Toyota Grand Highlander teased with new Hybrid Max drivetrain

The new Toyota Grand Highlander – a longer version of our Kluger – will be unveiled early in 2023, with new styling and, probably, a turbocharged hybrid option.

Toyota says the Grand Highlander will be unveiled on February 8, 2023 at the Chicago motor show, and describes the car as “all new”.

We might quibble about the use of the word ‘new’ given the car will use the TNGA-K architecture, but there will be significant differences between the longer, more spacious Grand Highlander and its little brother, which is sold in Australia as the Kluger.

It’s unclear if the Grand Highlander will make its way into Australian showrooms.

In the teaser image released overnight we can see the Grand Highlander’s rear, which uses a different tailgate design that’s squarer and more sharply creased than the regular Highlander/Kluger.

Instead of the Kluger’s rounded and organic shapes, the Grand Highlander has a rectangular rear glass panel, and the tail lights seem to share more in common with the RAV4 than the Highlander.

This seems to indicate the Grand Highlander will have plenty of styling differences from its smaller sibling, or that the shorter Highlander/Kluger is due for a significant facelift or an early regeneration.

Another interesting thing to note from the teaser is the Hybrid Max badge on the Grand Highlander’s rump.

Toyota hasn’t said anything about Grand Highlander’s drivetrains, but the badge indicates the SUV will available with the same high performance 2.4-litre turbocharged hybrid system available in the Crown sedan-crossover mashup.

The Crown Hybrid Max setup eschews the company’s usual e-CVT system for a six-speed automatic. The six-speed transmission is hooked up to the 2.4-litre turbo and drives the front wheels, while an electric motor is positioned on the rear axle.

All up, the Crown Hybrid Max has a total of 254kW and 542Nm. A more powerful 273kW version of this drivetrain is fitted to the latest Lexus RX500h.

A report earlier this year suggested there will be a Lexus version of the Grand Highlander, which will be known as the TX.

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