Toyota Grand Highlander Vs Honda Pilot: Which Is Bigger & How Do They Differ?

If you're looking for a three-row SUV for your family, there's a good chance that you're considering the Toyota Grand Highlander and Honda Pilot among your options. But how do they compare size-wise? In terms of their exterior dimensions, the Toyota Grand Highlander is longer than most Honda Pilot trims, given its 201.4 inches of length. However, it's shorter and narrower than the Honda Pilot, seeing as it is 70.1 inches tall (72.1 inches with antenna) and 78.3 inches wide. 

In its most basic form, the Honda Pilot measures 199.9 inches long, 78.5 inches wide, and 71.0 inches tall, meaning its exterior dimensions closely match those of the Toyota Grand Highlander overall. However, in off-focused TrailSport guise, the Honda Pilot is bigger than the Grand Highlander, with its length, width, and height measuring 200.2, 78.5, and 72.0 inches, respectively. Even so, the Toyota Grand Highlander has more cargo capacity than the Honda Pilot, with 20.6 cubic feet behind the third-row seats and 97.5 cubic feet behind the first. With the Honda Pilot, owners get 18.6 cubic feet of cargo room with all three seats upright, and 87 with the second and third rows folded down.

The well-regarded Toyota Grand Highlander and Honda Pilot both come generously equipped, even in standard configuration. However, the entry-level Grand Highlander LE costs more, carrying a premium of $660 over the Honda Pilot, given its starting price of $42,310 (including a destination charge of $1,450). For $41,650 (includes a $1,450 destination fee), the base-spec Honda Pilot Sport offers a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 7-inch digital gauge cluster, as well as wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also, there's space for up to eight passengers (standard on every Honda Pilot, except the TrailSport trim, which seats seven), heated power front seats, and tri-zone automatic climate control.

At $56,030 in range-topping AWD Black Edition trim, the Honda Pilot is also cheaper to buy than the most expensive Toyota Grand Highlander model, the Hybrid MAX Platinum AWD, which begins from $60,225. The Pilot Black Edition adds niceties such as a 9-inch touchscreen display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated second-row seats.

Like the Honda Pilot, the base Grand Highlander LE seats eight people across three rows (higher-end models accommodate seven because of their second-row captain's chairs). However, tech-wise, the Grand Highlander LE one-ups the Honda Pilot with a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. But it does fall behind the Pilot in certain areas, such as the seats, where you only get a power-adjustable driver's seat compared to the power-adjustable and heated front seats found in the Pilot. That being said, upgrading to the top-of-the-line Hybrid MAX Platinum AWD trim nets you a fully loaded SUV with everything from heated and ventilated front and second-row seats to a heated steering wheel.

While the Honda Pilot is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 285 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, the Toyota Grand Highlander uses a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 265 horsepower and 310 lb-ft. Both vehicles come standard with front-wheel drive and can be equipped with all-wheel drive, but the Toyota Grand Highlander puts the gusto to the wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, whereas the Honda Pilot utilizes a 10-speed automatic transmission.

One of the biggest differences between the Toyota Grand Highlander and Honda Pilot is that the former is available with two hybrid powertrains, while, currently, all Honda Pilot models on sale in the US utilize just the lone 285-hp, naturally aspirated V6 engine. Base Grand Highlander Hybrid models have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder teamed with two electric motors to generate 245 total horsepower and 175 lb-ft, whereas the Hybrid MAX engine in the higher-end Grand Highlander Hybrids consists of a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder mated to an electric motor to make 362 hp and 400 lb-ft.

As you might have guessed, the Honda Pilot is the thirstiest on fuel, with the most efficient models averaging 22 mpg, per the EPA. That makes the non-hybrid Toyota Grand Highlander slightly more efficient at 24 mpg. Fuel economy for the Grand Highlander Hybrid stands at 36 mpg, while the Hybrid MAX models return up to 27 mpg. As for 0-60 times, Car and Driver's test find the current-generation Honda Pilot can hit 60 mph in 6.9 or 7.2 seconds, depending on the trim, while the non-hybrid Grand Highlander's 265-horsepower four-cylinder engine gives it a 0-60 time of 7.0 seconds. Grand Highlander Hybrid MAX models, for their own part, need just 5.6 seconds to reach the same speed.