For years, the Toyota Highlander has been a popular choice in the three-row SUV segment, but it always felt a bit smaller than its rivals. Enter the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, designed to bridge that size gap and offer a more spacious option for families. In this head-to-head comparison, we pit the all-new Grand Highlander against another segment leader, the 2024 Honda Pilot, to see which SUV comes out on top. We’ll delve into eight key categories, from pricing and features to performance and fuel economy, to help you determine which of these family haulers best fits your needs.
Pricing and Features: Value for Money?
The Toyota Grand Highlander enters the market with a starting MSRP of $43,070. This positions it at a higher price point compared to the Honda Pilot, which begins at a more accessible $37,090. However, it’s crucial to note that the Grand Highlander’s base trim is the XLE, a mid-grade model loaded with features. Standard equipment on the Grand Highlander XLE includes heated leatherette front seats, a power liftgate, rear sunshades, push-button start, and blind-spot monitoring. To get comparable features in the Pilot, you’d look at the EX-L trim, priced at $42,400. While the Pilot EX-L still comes in slightly cheaper, the Grand Highlander offers a strong set of standard features for its starting price. The Pilot, however, provides more flexibility for budget-conscious buyers who might want to opt for a more basic trim level.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Exterior Design: Boxy vs. Bold
The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, despite sharing the “Highlander” name, adopts a distinct design language. It veers away from the standard Highlander’s sleeker lines and embraces a more boxy silhouette, reminiscent of the Toyota RAV4. The Grand Highlander’s crisp lines and upright stance give it a traditional SUV appearance, which may appeal to buyers seeking a more rugged aesthetic. Some might find the design a bit understated, with its high, slim headlights and large grille, while others will appreciate its clean and modern look.
The Honda Pilot underwent a full redesign the previous year, also transitioning to a more upright, SUV-like design. It features a vertical front end and a boxy roofline, particularly emphasized in the off-road-oriented Trailsport trim we tested. Honda adds more visual flair to the Pilot with sharply angled windows, pronounced fenders and bumpers, and unique Trailsport design elements. While also boxy, the Pilot incorporates more curves and sculpting compared to the Grand Highlander’s straighter lines. Exterior design is subjective, and the winner in this category ultimately depends on personal preference.
Winner: Tie
Interior Design and Technology: Minimalist vs. Feature-Rich
Inside, the Honda Pilot showcases Honda’s new minimalist dashboard design. The layout is clean and straightforward, featuring a horizontal bar with a centrally mounted infotainment touchscreen, followed by climate vents and physical climate controls. The Pilot’s interior feels upscale and well-built, with user-friendly controls. However, our test Pilot featured a 9-inch infotainment screen, and base models come with an even smaller 7-inch screen.
In contrast, the Toyota Grand Highlander boasts a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen across all trim levels. The dashboard design is centered around this large screen, complemented by physical controls and, especially in higher trims like our Platinum tester, premium materials on the seats and dashboard. While the Grand Highlander offers a larger screen, Toyota’s infotainment system can be less intuitive than Honda’s. Navigating menus can feel cumbersome, whereas Honda’s system presents more information at a glance and offers superior navigation. Tech enthusiasts might find the base Pilot’s small screen disappointing, but overall, both SUVs offer well-designed interiors.
Winner: Tie
Passenger Space and Comfort: Room for Everyone?
Both the Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander are designed to accommodate up to eight passengers across three rows, or seven with optional second-row captain’s chairs. However, the Honda Pilot takes the lead when it comes to overall passenger space and versatility.
While both SUVs can technically fit adults in the third row, the Pilot offers easier access to the rear seats and slightly more legroom in the third row. Furthermore, top Pilot trims offer a unique removable center seat in the second row. This innovative feature allows owners to switch between captain’s chairs for easier access to the third row and a bench seat for maximum passenger capacity. The Grand Highlander counters with available high-end features like ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, and a heated steering wheel at a lower price point than the Pilot. Notably, ventilated second-row seats are exclusively available on the Grand Highlander in this comparison. Despite these amenities, the Pilot’s superior passenger space and flexibility make it the winner in this category for families prioritizing passenger comfort.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Cargo Capacity: Hauling Gear and Groceries
As expected in three-row crossover SUVs, both the 2024 Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander provide ample cargo space. The Pilot offers 18.6 cubic feet of cargo room behind the third row, 48.5 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a maximum of 87.0 cubic feet with both rear rows folded down.
However, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander surpasses the Pilot in cargo volume. It boasts 20.6 cubic feet behind the third row, a significantly larger 57.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and a cavernous 97.5 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded. The Grand Highlander’s cargo area is also praised for its boxy and regular shape, maximizing usable space. While we found the Grand Highlander’s second-row folding mechanism slightly cumbersome, the sheer size of the cargo hold is a major advantage. Both SUVs offer a towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds, making them capable for light-duty towing needs.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
Ride and Handling: Comfort vs. Confidence
In terms of ride and handling, both the Pilot and Grand Highlander deliver the smooth, comfortable driving experience expected of large three-row crossovers. Both SUVs prioritize comfort over sporty handling and are easy to maneuver, though not particularly agile. However, the Honda Pilot edges out the Grand Highlander in overall driving dynamics.
The latest generation Pilot feels more connected to the road than its predecessor, with improved steering, body control, and braking. It inspires more driver confidence without compromising ride comfort. The addition of the Trailsport trim further enhances the Pilot’s off-road capability, albeit modestly. The Grand Highlander offers a similarly comfortable ride but doesn’t feel quite as refined or cohesive as the Pilot. The Pilot feels more like a well-sorted large car, while the Grand Highlander can feel a bit more like a large vehicle. While this difference may be subtle for some drivers, the Pilot offers a slightly more engaging and confident driving experience.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Acceleration and Powertrain: V6 vs. Turbocharged 4-Cylinder
While many crossovers are transitioning to turbocharged four-cylinder engines, hybrids, or EVs, the Honda Pilot retains a traditional 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 engine producing 285 horsepower. Remarkably, this is a newly engineered engine, offering a richer and deeper engine note compared to many four-cylinder competitors, including the Grand Highlander.
Toyota offers a range of four-cylinder-based powertrains for the Grand Highlander. These include a 265-hp 2.4-liter turbo-four (replacing the previous Highlander’s V6), a 243-hp hybrid powertrain (shared with the standard Highlander), and a more powerful 362-hp Hybrid Max powertrain borrowed from Lexus RX models. While the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max offers more power than the Pilot, it comes at a significantly higher price. In the core model range, the Pilot’s V6 engine is smoother, quieter, and feels quicker than the Grand Highlander’s more affordable engine options. While the Toyotas are not slow, the Honda delivers effortless power with less engine noise.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Engine bay of the Honda Pilot showcasing its 3.5-liter V6 engine
Fuel Efficiency: Hybrid Advantage
Fuel economy is where the Toyota Grand Highlander clearly distinguishes itself, particularly with its hybrid powertrains. The Pilot, with its V6 engine, lags behind in fuel efficiency.
Front-wheel-drive Honda Pilots achieve EPA ratings of 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined. All-wheel-drive models see a slight decrease, and the TrailSport trim drops further to 18 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. In our testing, we averaged 22 mpg in the Pilot TrailSport, which is typical for the segment. The Grand Highlander’s base turbo engine fares significantly better, rated at 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined for front-wheel drive, with a minor reduction for AWD. The front-wheel-drive Grand Highlander Hybrid achieves an impressive 37 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 36 mpg combined, with AWD versions slightly lower. Even the powerful 362-hp Hybrid Max manages 26 mpg city and 27 mpg highway, and we even exceeded those figures, averaging 28 mpg in our test vehicle. For fuel-conscious buyers, the Grand Highlander, especially in hybrid form, is the clear winner.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
Final Verdict: Choosing the Right 3-Row SUV
The Honda Pilot impresses with its enjoyable driving dynamics, refined V6 engine, comfortable and versatile interior, and user-friendly technology. It also often comes in at a lower price point, offering value for money.
However, our overall pick is the Toyota Grand Highlander. For many families, the Grand Highlander’s significantly larger cargo area and superior fuel economy, particularly in hybrid configurations, outweigh the Pilot’s advantages. While we noted the slightly cumbersome second-row seat folding and the desire for larger screens in base Pilots, the Grand Highlander excels in crucial areas for family SUVs. Ultimately, while the Honda Pilot offers a polished and cleverly designed package, the Toyota Grand Highlander’s strengths in practicality and efficiency make it the winner in this comparison for many buyers.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
