For years, the Toyota Highlander, while popular, felt a tad undersized compared to its three-row SUV competitors. Toyota has finally addressed this with the all-new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, a larger sibling designed for those needing extra space. In this in-depth comparison, we pit the Grand Highlander against a strong rival, the 2024 Honda Pilot, to determine which SUV emerges as the superior choice. We’ll analyze these two contenders across eight crucial categories to crown an overall winner and help you decide which best suits your needs.
Pricing and Features: Value Proposition Face-Off
While the standard Toyota Highlander already leans towards the pricier side of the three-row SUV segment, the Grand Highlander elevates this further with a starting MSRP of $43,070. This is a notable jump compared to the Honda Pilot, which begins at a more accessible $37,090.
This price difference is partly explained by Toyota positioning the Grand Highlander’s base model as the mid-range XLE trim, loaded with features like heated leatherette front seats, a power liftgate, rear sunshades, push-button start, and blind-spot monitoring. This configuration aligns closely with the Pilot EX-L, priced at $42,400. However, even when comparably equipped, the Honda Pilot remains more affordable and offers the option to opt for lower trims for budget-conscious buyers.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Exterior Design: Boxy vs. Bold Aesthetics
Despite sharing the “Highlander” name, the 2024 Grand Highlander diverges significantly in design from its standard-size counterpart. It adopts a more boxy silhouette, reminiscent of the smaller Toyota RAV4, favoring crisp, straight lines for a more traditional SUV appearance compared to the sleeker Highlander. While some might desire more elaborate design elements or find the high, narrow headlights and prominent dual grille less appealing, its robust stance is undeniable.
The Honda Pilot, completely redesigned for 2023, also embraces a more upright SUV aesthetic, featuring a vertical front end and a boxy roofline. Our Trailsport test model further accentuated its SUV credentials with off-road-focused styling cues. Honda injects more visual dynamism into the Pilot with sharply angled windows, pronounced fenders and bumpers, and unique Trailsport design elements. However, beyond its striking front fascia, the Pilot exhibits a rounder overall shape compared to the Grand Highlander’s more angular design. Exterior styling is subjective, making this category a tie based on personal preference.
Winner: Tie
Interior Design: Minimalism vs. Tech-Forward Cockpits
Stepping inside, the Honda Pilot showcases Honda’s contemporary minimalist dashboard design. It features a clean horizontal layout with a centrally positioned infotainment touchscreen, streamlined climate vents, and user-friendly physical climate controls. While the vents aren’t integrated into a hidden honeycomb strip as seen in some Hondas, the design is upscale yet understated, conveying a more solid build quality than the Grand Highlander. The controls are intuitive and easy to operate. However, our test Pilot featured a modest 9-inch infotainment screen, with base models sporting an even smaller 7-inch display.
In contrast, the Grand Highlander’s dashboard is designed around a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen across all trim levels. Toyota also incorporates straightforward physical controls and, particularly in our top-tier Platinum test vehicle, luxurious upholstery on the seats and dashboard. While we found Honda’s infotainment system more user-friendly than Toyota’s – the Grand Highlander’s larger screen doesn’t fully translate to improved information presentation, often requiring menu navigation – tech enthusiasts might find the base Pilot’s smaller screen unacceptable. Considering these contrasting strengths, we’ll call this category a tie overall.
Winner: Tie
Passenger Accommodations: Space and Versatility for Families
Both the Pilot and Grand Highlander offer seating for up to eight passengers across three rows (or seven with optional second-row captain’s chairs). However, Honda takes the lead in overall passenger space and adaptability.
While both SUVs can accommodate adults in the third row, the Pilot provides easier access and slightly more legroom in the rearmost seats. Furthermore, top Pilot trims offer a clever removable center seat in the second row, allowing for configuration as either captain’s chairs or a bench seat for an eighth passenger. While the Grand Highlander offers premium amenities like ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, and a heated steering wheel at a lower price point than the Pilot – and uniquely provides ventilated second-row seats – the Pilot’s superior passenger space and flexibility are more valuable assets for a large family vehicle.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Cargo Accommodations: Hauling Capabilities Compared
As expected from three-row crossover SUVs, both the 2024 Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander boast generous cargo capacity. The Pilot provides 18.6 cubic feet of space 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 down.
However, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander surpasses the Pilot in cargo volume: 20.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and a cavernous 97.5 cubic feet with both rear rows folded. The Grand Highlander’s cargo area is also boxier and more regularly shaped, maximizing usable space. While we found the Toyota’s second-row folding mechanism somewhat cumbersome, the expansive cargo hold is a significant advantage. Both SUVs offer a towing capacity of up to 5,000 pounds.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
Ride and Handling: On-Road Dynamics and Comfort
In terms of ride and handling, both the Pilot and Grand Highlander meet the expectations of a large three-row crossover SUV. Both prioritize a smooth and comfortable ride, and both are easy to maneuver, though not particularly sporty. However, we give the Honda Pilot a slight edge in this category.
While the previous-generation Pilot felt somewhat detached from the road, the latest model exhibits improved steering feel, body control, and braking responsiveness. It inspires greater driver confidence without compromising ride comfort. Furthermore, Honda enhanced the Pilot’s off-road capabilities with the Trailsport trim. The Grand Highlander offers similar attributes (albeit with less off-road emphasis) but doesn’t feel quite as dynamically cohesive as the Pilot. The Honda feels more like a refined large car, while the Toyota leans slightly towards feeling like a large box in comparison. While this is a subtle nuance, the Pilot edged out the Grand Highlander from the driver’s seat.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Acceleration: Powertrain Options and Performance
As many crossovers shift towards turbocharged four-cylinder engines, hybrid powertrains, or full electrification, the Honda Pilot stands out with its naturally aspirated 3.5-liter 285-horsepower V6 engine. Uniquely, this is a newly engineered engine at a time when many automakers are reducing gasoline powertrain development. This V6 provides the Pilot with a richer, more sonorous engine note compared to four-cylinder rivals, including the Grand Highlander.
Toyota employs a trio of four-cylinder-based powertrain options for the Grand Highlander: a 265-hp 2.4-liter turbo (replacing the standard Highlander’s V6), a 243-hp hybrid powertrain (shared with the standard Highlander), and a potent 362-hp Hybrid Max system (borrowed from Lexus RX models). The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max offers more power than the Pilot, but it comes at a significantly higher price; the base Hybrid Max Limited model, priced at $54,060, is already more expensive than the top-spec Pilot Elite. In the core model range, the Pilot’s V6 is smoother, quieter, and quicker than the Grand Highlander’s more affordable engine options. While the Toyotas are not slow, the Honda delivers performance with less perceived effort.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Fuel Efficiency: Hybrid Advantage for Toyota
A V6 engine isn’t typically associated with optimal fuel economy, and predictably, the Grand Highlander takes a clear lead in this category, especially in its hybrid configurations.
EPA estimates for front-wheel-drive Pilots are 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined, with most all-wheel-drive models seeing a slight 1 mpg reduction. The AWD-only TrailSport, like our test vehicle, achieves 18 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined, and we averaged 22 mpg during our week-long test. These figures are typical for a three-row crossover. The Grand Highlander’s base turbo engine achieves an impressive 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined with front-wheel drive, and 1-2 mpg less with AWD (depending on trim). The front-drive hybrid variant excels with 37 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 36 mpg combined, with AWD reducing these figures by approximately 2 mpg. The AWD-only 362-hp Hybrid Max manages 26 mpg city and 27 mpg highway, and our test vehicle even surpassed these figures, averaging 28 mpg.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
Fuel efficiency comparison chart for the 2024 Honda Pilot and Toyota Grand Highlander, visually highlighting the Grand Highlander's superior fuel economy, especially in hybrid models.
Final Verdict: Grand Highlander Takes the Crown
The latest Honda Pilot is undeniably appealing. We appreciate its refined, sonorous V6 engine, its comfortable yet reasonably agile handling, its well-finished and ergonomically sound interior, and its comfortable, adaptable passenger space. Furthermore, it offers these advantages at a lower price point than the Grand Highlander.
However, our overall pick is the Toyota Grand Highlander. We believe many families will willingly invest a bit more and sacrifice some driving dynamism for significantly increased cargo capacity and substantial fuel savings, especially with the hybrid options. While we wish the Grand Highlander’s seats folded more seamlessly, and we hope Honda addresses the small base infotainment screen in the Pilot, the Toyota’s dominance in crucial areas like cargo space and fuel efficiency secures its victory in this comparison.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
