What's changing on the 2027 Toyota Grand Highlander?

Short answer: one new trim, two discontinued ones, and a reshuffle of standard equipment. The mechanical package carries over: three powertrains, a 116.1-inch wheelbase, 97.5 cubic feet of maximum cargo room, an adult-usable third row.

New for 2027

• Woodland Edition, a hybrid grade between the XLE and Limited, covered below.
• XLE, gas and hybrid, gains a standard heated steering wheel and 18-inch dark-finish wheels.
• Hybrid MAX Platinum trades its gunmetal, chrome and silver accents for black on the grille, hood, roof rails, window trim, mirror caps and antenna.
• Gas Platinum gets a new wheel design.

Dropped for 2027

The Hybrid Nightshade and Hybrid MAX Limited are both gone. The blacked-out look now lives on the Hybrid MAX Platinum, and the 362-horsepower engine is Platinum-only, which raises the price of entry to that powertrain.

The larger change is next door: the 2027 Highlander is an all-new battery-electric SUV, leaving the Grand Highlander as the three-row family hauler that refuels in six minutes instead of needing a charging plan.

When is the 2027 Toyota Grand Highlander release date?

Short answer: later in 2026, by Toyota's own wording.

One pattern holds across every nameplate: the weeks around a changeover are often the best weeks to buy the outgoing car, because factory support on remaining stock frequently beats what launches next. Our lease specials and manufacturer incentives show where that stands today.

Will the 2027 Toyota Grand Highlander cost more?

Short answer: yes, $1,200 more on both grades Toyota has priced. The gas LE moves from $41,360 to $42,560 and the Hybrid LE from $44,710 to $45,910. Both are Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price and exclude the delivery, processing and handling fee, which was $1,495 on 2026 window stickers.

Weigh that against what the vehicle replaces. Families here often run two cars because the third row they own is one nobody over twelve will sit in. This one has 33.5 inches of legroom and 20.6 cubic feet behind it, and $1,200 is less than two months of insurance and parking on a second car.

How the 2027 Grand Highlander trims compare

Short answer: five grades now, and the Hybrid XLE is the efficiency pick. Combined figures are Toyota's 2027 manufacturer estimates.

Two lines deserve a second look: the Hybrid XLE is the only front-drive hybrid and the most efficient Grand Highlander you can order, and with the Hybrid MAX Limited gone, the 362-horsepower powertrain now requires the Platinum.

The Woodland Edition, in plain terms

Short answer: a hybrid Grand Highlander with mild all-terrain hardware and genuinely useful cargo gear. It runs the 2.5-liter hybrid with electronic On-Demand all-wheel drive, which drives the rear wheels with an electric motor instead of a driveshaft.

Wheels and tires

18-inch matte black alloys on all-terrain tires

Ground clearance

A half-inch more than other grades, from taller springs and the tires

Seating

7-passenger with second-row captain's chairs, black leather trim

Second row

Removable Woodland console that doubles as a cooler for up to six 12-ounce cans

Cargo

Woodland cargo tray with pop-up dividers, plus added cargo-area lighting

Power

A 120-volt, 1,500-watt household-style AC outlet

Exterior

Tow hitch, mud guards, roof rails with cross bars, LED fog lamps, black badges, mirror caps and window trim

Comfort

Heated steering wheel, heated outer mirrors, all-weather floor mats

One honest note on the hitch: because the Woodland uses the standard hybrid system, it tows 3,500 pounds rather than the 5,000 gas and Hybrid MAX models manage. It suits a bike rack or small utility trailer, not a large boat.

For a New York buyer the appeal is less about trails than surfaces. All-terrain tires and an extra half-inch of clearance help on broken pavement and the curbside snow shelf that eats bumpers every February, and the outlet runs a laptop or cooler at a soccer field without an inverter.

Gas, Hybrid or Hybrid MAX for a New York routine?

Short answer: the standard hybrid, unless you tow heavy. Hybrids do their best work exactly where this city keeps you, below 40 mph in traffic that stops more than it moves. The hybrid returns an estimated 34 to 36 MPG combined against 23 to 24 for the gas engine, on an SUV weighing over two tons.

How the all-wheel-drive systems differ

• Dynamic Torque Control AWD on gas grades is mechanical, with a driveshaft to the rear axle.
• Electronic On-Demand AWD on hybrids uses a rear electric motor, so there is no driveshaft, the cargo floor stays flat, and the cost is about two MPG.
• Full-Time Electronic AWD on the Hybrid MAX Platinum drives the rear axle continuously rather than on demand.

Good tires matter more than any drivetrain here, but all-wheel drive is standard on every hybrid except the front-drive XLE, so for most shoppers it is included rather than chosen.

Inside: three rows that all work

Short answer: a 12.3-inch touchscreen on every grade, seven USB-C ports, and acoustic glass that matters more here than anywhere else.

Every 2027 model arrives with Toyota Audio Multimedia on a 12.3-inch touchscreen, six speakers, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, three-zone climate control with second- and third-row vents, dual wireless charging pads and seven USB-C ports. Limited and Platinum add 11-speaker JBL Premium Audio and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster.

Standard acoustic glass on the windshield and front side windows is the specification New Yorkers notice first. On the Belt Parkway with three rows full, cabin noise is what makes a family car tiring, and glass does more about it than sound deadening.

Seating splits eight or seven. The LE seats eight on a bench; grades above offer captain's chairs with a removable console, so the third row is reachable without folding anything. Upholstery runs fabric, SofTex, leather, then leather with Ultrasuede on the Platinum.

How it compares with the last update

Short answer: 2027 is the most substantive change since 2025. The Grand Highlander has never had a full restyle — it launched as a 2024 model. For 2025 Toyota added the LE beneath the XLE, dropping the entry price roughly $2,500, and introduced the Hybrid Nightshade. For 2026, only the price moved. For 2027 the lineup itself changes: Woodland in, Nightshade and Hybrid MAX Limited out, equipment shuffled, $1,200 added.

Read the mechanical carryover as a compliment. A 2027 model is the fourth year of a design whose problems have surfaced and been sorted, off a line running since August 2023 in Princeton, Indiana — which also put it on the Cars.com American-Made Index for 2026.

Safety, warranty and what the awards say

Short answer: strong standard safety equipment, a five-star federal rating, and one award it does not hold.

Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 is standard on every grade: Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist, Automatic High Beams and Proactive Driving Assist, with Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Safe Exit Alert. Safe Exit Alert deserves its own mention here: it warns occupants before they open a door into an approaching cyclist, which on an avenue with a protected bike lane is the most useful thing on the list. Platinum adds Traffic Jam Assist and the Panoramic View Monitor.

Coverage runs 36 months or 36,000 miles basic, 60 months or 60,000 on the powertrain, and eight years or 100,000 miles on hybrid components including the traction battery. ToyotaCare covers scheduled maintenance for one year or 10,000 miles, with three years of roadside assistance at any mileage.

On the praise: a 5-Star Overall Safety Rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a place in Kelley Blue Book's ranking of the best three-row SUVs, and KBB.com has repeatedly named Toyota the best resale-value brand — which shows up on your monthly statement rather than a wall, because resale sets lease residuals and therefore payments.

The caveat, because you will find it if you look: it does not hold an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick. Good ratings in the updated moderate overlap front test and front crash prevention are offset by Acceptable results in the driver-side small overlap test and for headlights, which keep it off the 2026 list alongside many models under tighter criteria. Verify crash scores at NHTSA.gov and mileage at FuelEconomy.gov.

Why this three-row SUV works for New York drivers

Short answer: it replaces two cars, if it fits where you park.

Start with the honest part. At 201.4 inches long, 78.3 wide and 72.1 tall, it will not fit every attended garage in Manhattan, and some older elevators and low-clearance ramps rule it out. Measure before you commit — and if you park tight, the Panoramic View Monitor stops being a luxury.

Now the case for it. Families here buy three rows because the alternative is two cars: two insurance policies, two registrations, two parking arrangements, two inspections. This third row is usable by adults at 33.5 inches of legroom, so seven or eight seats are seats rather than a claim, and Toyota says seven carry-on suitcases fit behind it with every seat in use.

Then the specifics that register after a winter here. Eight inches of ground clearance, a half-inch more on the Woodland, cover the potholes and the snow shelf. Safe Exit Alert earns its keep where cyclists and double-parked vans share one lane. And the hybrid's 34 to 36 MPG comes on regular fuel with no plug and no charging app — the difference between an electrified family car you can own without a driveway and one you cannot.

Shopping the neighbors? The standard Highlander parks easier with a tighter third row, the RAV4 Hybrid covers two rows for less, the 4Runner trades cargo shape for capability, and our 2027 Camry and 2027 Corolla guides pick up from there.

Cross-shop the whole segment without moving your car

Plaza Toyota is part of Plaza Auto Mall, family-owned on Nostrand Avenue since 1975: five new-vehicle brands, a certified pre-owned program for each, and a multibrand used operation covering makes we do not sell new — over 1,000 vehicles in stock, within a seven-minute walk — including every hybrid three-row SUV we sell.

For a three-row shopper that geography is the point, because nobody buys this segment off a spec sheet. Sit in a Grand Highlander's third row — our Pilot vs Grand Highlander breakdown sets up the visit — then walk to the Kia Telluride, the Hyundai Palisade and the Honda Pilot the same afternoon — one appointment, one trip, one argument with your children about legroom. Wondering whether sliding doors solve your parking problem? The Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival are a few doors down. Sizing back? The Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe shrink the footprint, and Acura of Brooklyn is on the block for anything more premium.

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Service offers pickup and drop-off across the entire NYC metro area, and purchased vehicles are delivered free within 25 miles. Plaza Auto Mall: No Hassle, No Pressure, No Middlemen.

Shopping a Grand Highlander at Plaza Toyota

Arrive with the numbers settled. Our pre-approval asks for no Social Security number and no date of birth, and returns a real payment range before anyone touches your credit.

Then stack what is available: lease specials update monthly and often combine with factory incentives. An early trade appraisal often covers the walk from a gas XLE to a Hybrid XLE on its own, and we buy cars whether or not you buy ours.

Shopping now? See new and used Grand Highlander stock or go straight to the Grand Highlander Hybrid. Below new-car money? Browse certified pre-owned Toyota models, see how the Toyota Certified program works, or search our used inventory and the wider Plaza Auto Mall used selection. Already driving one? Schedule service with pickup and drop-off, and Plaza Body Shop handles collision work.

Frequently asked questions