2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Interior

"The earthy two-tone color schemes are distinctive, warm and generally inviting. The silver trim that wraps around the control binnacle like a fork is textured to make it look richer and more like actual metal. The wood trim on the dash and center console, be it real or not, is subtle and tasteful. The padded SofTex vinyl that covers much of the dash, doors and center console is pleasant to touch, while the real leather on the seats is buttery soft. All the switchgear is pleasant to touch and operate."

"Materials throughout the cabin have been improved over the previous-generation Highlander, and the design is basic but functional."

"Stepping up to higher trims of the 2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid outfits the interior with high-quality materials."

"All models make use of clever packaging. We particularly like the phone shelf on the passenger side of the dashboard."

"Cargo space comes in at 16 cubic feet behind the third row of seats, 48.4 cubic feet behind the second row, and 84.3 with all the rear seats folded. Those figures are all small for the segment. In our luggage test of the Highlander, it was able to hold less stuff than its competitors can."

"Cargo room is the same story, with only four carry-on suitcases fitting behind the Highlander’s third row compared to the Traverse’s six."

"There's just a bit less headroom everywhere, but it's the third row that's noticeably much smaller than those of most competitors that can fit average-sized adults in its third row. Even if kids are the ones who frequently use third-row seats, they will be less comfortable in the Highlander’s."

"Although the passenger space is on par or slightly more generous here than in the CX-90, the Chevrolet Traverse remains the passenger-space king, its third row offering nearly six more inches of legroom than the Highlander."

"Additionally, the hybrid doesn't lose out on interior volume compared to the gasoline-only model, so there's still plenty of passenger room in the first two rows. Just don't expect anyone but children to be comfortable in the third row."

"The operating system is the newest that Toyota has to offer, featuring bright, minimalist graphics and natural speech recognition. It's responsive and runs quickly. The shortcut icons on the side closest to the driver are easy to reach, but they unfortunately disappear when you use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, meaning you have to click-click-click to escape the Apple/Android interfaces rather than using a simple Home button like Toyota used to feature. There are other annoyances we discovered, particularly with the radio operation and navigation system, which make this system less appealing than those of rivals."

"The interior is nicely equipped, again favoring useful, logical utility features above all else. The infotainment is intuitive, a host of driver-assistance features are standard, and the turbocharged four-cylinder and hybrid powertrains return decent fuel economy."

"The 12.3-inch touchscreen is as good here as in other Toyota/Lexus products, with quick response and crisp graphics that fit with the times. The left bank of icons makes the suite like a smartphone in landscape mode and may trip up fans of a traditional home screen, but the overall system is easy to learn."