2023 Subaru Outback vs 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2023 Subaru Outback underwent a significant facelift, featuring a new front end with redesigned LED headlights, a restyled grille, and a revised bumper with dark grey vertical cladding. This design gave the Outback an aggressive appearance, further enhanced by a jutting simulated skid plate, fog lights in oversized housings, and asymmetrical wheel arch trim reminiscent of the Wilderness model. While these changes aimed to make the Outback more appealing, opinions varied. Some found that selecting a dark paint colour could help tone down the design's excesses, while others preferred the Outback Onyx Edition, which featured black wheels and trim that complemented the bold cladding. The Onyx Edition was one of seven trim levels available in Canada, with prices ranging from $32,695 to $46,395, excluding destination charges.

Inside, the Outback Limited trim impressed with its upscale interior, featuring premium Nappa leather upholstery and a cohesive design with light grey contrast stitching. Despite the use of hard plastic in some areas, the interior maintained a quality feel. The flat and textured door sills served as practical steps for accessing the roof rack. However, the large infotainment screen and gloss black trim on the centre console were prone to collecting dust and smudges. Overall, the Outback Limited's cabin offered a comfortable and stylish environment, with the only notable drawback being the tendency of the infotainment system to accumulate fingerprints.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, built on the TNGA-K platform, was a true crossover, sharing its underpinnings with the regular Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, and Camry. It was not a body-on-frame vehicle, which limited its towing capacity to 2,268 kilograms. The Grand Highlander was notably larger than its competitors, measuring 5,115 millimetres in length with a 2,950 mm wheelbase. This size translated into a spacious interior, offering ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in all three rows. The Grand Highlander's design drew inspiration from rugged vehicles, featuring a blockier appearance compared to the smaller Highlander. Its trapezoidal grille and narrow headlights bore a resemblance to the Toyota 4Runner.

Toyota offered the Grand Highlander in three trims: XLE, Limited, and Platinum. The interior featured black Softex synthetic leather on the XLE trim, with real leather available on the Limited and Platinum trims. The Platinum Hybrid trim could be equipped with Portobello upholstery. Standard features included a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. The Grand Highlander excelled as a comfortable road-trip vehicle, with quality materials and seamless fit and finish. It provided a spacious and well-built interior, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a comfortable and reliable family SUV.

The 2023 Subaru Outback featured horizontally opposed engines, known for their flat design, which contributed to a lower centre of gravity and improved handling. The standard engine produced 182 horsepower and 176 lb-ft of torque, but it struggled with passing and climbing power. The continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) made the most of the engine's power at lower speeds, but the Outback's performance left something to be desired. The turbocharged XT models offered a more satisfying experience, with a 2.4-litre flat-four engine delivering 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. However, the XT models were less fuel-efficient, with ratings ranging from 9.5 to 10.1 L/100 km combined.

The Outback's Active Torque Split AWD system provided excellent traction, and the X-Mode traction system optimized performance on challenging terrain. With 22 centimetres of ground clearance, the Outback handled off-road conditions with ease. In urban settings, its visibility and compact size made parking and navigating tight spaces a breeze. However, the standard engine's lack of power was evident on highways, requiring a heavy foot for passing. The Outback's suspension tuning offered a comfortable ride, and its handling was commendable, though it wasn't a sports station wagon.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options, starting with a 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder producing 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. A 2.5-litre hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. The top-tier Hybrid Max powertrain generated 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. All powertrains came with AWD in Canada. While not a sports car, the Hybrid Max provided impressive acceleration, with a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.3 seconds.

The Grand Highlander's size made it less maneuverable than the smaller Highlander, and its steering feel was somewhat numb. However, its brakes were solid, and acceleration was adequate. Toyota offered three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—on all models, with additional off-road modes on gas-only and Hybrid Max models. The Grand Highlander excelled in providing a comfortable and well-rounded driving experience, making it a strong contender in its class.

The 2023 Subaru Outback prioritized utility with features like a purposeful roof rack, flat door sill trim, and a dashboard storage shelf. The Limited trim offered a comfortable interior with a 12-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, and premium Nappa leather upholstery. The Outback's spacious cabin accommodated passengers comfortably, with ample legroom and storage space. The cargo area provided 923 litres of space behind the rear seats and 2,141 litres with the seats folded down. The Outback's design made it easy to enter and exit, and its roof rails were robust for carrying additional cargo.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander boasted a larger size than its competitors, with a length of over 5 metres and a 2,950 mm wheelbase. This translated to a spacious interior with 2,761 litres of total cargo capacity. Even with all three rows in use, it offered 583 litres of cargo space. The Grand Highlander's interior was comfortable, with ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in every row. It provided a practical alternative to minivans, offering a spacious and comfortable environment for passengers.

The 2023 Subaru Outback featured a Starlink 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system on all trims except the Base. It offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, along with subscription-based Starlink connected services. The system's usability had improved, but the graphics and voice recognition system were less impressive. Additional technologies included a camera-based digital rearview mirror and a 180-degree front-view camera. However, a surround-view camera was not available.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander came equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It offered an intelligent assistant, cloud-based navigation, and 24/7 live agent assistance through a connected-services subscription. Standard features included dual-device Bluetooth connectivity and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Grand Highlander Limited and Platinum trims featured an 11-speaker JBL stereo. Toyota's tech offering had improved significantly, providing a modern and user-friendly experience.

The 2023 Subaru Outback prioritized safety with new EyeSight cameras and an electronic brake booster. It earned top marks from the IIHS, including in the new side-impact crash test. EyeSight included adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and more. The Outback Premier XT added a Wide-Angle Mono Camera for better pedestrian and cyclist detection. However, the adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist systems had room for improvement in terms of natural operation.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander had not yet been crash-tested, but it came with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 as standard. This suite included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert, lane-tracing assist, and more. The updated lane-departure alert could identify three-dimensional objects, reducing false warnings. Traffic jam assist and a head-up display were exclusive to the Platinum grade. The Grand Highlander offered a comprehensive set of safety features, enhancing driver confidence.