The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander Has One Incredibly Thoughtful Interior Feature
Hint: You’ll like this one if you’re someone who habitually forgets their phone after exiting the car.
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The all-new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander is all about maximizing interior space. And we're not just talking about that spacious third row or big trunk, either. Toyota added one feature to its SUV that's so smart and convenient it's doubtful we'll ever be able to go back to cars without it: An easily accessible USB-C port right on the front passenger's in-dashboard cubby shelf. It's an utterly, hilariously, and transcendently perfect place for charging your phone.
As humans on the go, all our stuff comes with us. Phones, keys, wallets, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, lip balm, masks, stress balls for alleviating existential dread. And it has to go somewhere . Cars that come with ample and readily accessible storage nooks and crannies get extra points in our book. Unwritten driving rules dictate the driver's possessions get priority, however, so what about the front passenger?
The passenger-side in-dashboard cubby shelf in the Grand Highlander isn't a new idea—the RAV4 and un-grand Highlander both have one—but the addition of the USB-C charging port is. In fact, it's a Toyota first, according to Michael Kroll, Toyota's vice president of product and mobility communications, and part of a larger brand-wide USB-C-only roll out.
In the full day I spent with the Grand Highlander, I absolutely made use of that cubby. In lesser cars, you usually have to make do with putting your phone in a cupholder or somewhere in the center console—in other words, down and out of sight. And because I have poor short-term memory, I've forgotten my phone there on more than one occasion. The Grand Highlander's placement ensures your phone remains constantly within sight and with the added bonus of having a charge port right there, just for the front passenger. There's even room for a few other things you'd want to bother storing. It's a genius use of space that would have been otherwise wasted.
Little touches like this are what makes Toyota's newest three-row SUV extremely pleasant to hang out in. In addition to the cubby shelf and charger, there are also three massive cupholders in the front center console to please even the most devoted of you hydro homies out there.
Cubby storage isn't something that typically earns a headline, but we felt the Grand Highlander's clever setup needed a shout-out.
I got into cars the way most people do: my dad. Since I was little, it was always something we’d talk about and I think he was stoked to have his kid share his interest. He’d buy me the books, magazines, calendars, and diecast models—everything he could do to encourage a young enthusiast. Eventually, I went to school and got to the point where people start asking you what you want to do with your life. Seeing as cars are what I love and writing is what I enjoy doing, combining the two was the logical next step. This dream job is the only one I’ve ever wanted. Since then, I’ve worked at Road & Track, Jalopnik, Business Insider, The Drive, and now MotorTrend, and made appearances on Jay Leno’s Garage, Good Morning America, The Smoking Tire Podcast, Fusion’s Car vs. America, the Ask a Clean Person podcast, and MotorTrend’s Shift Talkers. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, cooking, and watching the Fast & Furious movies on repeat. Tokyo Drift is the best one.
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