Experienced by Adrian McQueen
Photography by Adrenaline Lifestyles
During this week of automotive reviews, we find ourselves in the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander. The Toyota Grand Highlander is a three-row, mid-size crossover SUV that has been produced since February 8th 2023 to the North American market. Toyota also has the Highlander but the Grand Highlander lives up to the name because it is longer, wider, taller, wider, and much different interior and exterior. The Toyota Grand Highlander is slotted between the smaller Highlander and the larger Sequoia. This SUV set the tone as being the stylish vehicle to tote the family around.
On top of having a Grand Highlander, we had the Nightshade edition that comes with a bold, aggressively blacked-out look. There is a gloss-black honeycomb grille, dark trim near the upper portion near the headlights and black lower accents on the bumper accents. The Grand Highlander is sitting on 20-inch matte-finish black wheels complete with matching black lug nuts. The black accents around the vehicle continue with black mirror caps, black door handles, black window trim, black roof rails and a black shark-fin antenna. The Grand Highlander also has blacked-out badging that includes the Toyota logo, Grand Highlander wording and the Hybrid badges. At the rear of the SUV there is a black rear spoiler. There are also LED projector headlights and LED fog lights.
The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid Nightshade Edition interior has a dark-themed cabin, with a black color scheme accented by matte black metallic trim. The driver’s seat is black leather and has 10-way power adjustability with lumbar support and memory settings, while the front passenger seat gets 8-way power adjustability. The ventilated front seats are both heated and cooled. With this being a three-row vehicle, there is a three-zone automatic climate control system so each row can control their own temperature. I love having the second-row captain’s chairs because they allow for more wiggle room and it is a benefit in getting to the third-row seating, once in the vehicle.
The Nightshade model that we reviewed is a 7-passenger vehicle, with second-row captain’s chairs. The third row is not small like many other vehicles. This is an adult-sized third row outfitted with its own dedicated USB-C ports and cup holders. The front cabin has a large center console that slides and opens without disturbing the armrests. The center console has a deep storage compartment, a removable cup holder, and a traditional 12V outlet. There is also a panoramic sunroof spans across all three rows.
The tech of the Grand Highlander is even more impressive. The Nightshade edition has a fully customizable 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster as well as a 12.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen. The interior includes a Panoramic View Monitor, which is a 360-degree camera, that helps tremendously when parking. The Grand Highlander has a premium 11-speaker JBL sound system that is crisp and soothing. It also includes a subwoofer and an amplifier. The crystal clear sound and booming bass kept us grooving. There is a wireless phone charging pad in the front of the SUV and a total of seven USB-C ports scattered across all three rows, with a power inverter for standard plugs.
The Grand Highlander also has the Entune app suite, Bluetooth, voice recognition, tri-zone automatic climate control, satellite radio, HD Radio, proximity key entry, push-button start, a 120-volt outlet and Driver Easy Speak. Apple Car Play and Android Auto are included, along with the QI-Wireless Smartphone Charger.
The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander provides a comfortable and quiet ride. Our tested Grand Highlander comes with a 2.5-liter DOHC 4-cylinder (L4HV) with D-4S injection, delivering 245 horsepower at 175 lb-ft. of torque. There is an electrically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT) and on our Nightshade edition, the electronic on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) is standard.
The tested Highlander returns EPA fuel economy ratings of 36 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway and 34 mpg combined, which is pretty decent a midsize SUV. I felt that the ride was smooth over most surfaces and the cabin was void of road noise. When properly equipped, it can tow 3,500 pounds.
Toyota does not mess around when it comes to safety. The 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Nightshade trim Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 pre-collision system includes forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection, rearview camera, lane-departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and a surround-view monitor.
The Toyota Highlander competes with the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, Kia Telluride, Mazda CX-90 PHEV/hybrid and the Volkswagen Atlas. The Toyota Grand Highlander is one of the best-selling midsize SUVs. Toyota offers Basic (Comprehensive) warranty that is for 3 years or 36,000 miles, a Powertrain warranty that is for 5 years or 60,000 miles covering the engine, transmission, and drive systems, a Hybrid Component warranty that is for 8 years or 100,000 miles for hybrid-related electronic components, a Hybrid Battery warranty that is for 10 years or 150,000 miles, a Corrosion warranty that is for 5 years with unlimited miles. There is also a Roadside Assistance package that is for 2 years with unlimited miles and complimentary maintenance, called ToyotaCare, that is for 2 years or 25,000 miles of scheduled factory maintenance.
The entire family had a great time riding around town in the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander Nightshade Hybrid. The Grand Highlander is spacious, stylish, comfortable and definitely a fun vehicle in my book. Please enjoy the photo gallery.
