Article-Engineering Solutions by Design News Talks Toyota Grand Highlander Upgrades
Toyota North America Chief Engineer for SUVs, Craig Payne, with the 2024 Grand Highlander.
Toyota’s North America SUV chief engineer Craig Payne describes the challenge of making the bigger, three-row Grand Highlander feel nimble.
Chief engineer for the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander, Craig Payne, was tasked with stretching the chassis of the popular crossover SUV to accommodate a third row of seats while somehow retaining the agility of the original two-row Highlander in everyday driving situations.
While pricy vehicles might be able to apply technologies such as active suspension and rear-wheel steering to compensate for the extra four inches of length between the Grand Highlander’s axles, Payne applied more fundamental solutions to keep the new SUV maneuverable.
