Sporty upgrades for SUV
A GR Sport model has been added to the compact SUV’s line-up, inspired by the championship-winning achievements of Toyota Gazoo Racing.
The Yaris Cross GR Sport adds exclusive exterior and interior features, and revised suspension for sharper and more rewarding handling.
On the street, it’s distinguished by new 18-inch and 10-spoke alloys with two two-tone exterior colours available – frosted white or ruby with an ink-painted roof. There’s also a new mesh rear-bumper garnish and front mesh grille with discreet GR badging.
The inside boasts a black interior featuring smoke-silver ornamentation throughout, and GR-branded front sports seats and steering wheel.
Steve Prangnell, general manager of new vehicles, says the GR Sport will retain all the qualities that helped the Yaris Cross scoop the 2022 World Urban Car of the Year title.
“Customers will appreciate the high SUV driving position and car-like dynamics, virtues that reflect those of the original RAV4 – the world’s first recreational sports utility vehicle,” he adds.
The Yaris Cross has a proven foundation for rewarding handling thanks to the GA-B platform – the same as that featured in the European Car of the Year 2021-winning Yaris hatchback. This gives it a low centre of gravity, highly rigid body and balanced chassis.
In the GR Sport, performance has been sharpened with enhanced suspension to provide the driver with better steering, roll and grip feel.
It’s powered by Toyota’s three-cylinder, 1.5-litre hybrid dynamic force engine. The powertrain’s long stroke, high-speed combustion, high 14:1 compression ratio, and temperature and pressure controls help the unit achieve a high thermal efficiency and low fuel consumption.
Convenience is designed in with a 40-20-40 split-folding rear seat and a split-folding deck board that allows load space to extend from 390 litres with all seats in place to a maximum of 1,097l. The packaging maximises interior space in compact exterior dimensions ideal for agile urban manoeuvring.
As a high-grade model, the GR Sport has a rich standard-equipment specification, including dual-zone climate control with Nanoe X, head-up display, panoramic view monitor and rear privacy glass.
It also boasts the Toyota Safety Sense package of advanced active safety and driver-assistance features as standard. The 2023 Yaris Cross GR Sport is priced at $43,290.
