Not needed if you are attentive, but it's a nice to have feature, especially for such a large car. It's great for tight spaces and hard-to-see corners of the vehicle.

 

I have the Panoramic 360 view monitor on a 2017 Highlander Hybrid. I have come to depend on it for parking way more than I anticipated. To the point where, when I travel and rent a vehicle, I sorely miss not having that feature. It is great at centering you in a parking spot.

In case you are unfamiliar with how the system works, it involves 4 different cameras: front bumper, rear tailgate (near the license plate), and underneath of both side view mirrors. The imagery is warped and stitched together into a pseudo "birds-eye view". Due to the distortion, sometimes things don't quite line up at the seams where two cameras join. The view will also get thrown off if the driver or passenger door is ajar.

I mention the locations of the cameras because sometimes you need to give them a little wipe to clear up a dirty image.

Personally, it is a must-have feature for me as I shop for a Grand Highlander. It comes standard at the Platinum trim level and optional on Limited.

 

It may be nice to have, but personally I'm going to pass on it if given the chance. We've been driving a Navigator L with a backup camera for the past 6 years and between that camera and the parking sensors, front and back (which should be similar to the sensors on a GH Limited), it's pretty hard to hit something without getting a warning. I'd rather save the $600, but again I understand the reasons others may want it.

 

I didn't have it on my 2022 Highlander XLE and it was fine. I will say that it is a nice little luxury feature on my 2023 Highlander Platinum. You can set it to come on anytime your speed drops below about 5mph- which is kinda annoying... or you can set it so that it only comes on when you push the button at low speeds, in reverse, or when the parking sensors detect something. (Assuming the same settings are available on the Grand Highlander)

I keep mine so that it only comes on in reverse, when you hit the button at low speeds, or when the parking sensors detect something- and it's handy. The only time I generally hit the button to view it is when I'm trying to park next to a curb and want to get close without actually scraping a wheel. On my 2022 Highlander that didn't have the camera system, I always tended to park a few inches too far away from the curb- the design of the vehicle makes it look like you are closer that you really are to the curb when you tilt the passenger side mirror down.

I feel that although the $600 is a bit much, it's actually not all that much in the grand scheme of things with a $45k-60k vehicle.

Ultimately the best way to determine if it's going to be a feature you want is to test drive the vehicle. See how well you can park it without the system- and then use the system and see if you personally think it is worth the money.

 

Would never have another vehicle without this feature. When I didn’t have it, I didn’t know to miss it. As someone else said, once you get used to it, you almost become addicted to it.

 

It's the same 360 system across all Lexus and Toyota products when equipped. Just lookup literally any model that has it equipped on Youtube, and you'll find it.

 

Echoing @General Klinger, I think you can get an accurate taste of the experience by looking at any exisitng vehicle with the feature. Better yet, visit a dealer and take any other Highlander with the Panoramic View for a test drive around the parking lot.

It can be a little disorienting at first, but with practice, you may get to a point where you can parallel park or back into spaces without even using any other mirrors. Not that I recommend this; just speaking for myself and why I miss it when renting a vehicle without it.

 

The big improvement is no stupid mask on the front camera view compared to the older infotainment system
My 2021 shown:

Parking is so much easier

My cousin with a 2023 HiHy limited struggles a bit to center his car in a parking spot

 

Really like it in our Highlander

 

Once you experience it, you'll never want to go back. That said, the only knock on the 360 system is Toyota's camera supplier choice. In other vehicles the cameras were 480 quality, hopefully the GH has a more definition rich system.

 

There was a noticable difference in quality between my old 2020 Highlander Hybrid Limited with 360 vs my wife's 2022 Prime XSE with the same. Her quality is trash LOL

 

I don't have one of these systems on my car, but I have driven a couple of loaner cars for a week each (2022 Tundra and 2023 Camry) that had them. It was nice and all, but I couldn't help but think of how much additional cost it would add to a collision repair with the cost of the camera if it got damaged and the recalibration process. I would think that would increase your insurance premium which would add to the $600 cost as well. Just me thinking. 🤔

 

For sure its an added cost, but the value in being able to see all 4 corners of big cuv is priceless these days with folks being distracted both while driving and not.

 

I have this feature on my '23 Rav-4 Limited Hybrid. I disabled the underview because I felt it was "TMI". I have come to completely rely on it when backing up, parking, and moving in and out of tight areas. If possible I will never own another vehicle without this feature.

 

Which is why I find it completely stupid when people argue that a 7yr 125K warranty for $1200 isn't worth the cost. If you're buying say a fully loaded GH HybridMAX Platinum for $60K, yet can't afford the $1200 for a warranty to cover any issues, then perhaps you should be looking at a Toyota C-HR or a Subaru Crosstrek or something.

 

The factory hybrid system is covered by a longer factory warranty, 150k miles

I rather prepay my maintenance instead (which I did on my HiHy)

 

I've had the Panoramic View on my 2019 Avalon Limited since December, 2018 when we took delivery of the car. It is IMO an absolute requirement for us now, as I can get within 2 inches of the passenger side garage door frame, EASILY as I enter the garage. I also can see exactly where the parking curbs are in any parking lot, which since the Avalon is so low, are a real obstacle to avoid. I do agree that the resolution of the 2019 camera model is not good, and I would suspect it's much better in today's models.

 

I will say that the comments here have persuaded me to pony up for the panoramic view system. Fortunately, my build is still a few weeks out and my dealer was able to get it added on my allocation.

 

I don't think that you'll regret the decision. It does come in very handy when parking. Not necessary really- but most of the modern stuff in cars really isn't 'necessary'.

When driving a larger SUV, anything that helps you to avoid curb scrapes or bumper scuffs can come in handy. While the standard Grand Highlanders come with a backup camera- the panoramic camera system really comes in handy so that you can see the front/sides of the vehicle when parking.

 

I can see how this would become habit forming. I used to make fun of cars having backup cameras before I got one. But now that I have one, I use it all the time and feel very vulnerable without it. I can see how I would adapt very easily to the 360 camera technology.

The only thing I noticed when I had the 22' Tundra loaner was that then it rained, water and road spray would get on the camera's and make it difficult to tell what you were looking at. I hope at some point they figure out some way to fix that. It's the same way with the backup camera's on my 18' Camry and 22' Tacoma.

 

i was in the market for a GH hybrid limited so the 360 doesn’t come standard, but i would definitely PASS if one were offered to me that didn’t have it installed.