2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Goes Stealthy, Joins Sprawling Nightshade Family

Since the start of the year, the Japanese automaker has been sparring with General Motors for the crown of the US market's automotive sales. Toyota was just a whisker away from the throne after the six months of the year, so no wonder they're trying to push deeper with both deliveries and hype surrounding its novelties.

As far as the latter are concerned, there's a tidal wave of them on the list. The company introduced the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, a trio of GR special editions (GR86 Trueno, GR Corolla Circuit, GR Supra 45th Anniversary), the Corolla Cross Hybrid, or the 2024 Grand Highlander, N400 Tacoma, and 2024 Land Cruiser superstars, just to name a few.

However, as autumn comes fast, they are reaping the benefits of new model year updates. And these final days of September have been brimming with novelties, including the 2024 Sienna minivan, the 2024 RAV4 best-seller compact crossover SUV, and the 2024 GR Corolla. However, the company also has a pleasant little surprise – the Corolla Nightshade family is not alone, as the CUVs and SUVs are joining in with the stealthy goodies.

For starters, the 2024 Toyota Sequoia added the Nightshade and Platinum TRD package back in late August. Now, in late September, the smaller and town-oriented Corolla Cross Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid also add blackout beauty to the roster. For the Corolla Cross, the Nightshade Special Edition is exclusive to the Hybrid model and based on the SE grade.

As for the 2024 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, the choice is much wider – customers can order it soon with LE or XLE grades with or without all-wheel drive. The dark trim atmosphere is present on the 18-inch wheels, grille, mirror caps, and rear badges. Plus, inside the cabin, there are fresh black seats with silver accents on the XLE grade.

Additionally, the 2024 Highlander has, overall, six trims for the Hybrid model, five grades on the gasoline models, and can seat up to eight people on board. As per tradition, the Highlander Hybrid has an electrified 2.5-liter inline-four under the hood, while the gas models received a turbo 2.4-liter for the 2023 model year. The novelties for 2024MY include the hands-free powered liftgate, plus the latest Toyota Audio Multimedia System as standard equipment with an optional 12.3-inch touchscreen instead of the base 8-inch one.

Also, the Cement exterior shade is unavailable on the gas-powered models, only on the Highlander Hybrid. At the same time, Ruby Flare Pearl, Moon Dust, and Wind Chill Pearl are available as extra-cost colors on all grades. Overall, the changes are relatively subtle compared to 2023MY, so we might see Toyota prepare a nice little facelift akin to the 2024 Grand Highlander for the next model year.