For years, the Toyota Highlander has been a popular choice in the three-row crossover SUV segment, but it always felt a bit smaller compared to its rivals. Toyota has finally addressed this with the all-new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, designed for those needing extra space in a family SUV. To see if Toyota’s new offering is a segment leader, we’ve put it head-to-head against a strong competitor: the 2024 Honda Pilot. We’ll compare these two SUVs across eight key categories to determine an overall winner and help you decide which is the better fit for your needs.
Pricing and Features
The Toyota Grand Highlander enters the market with a starting MSRP of $43,070, positioning it at the higher end of the three-row crossover segment. In contrast, the Honda Pilot offers a more accessible entry point with a base price of $37,090.
This price difference is partly explained by the Grand Highlander’s base trim being the well-equipped XLE, which includes features like heated leatherette front seats, a power liftgate, rear sunshades, push-button start, and blind-spot monitoring. This trim level aligns more closely with the Honda Pilot EX-L, priced at $42,400. Even when comparing similarly equipped models, the Honda Pilot remains more affordable and gives buyers the option to choose lower trims for greater savings.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Exterior Design
Despite sharing the “Highlander” name, the Grand Highlander distinguishes itself from the standard Highlander with a more boxy and traditional SUV design, reminiscent of the Toyota RAV4. Its crisp lines and upright stance give it a handsome and rugged appearance, contrasting with the sleeker profile of the standard Highlander. While some may desire more flamboyant styling, the Grand Highlander’s design appeals to those seeking a classic SUV aesthetic.
The Honda Pilot, fully redesigned in the previous year, also embraced a more upright SUV look with a vertical front end and boxy roofline. The Trailsport trim we tested further emphasized its SUV credentials. Honda adds some visual flair to the Pilot with angled windows, prominent fenders and bumpers, and unique Trailsport design elements. However, the Pilot maintains a slightly more rounded overall shape compared to the more angular Grand Highlander. Exterior design preference ultimately comes down to personal taste.
Winner: Tie
Interior Design
Inside, the Honda Pilot showcases Honda’s new minimalist dashboard design, characterized by a clean horizontal layout. It features a straightforward design with an infotainment touchscreen positioned above climate vents and physical climate controls. The interior exudes a sense of understated luxury and feels robustly constructed, arguably more so than the Grand Highlander. The controls are intuitively placed and easy to operate. However, our test Pilot featured a 9-inch infotainment screen, while base models come with an even smaller 7-inch screen.
The Grand Highlander’s dashboard is centered around a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen across all trim levels. Toyota also incorporates user-friendly physical controls and, particularly in the top-tier Platinum trim we tested, luxurious upholstery on the seats and dashboard. While we found Honda’s infotainment system more user-friendly due to Toyota’s menu-heavy interface, the Grand Highlander’s larger standard screen is a significant advantage. Technologically inclined buyers might find the base Pilot’s smaller screen a drawback. Therefore, we consider this category another tie.
Winner: Tie
Passenger Accommodations
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, the Honda Pilot excels in overall passenger space and versatility.
While both SUVs can accommodate adults in the third row, the Pilot provides easier access and slightly more legroom in the rearmost seats. Furthermore, higher Pilot trims offer a unique removable center seat in the second row, allowing for configuration as either captain’s chairs or a bench seat to accommodate an eighth passenger. The Grand Highlander offers premium features like ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, and a heated steering wheel at a lower price point than the Pilot, and uniquely offers ventilated second-row seats. However, for a family-oriented vehicle, the Pilot’s passenger space and flexibility are particularly valuable.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Cargo Accommodations
As expected in a three-row crossover SUV, the 2024 Honda Pilot provides generous cargo space, measuring 18.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 48.5 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 87.0 cubic feet with both rear rows folded down.
However, the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander surpasses the Pilot in cargo capacity, offering 20.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.9 cubic feet behind the second row, and a class-leading 97.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The Grand Highlander’s cargo area is also boxy and regularly shaped, maximizing usability. While we found the Toyota’s second-row folding mechanism slightly 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
In terms of ride and handling, both the Pilot and Grand Highlander perform as expected for large three-row crossover SUVs. Both deliver comfortable and smooth rides and are easy to maneuver, though not particularly sporty. However, we give the edge to the Honda Pilot in this category.
The new generation Pilot feels more connected to the road with improved steering, body control, and braking compared to its predecessor. It inspires greater driving confidence without compromising ride comfort. The addition of the Trailsport trim further enhances its off-road capability. While the Grand Highlander offers similar comfort and ease of driving, it lacks the same cohesive feel as the Pilot. The Honda feels more like a refined large car, whereas the Toyota feels more like driving a large box. This subtle difference in driving feel led us to favor the Pilot.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Acceleration
While many crossovers are moving towards turbocharged four-cylinder engines, hybrid powertrains, or full electrification, the Pilot retains a traditional 3.5-liter naturally aspirated 285-horsepower V6 engine. Remarkably, this is a newly engineered engine, offering a richer and more satisfying engine note compared to four-cylinder rivals, including the Grand Highlander.
Toyota offers three four-cylinder-based powertrain options for the Grand Highlander: a 265-hp 2.4-liter turbo, a 243-hp hybrid powertrain, and a 362-hp Hybrid Max (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 quicker than the Grand Highlander’s more affordable engine options. While the Toyotas are not slow, the Honda’s V6 delivers performance with less effort and a more pleasing engine sound.
Winner: Honda Pilot
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel economy is where the Grand Highlander clearly takes the lead, particularly with its hybrid powertrains, as the Pilot relies on a less fuel-efficient V6 engine.
EPA fuel economy ratings for front-wheel-drive Pilots are 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined, with most all-wheel-drive models slightly lower. The AWD-only TrailSport achieves 18 mpg city, 23 mpg highway, and 20 mpg combined. We averaged 22 mpg in our week-long test, which is typical for the segment. The Grand Highlander’s base turbo engine achieves a more impressive 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined with front-wheel drive, with AWD models slightly lower. The front-drive hybrid variant dramatically improves fuel economy to an outstanding 37 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 36 mpg combined. The AWD-only 362-hp Hybrid Max achieves 26 mpg city and 27 mpg highway, and our test vehicle averaged an even better 28 mpg.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
Fuel efficiency gauge in the Toyota Grand Highlander, highlighting its superior MPG ratings compared to the Honda Pilot.
Final Thoughts
The latest Honda Pilot is a compelling three-row SUV. We appreciate its refined V6 engine, comfortable ride and decent handling, well-finished and ergonomic interior, and flexible passenger space. It also offers these advantages at a lower price point than the Grand Highlander.
However, our overall pick is the Toyota Grand Highlander. Many families will find the trade-off of slightly less engaging driving dynamics and a higher price worthwhile for the significantly increased cargo space and substantial fuel savings, especially with the hybrid options. While we wish the Grand Highlander’s seats folded more easily and Honda would equip base models with larger touchscreens, the Toyota Grand Highlander’s advantages in key areas like cargo and fuel efficiency make it the winner in this comparison.
Winner: Toyota Grand Highlander
