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Yes, and there are two of them. The Grand Highlander Hybrid is the efficiency one. The Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX is a separate, turbocharged hybrid making 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Most pages answer this question with "yes" and stop, which is where people get the wrong vehicle.
| Gas | Hybrid | Hybrid MAX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.4L turbocharged four | 2.5L hybrid | Turbocharged hybrid |
| Horsepower | 265 hp | About 245 hp net combined | 362 hp |
| Torque | 310 lb-ft | Not published as a combined figure | 400 lb-ft |
| Plug in? | Not applicable | No, it is a conventional hybrid | No, it is a conventional hybrid |
| All-wheel drive | Available | Varies by trim | Standard |
| Best for | Lowest entry point | Fuel economy and commuting | Towing and passing power |
Figures are Toyota published specifications. Confirm exact equipment and ratings on the specific vehicle you are considering. See Toyota's official Grand Highlander page or check fueleconomy.gov for EPA ratings.
The honest split is simple. If your weeks are made of school runs, McFarland Boulevard and the occasional trip up I-20 to Birmingham, the standard Hybrid is the one that pays you back. It was tuned for exactly that and you will feel it at the pump rather than at the pedal.
If you pull a boat to Lake Tuscaloosa or Lake Lurleen most weekends, or you routinely load seven people and their gear, the Hybrid MAX is worth the fuel penalty. Four hundred lb-ft is not a number you need for commuting, and it is very much a number you want on a ramp with a trailer behind you.
The third thing worth saying: the Grand Highlander is not a bigger badge on the Highlander. It is a genuinely longer vehicle with a third row adults can use and real cargo space behind it. If you have been folding people into a third row and apologising, that is the difference you are shopping for.
People come in asking for "the hybrid" and get quoted whichever one is on the lot. Ask which system it is. A Hybrid and a Hybrid MAX are different vehicles that happen to share a name.
Still deciding between the two sizes? Our Highlander inventory is the smaller option, and the Toyota hybrid FAQ hub covers the battery and maintenance questions people ask next. If efficiency is the whole reason you are here, our guide to buying a hybrid explains where the savings actually come from.
Yes, and there are two different hybrid powertrains rather than one. The standard Grand Highlander Hybrid uses a 2.5-liter system tuned for fuel economy. The Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX is a separate, turbocharged hybrid making 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, tuned for power and towing instead. They are not trim levels of the same engine.
The Hybrid is the efficiency choice, using a 2.5-liter hybrid system rated around 245 net combined horsepower. The Hybrid MAX is the performance choice at 362 horsepower and 400 lb-ft, with a higher tow rating and all-wheel drive as standard. If you want the best fuel economy, take the Hybrid. If you tow, take the MAX.
No. Both the Hybrid and the Hybrid MAX are conventional hybrids, not plug-ins. They charge their own batteries through the engine and through regenerative braking, and you fuel them with gas like any other vehicle. There is no Grand Highlander plug-in hybrid.
No, and this trips a lot of shoppers up. The Grand Highlander is a longer, taller vehicle with a genuinely usable third row and more cargo space behind it. The Highlander is the smaller original. Both offer hybrids, but only the Grand Highlander offers the 362-horsepower Hybrid MAX.
The Hybrid MAX is the one to ask about if towing is the job, since it carries the higher rating of the two hybrids and 400 lb-ft of torque. Tow ratings vary by configuration and by what you are pulling, so bring the trailer weight to us and we will check it against the specific build rather than quoting you a number that might not apply.
The Hybrid MAX comes with all-wheel drive as standard. On the standard Hybrid, availability depends on the trim you are looking at. Worth knowing for an Alabama spring, when heavy Gulf rain puts water across McFarland Boulevard faster than the drainage clears it.
The standard Hybrid. The run up I-20 and I-59 is roughly 60 miles each way, and that is where the efficiency-tuned 2.5-liter system pays you back every week. The Hybrid MAX is quicker and pulls more, but you give up fuel economy for it, and a commute is not where you need 400 lb-ft.
Yes, and with these two you really should. They feel like different vehicles from the driver's seat, and most people arrive assuming they want one and leave having chosen the other. We are at 3325 Skyland Blvd E. Call (205) 553-3325 first and we will confirm what is on the ground.
Two systems, one name. We will put both in front of you so the choice is yours, not the lot's.
Tuscaloosa Toyota | 3325 Skyland Blvd E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405
