Is the 2023 Toyota Grand Highlander Just a Diet Toyota Sequoia?
Toyota is no stranger to innovation. The Japanese automaker produces gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric vehicles. The brand is unveiling a larger Highlander model. Is the 2023 Toyota Grand Highlander just a smaller Toyota Sequoia?
The 2023 Toyota Sequoia just got a huge redesign
Normally, there wouldn’t be much reason to compare the Highlander nameplate to Toyota’s Sequoia full-size SUV. Both models are reliable Toyota SUVs, but they’re unique enough to avoid comparison. Since the Sequoia recently got a huge redesign and Toyota appears to be making a larger Highlander, consumers have to wonder just how different the Grand Highlander will be from the new Sequoia.
The 2023 Toyota Sequoia could provide plenty of hints as to what the Grand Highlander looks like. The Sequoia is a standard hybrid now, like the Toyota Sienna. The Grand Highlander will have a hybrid engine option.
The Sequoia was desperately in need of a redesign after years of the antiquated second generation. The second generation of Sequoia models lasted from 2007 all the way to 2022. That’s 15 years without a redesign. Even the Tundra got a redesign before the Sequoia.
The Toyota Sequoia is now significantly more fuel efficient and more powerful. It gained 56 horses and 182 lb-ft of torque. The new Sequoia gets 22 miles per gallon combined. Its previous iteration got a mere 15 miles per gallon combined.
2023 Toyota Grand Highlander: A baby Toyota Sequoia?
Car and Driver claims that the Grand Highlander will likely “fit between the current Highlander and Sequoia” in the automaker’s lineup. That means that the redesigned Sequoia is a decent reference point for the Grand Highlander.
The 2023 Toyota Highlander is 195 inches long, 76 inches wide, and 68 inches tall. The Sequoia is a whopping 208 inches long, 80 inches wide, and 74 inches tall.
Kia’s popular midsize SUV, the Telluride, is 197 inches long, 78 inches wide, and 69 inches tall. It seems like Toyota is aiming to make the Grand Highlander slightly larger than the Telluride but not as big as the Sequoia.
As far as pricing, if it exists between the Highlander and Sequoia, it’ll likely start at $45,000-$50,000. The Grand Highlander’s hybrid option could start over $50K because of its unique powertrain system. So, this three-row SUV will get pretty pricey. That being said, it should offer plenty of value as a large family eight-seater with plenty of cargo space.
Should you get a 2023 Toyota Grand Highlander?
There isn’t enough information about the Grand Highlander to give it a recommendation yet. It seems like Toyota aims to create a Telluride competitor that is more expensive than the Highlander but offers more interior and cargo space.
The Grand Highlander will likely have more distinct differences from its older (but smaller) sibling. The Sequoia’s redesign is exciting enough to give consumers high hopes for the Grand Highlander’s hybrid trim level. You have our attention Toyota. Will the brand deliver, or is the Grand Highlander really just the diet Sequoia that no one asked for?
