Is Australia missing out on Toyota's best SUV? Forget the RAV4, LandCruiser or Corolla Cross, we want the 266kW Toyota Grand Kluger Hybrid MAX!

Toyota has just unveiled what could be its finest family SUV – but there's something of a catch for Australia when it comes to the three-row, seven-seat Toyota Grand Highlander.

Toyota's newest family-focused SUV has just broken cover in the USA, with the Grand Highlander a bigger version of the Highlander – which is known as the Kluger in Australia.

While some of the specifications are yet to be confirmed (things like length, width and height), this is designed to be a bigger and more practical version of the Kluger, and it's home to a choice of seven or eight seats.

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The idea, says Toyota, is to deliver a three-row SUV that can comfortable fit families with older kids, promising the Grand Highlander "prioritises interior comfort in all three rows".

“There is definitely a need in the market for a mid-size SUV that prioritises interior comfort in all three rows and Grand Highlander is the ultimate option,” says Lisa Materazzo, group vice president of Toyota Marketing. 

“This three-row model takes the Highlander legacy to an entirely new space while also keeping on our promise to deliver on electrification. Highlander was the first model in its segment to offer a hybrid powertrain back in 2006 and Grand Highlander further expands on our electrification leadership.”

Let's explore that electrification for a moment. The Grand Highlander (which is yet to be priced ahead of its USA on-sale date later this year) arrives with three powertrains, the first and entry-level option being a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol available in two- or all-wheel drive. Next is a 2.5-litre hybrid powertrain, expected to be the same as the unit offered in the Australian-spec RAV4 Hybrid.

But the one that's really got us jealous is the flagship Hybrid MAX. Combining a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with twin electric motors and a six-speed automatic, the MAX will deliver 266kW and 542Nm, arrive with standard AWD, clip 100km/h in just over 6.3 seconds and tow a sizeable 2268kg. This is likely the same unit in the new Lexus RX500.

The Grand Highlander is a bigger version of the Highlander/Kluger.

The Grand Highlander will be "exclusively manufactured at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Princeton, Indiana", and therein lies the catch for Australia.

The new SUV is so far unconfirmed for Australia, and is unlikely at best, given the model will be produced exclusively in left-hand drive in the USA for the American market.

Still, we're getting the Tundra at last, so you never know...