Corolla Cross Gets That GAZOO Racing Flavour

The Toyota Corolla Cross GR-S is the company’s latest product to get the GAZOO Racing treatment.

Following hot on the heels of their Prospecton plant’s reopening (Which you can read all about here) Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has announced the release of their latest model, the seriously good-looking, and family-friendly Toyota Corolla Cross GR-S.

The locally built Corolla Cross entered the market in the final quarter of 2021, becoming an instant hit with families and lifestyle types. This success is reflected in the local passenger-vehicle sales charts, and apart from having the sales figures to brag about, the Corolla Cross also bagged South African Car of the Year (SA COTY).

Those achievements are nothing short of impressive, but there is one thing that Toyota’s belle of the ball was missing; an added touch of aggression. That is where GAZOO Racing or GR comes in. GAZOO Racing is Toyota’s Motorsport division, and kind of like AMG with Mercedes, they tinker with Toyota products to give them a little more style, better handling etc.

When it came to the Corolla Cross GR-S, the GAZOO treatment came in the form of a bespoke exterior styling package coupled with three bi-tone colour options to choose from, a black roof, matching black 18” alloys, GR badging and GR-themed interior accents.

The GAZOO Racing upgrades are not only skin-deep though. Under the skin, the Corolla Cross GR-S has seen its suspension componentry revised, and it has been fitted with a recalibrated power steering module (EPS) to deliver more responsive handling, steering wheel feedback and cornering prowess. The engine is the same 1.8-litre 2ZR-FE petrol engine found in the “lesser models” but the CVT transmission has been tinkered with, and now sports seven pre-programmed "steps" to simulate a close-ratio transmission in manual shifting mode.

Apart from the sporty GAZOO Racing upgrades, the Corolla Cross GR-S also comes with Toyota Connect which includes complimentary 15Gb in-car Wi-Fi allocation, vehicle telematics and enhanced user features via the MyToyota app. 

Finally (before we get to pricing), in true Toyota fashion, the Corolla Cross GR-S is sold with a 6-services/90 000 km service plan (intervals set at 15 000 km) and a 3-year/100 000km warranty.

So, what will you be paying for everything I just mentioned? Well, surprisingly, the Corolla Cross GR-S is being offered from R453,200. Yes, this is a fully loaded, special-edition Crossover from a leading brand for under R500,000. Seriously Toyota, you guys have outdone yourself on this one!

Get your hands on a Toyota Corolla Cross by visiting the ClickaCar Virtual Showroom.