Compared: 2024 Toyota Highlander vs. 2024 Ford Explorer

These two three-row minivan substitutes check a lot of boxes, but only one comes as a hybrid for 2024.

Chris O'Neill | 

Sep 23, 2024 | 4 min read

Toyota | Ford

The 2024 Toyota Highlander and 2024 Ford Explorer are two familiar nameplates in the family SUV segment. Both offer ample safety features, decent fuel efficiency, and three rows of seats — crucial for anyone looking at a crossover as a minivan alternative. Let's see how these two crossovers compare.

Toyota

The Explorer Offers More Expensive Trim Levels Than the Highlander

The 2024 Toyota Highlander comes in 11 trims: five for the regular gas model and six for the hybrid. A base non-hybrid front-wheel-drive (FWD) Highlander LE starts close to $41,000. The mid-tier XLE rings in at less than $44,000 with its heated front seats and sunroof. At the top of the lineup is the leather-clad Highlander Platinum, which starts at just under $51,000 and also includes JBL-branded audio. Opting for all-wheel drive (AWD) means paying a $1,200 premium. Hybrid trims mostly mirror the gas model; stepping up to the hybrid adds $1,600 to the cost.

Ford

The 2024 Ford Explorer comes in eight trims. The base model with non-heated cloth seats starts upward of $38,000, while a mid-tier Limited with leather trim, heated and cooled front seats, and a host of other goodies comes in at around $49,000. The decadent Platinum is the Explorer's top trim and begins near $56,000, thanks to its real wood interior trim, 21-inch wheels, and upgraded leather. Adding AWD costs an extra $2,000.

Toyota

The Highlander Takes the Lead in Passenger Hauling, With Seats for up to Eight

The Highlander offers seating for up to eight people, while the Explorer can seat up to seven. The Highlander is available as a fuel-efficient hybrid. An Explorer Hybrid was available in prior years, but Ford has discontinued it for 2024.

The Explorer offers more trim-level variety than the Highlander. Both models get sporty appearance packages, via the Highlander XSE and Explorer ST-Line. But the Explorer ups the ante with the dirt-road-ready Timberline, the Western-themed King Ranch, and the performance-oriented ST trim — combinations not matched by corresponding Highlander trims.

Ford

The Explorer's premium audio is a 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen system, while the Highlander's is an 11-speaker JBL system. The Ford offers a 10.1-inch portrait-oriented infotainment screen on all trim levels, while the Toyota can be had with a landscape-oriented 12.3-inch screen on most trims. Both come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though only Toyota offers wireless compatibility. Adaptive cruise control is standard on the Toyota and optional on the Ford.

While the two vehicles offer similar second-row legroom, the Explorer is 4 inches longer. That gives the Ford a leg up in its third row, which boasts 32.2 inches to the Highlander's 28. The Explorer also has a slight advantage when it comes to cargo volume.

The Explorer has the edge in maximum towing capacity, as well, with a 5,600-pound rating to the Highlander's 5,000-pound rating.

Toyota

With Hybrid Tech, the Highlander Can Be Far More Fuel-Efficient

The non-hybrid versions of the 2024 Toyota Highlander are equipped with a turbocharged 265-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder. FWD models are rated at up to 22/29/25 mpg city/highway/combined, while AWD models return 21/28/24 mpg.

The Highlander Hybrid has a 243-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder mated with a hybrid system. FWD Highlander Hybrid models return 36/35/36 mpg, while AWD-equipped LE, LE Nightshade, XLE, and XLE Nightshade Hybrids return 35/35/35 mpg. AWD Limited and Platinum models are rated at 35/34/35 mpg.

Ford

The 2024 Explorer offers two engine choices: a four- or six-cylinder. The base engine is an EcoBoost 300-hp 2.3-liter four-cylinder, which returns between 21/28/24 mpg and 19/22/21 in the Explorer Timberline. ST, King Ranch, and Platinum trims use an EcoBoost 400-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6. RWD V6 models see 18/26/21 mpg or 18/25/20 mpg, depending on trim and options. AWD models see either 17/24/20 mpg or 18/24/20 mpg.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Chris O'Neill

Chris has worked in the automotive industry in a number of capacities, from dealership operations to brand marketing to product planning for an OEM, and now as a journalist helping consumers make more informed decisions when shopping for a new vehicle. He's written for Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Outside, The Autopian, Expedition Portal, and more, and maintains his own automotive YouTube channel and Instagram page. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a partner, two dogs, and a 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser that he's driven to the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula and back.