Toyota Land Cruiser vs Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a standout in Toyota's lineup of crossovers and SUVs, offering a larger and more spacious alternative to its smaller sibling, the Highlander. Built on the TNGA-K platform, it shared its underpinnings with models like the RAV4 and Toyota Sienna, distinguishing itself from the body-on-frame Sequoia. With a length of 201.4 inches and a wheelbase of 116.1 inches, the Grand Highlander provided ample interior space, making it a comfortable choice for road trips. Its design, while conservative, drew inspiration from rugged vehicles, featuring a blockier style akin to the Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride. The Grand Highlander was available in three trims—XLE, Limited, and Platinum—each offering varying levels of luxury and comfort, with the top-tier Platinum trim featuring real leather upholstery and advanced seating adjustments.

In contrast, the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser embraced a more traditional SUV design, emphasizing off-road capabilities and a utilitarian aesthetic. Offered in two trims, the base 1958 model paid homage to its heritage with retro styling, while the more upscale Land Cruiser trim added modern features and off-roading enhancements. The Land Cruiser's interior, especially with the Premium Package, boasted real leather, a sunroof, and advanced technology, including dual 12.3-inch digital displays. Despite its rugged exterior, the Land Cruiser's interior was designed for comfort, though the second-row seats lacked support. The vehicle's high load floor and limited cargo space were notable drawbacks, but its off-road prowess and robust build made it a compelling choice for adventure enthusiasts.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options, starting with a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. For those prioritizing fuel efficiency, a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. The top-tier Hybrid Max powertrain combined a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine with hybrid technology, generating 362 combined net horsepower and 400 combined net lb-ft of torque. While the Grand Highlander wasn't designed for sports car performance, the Hybrid Max provided impressive acceleration, achieving a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. The vehicle's size made it less maneuverable than its smaller counterpart, the Highlander, but its brakes were solid, and acceleration was adequate. The Grand Highlander featured three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—with additional off-road modes for AWD-equipped models.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, on the other hand, was equipped with Toyota's i-Force Max hybrid system, pairing a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission. This setup produced 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, transferred through a full-time 4WD system with electronic locking differentials. The Land Cruiser's towing capacity was 6,000 pounds, and it featured standard off-roading aids like Downhill Assist Control and Crawl Control. Despite its impressive power, the Land Cruiser's real-world fuel efficiency fell short of expectations, achieving only 15.7 mpg during testing. While it excelled in off-road conditions, its handling on twisty roads was less than stellar, with noticeable body roll and suspension tuning that favored comfort over agility.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was notably larger than its competitors, measuring 201.4 inches in length with a 116.1-inch wheelbase. This extra length translated to generous cargo space, with a total capacity of 97.5 cubic feet. Even with all seats in place, the Grand Highlander offered 20.6 cubic feet of storage, making it a practical choice for families. The interior was spacious and comfortable, with ample headroom and legroom in all three rows, accommodating even tall adults in the third row.

In comparison, the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser offered a more utilitarian interior, with the base 1958 model featuring cloth seats and the upgraded Land Cruiser trim providing SofTex artificial leather. The Premium Package added real leather and a sunroof, enhancing comfort for front-seat passengers. However, the second-row seats lacked support, and the high load floor made loading heavy items challenging. The Land Cruiser's cargo space measured 46.2 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 82.1 cubic feet with them folded, providing a practical, cube-shaped area for storage.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander came standard with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering a visually appealing and user-friendly interface. While the system required a subscription for features like the intelligent assistant and cloud-based navigation, it included standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-device Bluetooth connectivity, and an 11-speaker JBL stereo on higher trims. Streaming audio integration and a Wi-Fi Connect package were available for additional connectivity options.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, particularly with the Premium Package, featured dual 12.3-inch displays, enhancing its technological appeal. The Toyota Audio Multimedia system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and access to Apple Music and Amazon Music accounts. Five connected service plans were available, with Drive Connect offering cloud-based navigation and a digital assistant. The Premium Package also added a 14-speaker JBL sound system, a wireless smartphone charger, and digital key technology.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0), a comprehensive suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Standard features included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise control with four following-distance settings was also standard, enhancing safety on the road.

Similarly, the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser featured TSS 3.0, offering a range of safety technologies designed to prevent accidents. The suite included forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and lane-centering assist. Additional safety features included a road sign reader, automatic high-beam headlights, and Predictive Driving Assist. The Land Cruiser also offered front cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, and Traffic Jam Assist as part of the Premium Package. The NHTSA rated the Land Cruiser with four stars overall, highlighting its safety credentials.