Lexus TX vs Toyota Grand Highlander - 2026 Model Comparison with Specs & Photos

TX VS Toyota Grand Highlander - Lexus Akron-Canton

Three-row SUVs can be tricky; those that have plenty of room for adults in the 3rd row also tend to be impractically large, while the more practical-sized options tend to only comfortably fit children in the third row. The two notable exceptions to this rule are the Lexus TX and its more mainstream alternative, the Toyota Grand Highlander. While the two vehicles are built on the same platform and offer quite a few of the same advantages, the difference between the two is more extensive than just the badge and starting price. To illustrate this, we’ve put together this guide.

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Lexus TX VS Toyota Grand Highlander - At A Glance


2026 Lexus TX	VS	2026 Toyota Grand Highlander
$58,490	Starting MSRP*	$42,260
275	Standard Horsepower	265
366	Available Horsepower	245, 362
6 or 7	Seats	7 or 8
27 / 28	Best Fuel Economy MPG (city / highway)	37 / 34

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The good news about these two is that, since they are built on the same platform, the dimensions are basically the same, meaning neither SUV is compromising legroom because of some difference in design. Both vehicles come with standard front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive available. Both also come with a 2.4-liter gasoline engine as standard, with an available high-performance hybrid drivetrain, although the Lexus versions of both drivetrains both come with a touch more power. The Grand Highlander is also available with a hybrid drivetrain that’s optimized for fuel economy. This option produces the least power and is the only drivetrain for either model not to have a 5,000-pound tow rating, coming in at just 3,500 pounds. Lexus has, understandably, decided not to offer this underpowered drivetrain.

While things like legroom and headroom are essentially the same, these two vehicles are still offered with different seating configuration options. For both vehicles, you can choose either a three-seat bench for the second row or a pair of captain’s chairs. But the TX seats two in the third row while the Grand Highlander squeezes in a third seat. This difference comes from the fact that the TX is a luxury vehicle, so in the same way an underpowered drivetrain isn’t congruous with luxury, cramped third-row seats are also not suited to any Lexus.

Lexus TX VS Toyota Grand Highlander - Equipment

Base trims for mainstream vehicles are often a bit stripped-down, and this is true of the Grand Highlander as well. Popular features like heated front seats, a wireless phone charger, rain-sensing wipers, and interior ambient lighting are all either optional extras or require you to move up to a more expensive trim on the Grand Highlander, but they all come standard on the TX. But there’s more to this difference than just what comes standard and what doesn’t. Adaptive headlights, for example, which can adjust brightness by zone to provide maximum illumination without blinding other drivers, are only available for the Lexus. The TX also has a bigger infotainment touchscreen, with no similar upgrade option for the Grand Highlander. The stereo system is possibly the best example, though. The TX comes with twice as many speakers as the Grand Highlander, 12 versus 6. You can upgrade the stereo in the Grand Highlander to an 11-speaker JBL system, but the TX is also offered with a 21-speaker Mark Levinson system that it doesn’t take an audiophile to notice is superior.

In addition to the expanded list of luxury features, the TX is also available in a couple of different F SPORT trims, which come with a number of performance-themed aesthetic features, as well as mechanical enhancements that include Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), which delivers both superior handling and enhanced ride comfort. This isn’t available on any Grand Highlander, not even the trims equipped with the high-performance drivetrain.

Lexus TX VS Toyota Grand Highlander - Other Advantages

Then, there are additional advantages that stem from the difference between Lexus and Toyota as brands. The period of connected services that comes included with the price of the vehicle is three years for Lexus, but only one year for Toyota. Lexus offers a four-year warranty to Toyota’s three, and Lexus includes four years of emergency roadside assistance while Toyota includes two years.

These vehicles are built on the same platform, and therefore come from the same factory as well. This factory, which is in Indiana, produces TX and Grand Highlander units for the North American market, but it also produces Grand Highlander units for export, so a portion of the Grand Highlanders produced here won’t see US dealerships. That makes it harder to find the trim, options, color, and yes, price that you’re looking for in a Grand Highlander. But the TX SUVs produced at this plant aren’t exported, so that’s one final advantage for the TX. Let Lexus of Akron-Canton help you find a TX that’s just right for you.