2026 Toyota Grand Highlander: Take the High Road and Go!

The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander is indeed a Hugh Jass vehicle – and it is considered to be just a midsized gentleman!

(This review will focus on the Grand Highlander and not the regular ole Highlander, a smaller ‘less grand’ but still very capable midsize SUV that has less interior room but more maneuverability and starts about $4,000 US less than the Grand Highlander.)

The Grand Highlander has a nice, easy, comfortable ride that truly makes you feel like you are in a luxury suite with all the velvet furniture and soft cushions while that easy-listening relaxation music plays just above your head. 

At the same time, it is quite practical, yielding a maximum of almost 98 cubic feet of cargo space or a third row of seats that can hold your pre-teen children or midsized dogs rather comfortably. Cleanup is easy but do try to get your passengers to pitch in occasionally.

This ‘Gigantor’ (think Anime) of a vehicle measures almost 195 feet length, 76 feet in width and just a smidge over 68 inches in height. Parking at the Bear Rodeo will be fine but you will need to be very careful when small cars, small children and small creatures of unknown origin are around. 

Prices start at around $42K US for the base LE trim. Standard features include a 2.4-liter turbo, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, 20-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, a power liftgate, 3-zone automatic climate control, 8-way power driver’s seat and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which includes pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-tracing assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, and front / rear parking assist with automatic braking.  To name a few.

You can get this year’s Grand Highlander as either a hybrid or a petrol-only vehicle – or as a Hybrid MAX, which is what I tested. 

Specifically, I was able to test the top-tier Platinum Hybrid MAX, and WOW this Highland man had it all under the kilt: in addition to all the standard features on the LE, you will also get a panoramic roof, leather-trimmed heated / ventilated front seats, 20-inch two-tone wheels and All-Wheel Drive. 

The Hybrid MAX starts at around $60K US. So there ya go. 

Memorial Day in the United States is less than two weeks away.  Do you know what you will be doing with all that time off?

Most men’s bars have beer busts with BBQs and other fun events. Go out and have some fun with the boys, even if you don’t know anyone. Don’t be afraid to take a risk and expose who you truly are – but be sure to wear sunscreen.

And please don’t drink and drive.  Many cities have some kind of program where they offer free rides on holidays, and if not, rideshares like Lyft and Uber are not that expensive when compared to the cost of getting pinched by the Po-Po (Southern U.S. slang for the police).

As always, have fun but protect yourself.  We need you to be around for the Fourth of July. And for all the fireworks later this year.

And for whatever may happen in two years in 2028.