A new GR-Sport version of the Toyota Corolla Cross will launch in South Africa very soon. We have official pricing for the locally built newcomer…

The Toyota Corolla Cross range in South Africa is soon set to be bolstered by the addition of a special GR-Sport derivative,subtly fettled by the company’s Gazoo Racing division andrevealed last year in Asia. And official pricing has now been released.

The GR-Sport derivative has finally started rolling off the line alongside the cooking models – launched locally in November 2021 – at the Japanese firm’s Prospecton facility in KwaZulu-Natal, which is back to building vehicles after being forced to halt assemblyin mid-April 2022 owing to severe flood damage.Toyota says it will be priced atR453 200, which translates to a R15 000 premiumover the Corolla Cross 1.8 XR.

The Corolla Cross GR-Sport – or GR-S, for short – will be offered exclusively with Toyota’s naturally aspirated 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine (rather than the hybrid powertrain). As with all GR Sport variants launched so far, the engine is untouched, which means unchanged peak outputs of 103 kW and 172 Nm.

Like the rest of the Corolla Cross range, the GR-S derivative uses a continuously variable transmission (CVT) driving the front axle. As such, performance is unchanged from the standard version (though Toyota SA Motors interestingly doesn’t quote a 0-100 kph timefor any of its Corolla Cross models).

What makes a Toyota Corolla Cross GR-Sport?

While the majority of the GR-Sport’s model-specific upgrades are cosmetic, SA-spec versions will also feature “specially tuned” suspension, which the firm claims delivers “more stability during extreme cornering”. The steering set-up, too, has been tweaked.

It appears the GR-S is based on the high-spec XR grade, though with a handfulof updates. These include a set of black 18-inch alloy wheels (wrapped in the same 225/50 R18 rubber as used by XR models), a black roof, black side-mirror caps and a sportier treatment for the grille and front bumper (cutting the vehicle’s overall length by 5 mm to 4 455 mm).

There is also a faux-diffuser round back plus a GR-Sport badge for the tailgate. The Corolla Cross 1.8 GR-S CVT will be available in a choice of three exterior paint colours, each combined with a black roof: Glacier White, Arizona Red and Chromium Silver.

Inside, you’ll find more GR-Sport badges (including on the start button), along with leather upholstery with red stitching(as opposed to partial leather offered on the XR) and model-specific treatment for the CVT shift lever and knob.

Other standard features shared with the XR specification level includeauto high-beam LED headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, an electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, parking sensors (front and rear) and a reversing camera. Active safety kit like blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and lane-trace assist will also ship standard as part of the Toyota Safety Sense package.

How much does the Corolla Cross GR-Sport cost in SA?

Toyota Corolla Cross GR-Sport– R453 200

A 6-service/90 000 km service plan and a 3-year/100 000 km warranty are included in the purchase price.