Toyota’s new Grand Highlander Woodland comes with a six-can cooler
Toyota’s big three-row hybrid gets an outdoorsy Woodland Edition for 2027, with all-terrain tires, an extra half inch of ground clearance, standard all-wheel drive and a removable cooler between the second-row seats. It costs $3,000 more than a Hybrid XLE AWD.
Equipment, power, towing, fuel economy and build details checked against Toyota's Oct. 1, 2026, release, and prices against Toyota's full-line pricing sheet dated Oct. 2, 2026, on Oct. 7, 2026. Fuel economy figures are Toyota's own estimates, not EPA labels.
Toyota put a cooler between the second-row seats of the new Grand Highlander Hybrid Woodland Edition. It holds six cans. In a three-row SUV that seats up to eight, that means somebody in the back is going without.
What it is
The Grand Highlander is Toyota’s biggest family crossover, the one with a third row Toyota says is sized for adults. Toyota quotes 33.5 inches of third-row legroom and up to 97.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded flat. It is assembled only in Princeton, Indiana.
Woodland is the badge Toyota puts on the outdoorsy versions of its models, and for 2027 the Grand Highlander gets one. It joins the LE, XLE, Limited and Platinum grades, and it comes only as a hybrid.
What the Woodland gets
The headline change is height. The Woodland sits an extra half inch off the ground compared with other Grand Highlanders, thanks to taller springs and all-terrain tires on matte black 18-inch wheels. Half an inch will not turn a family hauler into a rock crawler, but it does buy a little more room for a rutted trailhead or a slightly more ambitious speed bump.
All-wheel drive is standard. So are a tow hitch, mud guards, LED fog lamps, all-weather floor mats with a Woodland logo, a heated steering wheel and a 120-volt, 1,500-watt outlet in the second row. In the cargo area there is extra lighting and a tray with pop-up dividers. Toyota also blacks out the badges, roof rails, mirror caps, shark fin antenna and the trim around the headlights and windows.
Then there is the cooler. It is a removable, Woodland-branded console that sits between the second-row seats and fits up to six 12-ounce cans. Toyota pitches it as a way to keep snacks handy on the go.
Power, mpg and towing
The Woodland uses the 2.5-liter hybrid, which Toyota rates at 245 total system horsepower. Toyota calls its all-wheel drive electronic On-Demand AWD. Toyota estimates 34 mpg combined for the hybrid AWD models, Woodland included. Hybrid grades can tow up to 3,500 pounds. If you need more, the gas and Hybrid MAX models are rated for 5,000 pounds.
What it costs
Toyota’s full-line pricing sheet lists the Grand Highlander Hybrid Woodland AWD at $51,780. That is $3,000 more than the Hybrid XLE AWD at $48,780. Neither figure includes the delivery, processing and handling fee, which Toyota lists at $1,595 for the Grand Highlander, putting the Woodland at $53,375 before taxes and any dealer extras.
For context, the cheapest 2027 Grand Highlander is the gas LE with front-wheel drive at $42,560, and the cheapest hybrid is the LE at $45,910. Toyota says 2027 models should start reaching dealers later this year.
The verdict, for now
The Woodland is less about off-roading and more about looking ready for it, with a few genuinely useful extras along the way. The tires, the lift and the hitch are real. The cooler is a nice touch, though in an eight-seat SUV the math does not quite work out.
Worth the extra $3,000 over an XLE, or would you skip the cooler and keep the cash?
