Toyota confirms crossover with a sporty side for NZ

Saturday, 14 January 2023

The Yaris Cross GR Sport borrows styling cues from its GR Yaris hot hatch cousin.

Toyota New Zealand has announced that it will soon add a new performance-inspired variant to its Yaris Cross line-up.

Earlier this week the brand confirmed it would be bringing the Yaris Cross GR Sport to local showrooms, adding another dimension to one of its youngest SUV offerings.

Along with the visual changes, it also gains specific suspension tuning.

The GR Sport’s updates are mostly of the cosmetic variety, emulating the likes of the popular GR Yaris and (likely to be rather popular) GR Corolla.

The GR Sport can be spotted via the mild revisions to its fascia and front bumper. These include enlarged vents on the flanks of the secondary grille, a mesh front grille, and a little GR badge.

Changes inside are mild, but include additional GR branding and sport pedals.

Toyota is tipped to launch the recently unveiled Hilux GR Sport in New Zealand later this year.

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It also gains unique 10-spoke 18-inch wheels, red brake callipers, a more aggressive looking rear bumper with a diffuser and mesh grille, and two-tonne paint as standard.

The changes aren’t all visual. The Yaris GR Sport also gains a revised suspension, which according to Toyota brings “sharper, more rewarding handling”, giving the driver “better steering, roll and grip feel”.

Standard equipment includes dual-zone climate control, 360-degree camera, head-up display, tinted rear windows, and Toyota’s comprehensive Safety Sense suite.

Under the bonnet is Toyota’s familiar 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid engine, which produces 85kW of power and 120Nm of torque. This is sent to the front wheels via a CVT. Toyota boasts that the engine can achieve a combined economy of 4.2L/100km.

“Combining Toyota’s legendary history of small car and SUV design and engineering, the Yaris Cross GR Sport majors on quality and practicality,” said Toyota New Zealand general manager of new vehicles Steve Prangnell.

“Customers will appreciate the high SUV driving position and the car-like dynamics, virtues that reflect those of the original Toyota RAV4 – the world’s first recreational Sports Utility Vehicle.”

The Yaris Cross GR Sport is priced at $43,490, including on-road costs. This means it is $200 less than the Yaris Cross Limited flagship.

The Yaris GR Sport is the third GR Sport to be added to Toyota New Zealand’s line-up in recent times, following on from the introduction of the C-HR GR Sport and Land Cruiser GR Sport.

It’s expected that the brand will soon introduce the Hilux GR Sport to its line-up later this year, with the GR Corolla set to also launch in 2023. By the end of 2023, the brand’s line-up could boast up to eight GR models.

A Toyota New Zealand spokesperson confirmed to Stuff that the brand will not be adding the Corolla Cross GR Sport to its range this year.