The 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander gets some minor changes after a rocky rollout.
If you’ve been shopping in the three-row family SUV market, you may have noticed a curious omission with the absence of the Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX. I sang its praises in my initial review late last year, then the automaker issued a stop-sale in June 2024 due to a problem with the deployment of its side curtain airbags. Now, the Grand Highlander SUV is available once more — and there are some choice updates the company announced for the 2025 model year.
The 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander range now gets a less expensive LE model, effectively bringing the price down for the gas version by nearly $2,500 to start at $42,310. The hybrid also gets $870 cheaper, and now starts at $45,660. Before, your entry point was the XLE, which now comes in at $45,080 including Toyota’s $1,450 destination charge (the Grand Highlander Hybrid XLE starts at $46,730 for 2025).
Nightshade everything!
Toyota’s other running theme over the past several years has been offering a blackened-out Nightshade trim, and the Grand Highlander is no exception to the rule. This time, you get a family hauler based on the Grand Highlander Hybrid Limited trim. That gives you the more fuel efficient option with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter engine, rather than the 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder either on its own or part of the more potent ‘Hybrid Max’ setup. It is all-wheel drive, though, so you get an electric motor driving the rear wheels when necessary for traction.
Since it’s based on the hybrid Limited, you get a similar level of gear, although Toyota throws in an 11-speaker JBL audio system as well. You further get amenities like a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual 12.3-inch screens and standard heated/ventilated front seats. This particular Grand Highlander Hybrid Nightshade also comes in Cement, which is a color we’ve seen across several other Toyota models in recent years, but is now coming to its large three-row crossover for the first time. Heavy Metal is another, darker gray hue available should you choose the Limited or one of the Hybrid Max models (in either Limited or Platinum grades).
2025 Toyota Grand Highlander models get a removable second-row console on all the trims equipped with captain’s chairs, except the new base LE.
If you’re interested in the latest Grand Highlander models, Toyota plans to roll them out just before we say goodbye to 2024, starting with the highest Platinum trim for $55,495 (or $60,225 for the Hybrid Platinum). Beyond that, the more affordable LE will ship out to dealers in early 2025.
