Following the slew of new GR Sport models launched in both Thailand and Indonesia, Toyota Taiwan is keeping up with the momentum by also giving the Corolla Cross a similar treatment.
Toyota Taiwan says that the Corolla Cross GR Sport was designed to celebrate the success that the compact crossover has found on the island, selling nearly 40,000 units in just the short 10 months since it made its local debut.
Anyway, like the other GR Sport editions, the Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport here also features several significant exterior changes to give it a more aggressive look.
These include a new blacked-out mesh grille with an additional black horizontal trim behind the Toyota emblem, a unique variant-exclusive front bumper, plus prominent skidplate-like trim elements all around the bottom of the car.
Wrapping up the exterior styling updates are the two-tone paint job consisting of a blacked-out roof and wing mirrors, smoked tail lights, plus – of course – the GR Sport emblem on the tailgate.
Updates on the inside are a little more muted, with the only visible changes being a new GR graphic on the infotainment display, a GR Sport start button, and the GR logo embossed onto the headrests of the front seats.
However, staying true to the GR Sport brand, the changes here aren’t just skin deep. The Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport in Taiwan also gets a “professionally tuned” sports suspension system, which is said to greatly reduce roll and improve handling and stability of the crossover.
Additionally, there’s also additional aluminium alloy bracing on the underbody to increase torsional rigidity, alongside a “sports-tuned” electronic steering assist system that supposedly helps increase feedback through the steering wheel.
Customers will get to choose between two powertrain options for the Corolla Cross GR Sport – a pure-ICE version featuring the same 140 hp 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated engine as ours here in Malaysia, or a hybrid setup that pairs a 1.8-litre engine with a single electric motor for a total system output of 122 hp.
Pricing wise, the Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport starts at NTD875,000 (approx. RM131k) for the petrol variant, moving up to NTD945,000 (approx. RM142k) for the hybrid.
The Hybrid here is of course the range-topping variant, although the standard equipment is fairly standard across both variants, including the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite, seven airbags, around-view monitor, and 18-inch alloys.
Upgrading to the Hybrid does however net you the Bi-LED projector headlights, along with a larger seven-inch multi-info display in the instrument cluster, as opposed to the 4.2-inch unit on the petrol variant.
GALLERY
