4 Toyota Grand Highlander Hidden Features You May Not Have Noticed

The Toyota Grand Highlander is a family-focused SUV that can seat up to eight people while remaining spacious and comfortable. There's plenty of legroom and cargo space, making it one of Toyota's most popular models. In 2025, Toyota sold 136,800 Grand Highlanders in the United States, with families clamoring for that third row. It helps that it starts at well under $45,000, less than the prices you'll see for other three-row SUVs in its category. 

However, that lower price point doesn't mean the Toyota Grand Highlander is without features — there are plenty. Our review stated: "It packs enough versatility and utility for most of the everyday without making everyone feel like something is missing from the box." And this includes some lesser known features you may have not known about — here are some hidden functions that make the Toyota Grand Highlander even more helpful, convenient, and fun to drive.

If you own the Toyota Grand Highlander, you probably know that putting your hand in the door handle will unlock the front door. And if you tap the panel on top of the handle, it locks. But did you know that if you put your hand inside the handle for three seconds that it will unlock the entire vehicle? For this to work, you will need to have your keys with you. Not just anyone can stick their hand behind the handle to open it, of course. 

It's a by-product of the whole "keyless" thing that's taking over modern vehicles. Many new models don't require you to use a key to unlock the vehicle — Tesla vehicles will sense the fob as you approach — and some don't even need a key in the ignition to drive. As long as you have the key fob with you, the majority of new cars will be able to start up. This is meant to increase convenience and decrease theft (at least until the battery runs out).

The lack of physical buttons in modern cars can be a bit maddening to a lot of drivers. Touch controls have seen a lot of backlash, prompting automakers to bring knobs and buttons back. The Toyota Grand Highlander brings a balance of both. There is no longer a tuning knob for the radio, but Toyota has found a way to keep you from staring at the infotainment screen the entire drive. 

If you want to easily tune the radio without clicking on radio stations on the infotainment system throughout your trip, here's what you can do: First, go to the infotainment screen, find FM Radio, then select a station you like. You'll have the option to "heart" it. Pick as many as you like. Then, go to the bottom right set of buttons on the steering wheel, and you'll see left and right arrows. You can use these to scroll through all the stations you "hearted." In addition, the "Mode" button to the left of the arrows can be held for a few seconds to pause and unpause audio. 

All Toyota models have backup cameras now, but not all of them have a backup camera washer. This can be quite useful if you need to clear your view before backing out of a tricky parking spot or dark campground. Some people pay to install a third-party backup camera washer, so this is pretty neat to have built in. 

There are two ways to activate the backup camera washer. The first is the lever on the right side of the steering wheel that is typically used for wipers. Press it forward and the backup camera washer will turn on. Another convenient option is through the infotainment system. When you go in reverse, the infotainment system will show your view. It also has what looks like the rear windshield washer symbol — and a mini version to the right of it. That mini version is the backup camera washer. The washer is located above the backup camera — when activated, it shoots an angled blast at the camera.

The Toyota Grand Highlander isn't the most tech-forward SUV out there — the Genesis GV80k, Audi Q5, and Cadillac Escalade IQ are probably more serious contenders for that title. But that doesn't mean the Grand Highlander doesn't have some techy features to uncover. It may not have an AI assistant or anything like that, but there is actually a voice command system to make your trip more convenient. 

On the left side of the steering wheel, you'll see a button with a face profile and sound waves coming out of his mouth. When you click that, you will see a pulsating microphone appear on the infotainment screen — this means it's listening to your audio input. From here, you can control the fan speed and temperature in the cabin. Even cooler, it will recognize the direction in which your voice is coming from, only adjusting the driver or passenger seat depending on where you're seated if you have the zones separated.