2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Has A Secret To Make More Power

Speaking with vehicle engineers and product specialists at the first drive event for the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, CarBuzz learned that the flagship Hybrid Max powertrain is hiding a nice secret. Toyota has not yet shared full specifications for the gas and hybrid Grand Highlander, but we know the Hybrid Max is rated at 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque from a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and two electric motors. This is the same configuration found in the Toyota Crown.

As it turns out, that setup can actually produce a bit more power. When asked about the differences between the Grand Highlander's output and the Lexus RX 500h F-Sport Performance, Toyota's engineers told us the key difference. The answer... is fuel. "We rated the vehicle using regular fuel," Toyota's engineer explained. "If you fed it premium, it would yield superior performance."

So if you were to feed premium fuel (91 octane or above) to the Grand Highlander, it would almost certainly match the RX 500h with 367 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. That might not be a huge gain, but perhaps some Grand Highlander owners might want to maximize their performance by spending a bit more on gasoline. Conversely, the engineers confirmed it would be safe to run the Lexus on regular fuel; you would simply lose out on about five hp and six lb-ft of torque.

It's rare that an automaker would quote the lowest output available, not the highest. Mazda mentions explicitly that its vehicles can produce more power with higher octane fuel, and plenty of automakers require it for their high-performance models. Toyota knows its customers, though, and that minor power boost likely isn't worth spending more at the pump.