NEXT STAGE: New in 2023

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander takes the body and bones of one of the Japanese brand's top-selling crossovers and super-sizes it to deliver a more comfortable and competitive family vehicle — at least without sliding rear doors.

The Grand Highlander is larger in every dimension compared with the Highlander, yet not quite as big as either the Toyota Sienna minivan or Toyota Sequoia body-on-frame SUV.

The crossover’s third row features an additional 5.8 inches of legroom compared with the standard Highlander, 2.5 extra inches of shoulder room and more than an inch of extra headroom. With all the seats in use, there's an added 4.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, which the brand says is now able to hold seven carry-on suitcases. With all second- and third-row seats down, the Grand Highlander boasts 97.5 cubic feet of cargo space, 16 percent more than the Highlander, though still below the Sienna and Sequoia.

Designed in the U.S. and manufactured in Toyota's plant in Princeton, Ind., the 2024 Grand Highlander comes equipped with a standard 2.4-liter turbocharged I-4 engine. Two optional hybrid powertrains are also available — one tuned for fuel economy and capable of delivering an estimated 34 mpg combined, the other tuned for power and capable of delivering up to 362 hp and towing up to 5,000 pounds.

In the cabin, seating for seven comes standard with second-row captain's chairs, with the option for a second-row bench available to raise capacity to eight occupants in certain configurations.

The Grand Highlander is expected to be in showrooms in the second half of the year.