seats that stay comfortable on long drives, and — unlike several rivals — retained physical HVAC and volume controls alongside the touchscreen. Two documented compromises hold it just short of the top band: limited telescoping-wheel extension for tall drivers, and thick D-pillars that hurt over-the-shoulder visibility (partly offset by the available camera rearview mirror).

The Highlander is the segment's archetypal appliance and is engineered to be exactly that. It is quick enough in 2.4T form and pleasant to cover ground in, but numb steering, muted chassis responses, and a coarse engine note leave little character to enjoy. The nominally sporty XSE is a trim-and-graphics exercise with no chassis or performance hardware distinguishing it, and enthusiasts do not recommend the Highlander on dynamics.

2024 deleted the stripped L trim and made a power liftgate standard across the line, so the $39,270 LE now covers a three-row family shopper's essentials — eight-passenger seating, Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+, tri-zone automatic climate, LED headlights, 18-inch alloys and wireless CarPlay/Android Auto — but Toyota still reserves the 12.3-inch touchscreen, JBL audio and panoramic monitor for Limited and Platinum, so matching a base Telluride or Palisade on screen and audio content costs a trim step.

Fair-to-good rather than a bargain, and notably better on the hybrid than the years that followed: 2024 still sold a Hybrid LE at $40,970, only $1,700 above the gas LE and roughly $5,000 under the cheapest 2025 hybrid, which makes the ~36 mpg powertrain genuinely accessible. Against that, the Highlander concedes the segment's tightest third row and just 16.0 cu ft behind it to Telluride, Palisade, Pilot and Toyota's own Grand Highlander, so the money buys reliability and economy more than space.

A wide, well-spaced ladder in 2024 — LE, XLE, XSE, Limited and Platinum on the 2.4L turbo with FWD or AWD, plus Hybrid LE, Hybrid XLE, Hybrid Limited and Hybrid Platinum with Nightshade appearance packages on the lower hybrid grades — so a buyer can enter the hybrid cheaply or step to a loaded gas Platinum. The only real gap is at the bottom, where the discontinued L trim removed the sub-$38K entry point.

Still a big seller in absolute terms — 89,658 US deliveries would place it comfortably mid-pack in the class — but the trajectory is the story: volume nearly halved from 2023 as the new Grand Highlander took buyers out of the same showroom, so the nameplate itself is in sharp decline even though the Highlander family remains near the top of the segment.

About as strong as mainstream brand equity gets — the Highlander is one of the nameplates Toyota's reliability-and-resale halo was built on, and for three-row family shoppers the badge is a genuine purchase driver even where the product loses on paper to Telluride or Palisade.

Scored on buyer benefit: Toyota remained disciplined in 2024 — published support was essentially subvented APR on selected grades plus stackable military and college rebates, with no large cash-back program — though the nameplate's collapsing volume left more Highlanders sitting on lots than in the 2021–22 seller's market, so negotiating room was better than the badge historically allowed.

Mid-to-late cycle: 2024 is the fifth model year of the XU70 generation that launched for 2020, but it sits just one year after the substantial MY2023 update that swapped the 3.5L V6 for the T24A-FTS 2.4L turbo and fitted the Toyota Audio Multimedia interior, so the hardware buyers touch was current. What dents it is internal — the brand-new 2024 Grand Highlander outclasses it on packaging in the same showroom.

Textbook 'well-reviewed, rarely the pick of the class' — reviewers credit the quiet ride, hybrid economy and standard driver aids, then dock the tight third row and small cargo hold, and US News explicitly calls it a competent SUV that doesn't stand out in a packed class. The 2024 car does earn one honor its successor lost: IIHS named it a Top Safety Pick, a test the new Grand Highlander failed.