Toyota Equips New Highlander SUV With a Huge Mario Kart Installation

CHICAGO—Toyota premiered the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander SUV at the Chicago Auto Show here this week and says it will give 500 Grand Highlander customers a free Nintendo Switch—OLED Model and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game.

In honor of the vehicle’s reveal, and the partnership with Nintendo, Toyota dressed up a Grand Highlander as a giant arcade with wall-to-wall screens for Chicago Auto Show attendees to try out. The show runs through Feb. 20 and is open to the public(Opens in a new window).

“Large screens, speakers, and a Nintendo gaming console were installed in the vehicle for Chicago Auto Show attendees to experience the spaciousness of Grand Highlander and games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe while at the Toyota booth,” Toyota says(Opens in a new window).

@emilydreibelbis(Opens in a new window) The all new 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander dressed up as a giant Nintendo Switch arcade at the #chicagoautoshow(Opens in a new window) @toyota ♬ Super Mario Bros Main Theme – Geek Music(Opens in a new window)

The company has not yet provided details on how the 500 customers will be chosen.

Toyota is positioning the three-row SUV as the “ultimate family SUV,” with a roomier interior than the existing Toyota Highlander. “It offers a spacious adult-sized third row, thoughtful storage areas throughout the cabin, ample interior and cargo capacity with room for up to seven carry-on suitcases behind the third row,” Toyota says(Opens in a new window).

Nintendo Switches are portable, making them easy to take on road trips to pass the time. “The Nintendo Switch system can be played on the go, as well as on the TV, so anyone that hops in their Grand Highlander can take the system with them and keep the gameplay going,” says Devon Pritchard, Nintendo of America’s EVP of sales, marketing, and communications.

Gaming out of the trunk.
(Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

Inside, second row passengers can duke it out in Mario Kart.
(Credit: Emily Dreibelbis)

The car hits dealers in summer 2023. Toyota has not yet disclosed the price, though it will almost certainly be higher than the Toyota Highlander ($36,420). It will come in three powertrains: standard gas-powered, a regular hybrid, and the hybrid MAX. The latter is a performance-focused variant with 362 horsepower, the highest of the three.

A 12.3-inch interior screen adorns the dash, with wireless charging options up front as well. Passengers can charge devices with seven USB-C ports sprinkled throughout. Self-driving features such as traffic jam assist, lane departure alert (with steering assist), dynamic cruise control, and road sign assist will help keep the family safe.

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander
(Credit: Toyota)

2024 Toyota Grand Highlander dash
(Credit: Toyota)

This is the first major vehicle reveal since Toyota ousted Akio Toyoda as CEO last month, a move many suspect is because of his hesitancy to go all-in on electric vehicles like Toyota’s rivals. The Grand Highlander will not be offered in an all-electric version, although that is still relatively standard in the auto industry for three-row SUVs.