Thought the Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport could use a bit more muscle to stand out from its regular siblings? Well, our lucky friends in Japan and Europe has got one – with a more aggressive front-end design heavily inspired by its sporty sibling, the Toyota GR Corolla.
The most obvious difference, compared to the Malaysian Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport, is the front end. As opposed to our local variant which gets blacked-out elements to set it apart from the regular models, the Japanese variant, as you can see in the images, looks like Toyota simply copied and pasted the entire front bumper from the GR Corolla onto the Corolla Cross GR Sport.
More notably, the front end design of the Japanese/European variant is also visually more in-line with the new facelift of the Toyota Corolla Cross, as opposed to the Malaysian variant that is carried-over from the pre-facelift model.
Towards the rear, it sports a more conventional design quite similar to the Malaysian car, though a notable difference lies in the Japanese variant’s taillights, which have a distinct design compared to the Malaysian version. Other unique touches on the Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport include 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan Fleva tyres, red brake callipers, blackout door and window frames, and “GR” emblems on the front and rear of the crossover.
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In terms of powertrain, the Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport in Japan is powered by a hybrid powertrain consisting of a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine and an electric motor to produce a combined output of 199 hp (146 kW). This is paired to a CVT gearbox with 10 simulated ratios, sending power to all four wheels.
Additionally, the Japanese-spec Corolla Cross GR Sport also gains a new double-wishbone rear suspension setup, replacing the torsion beam found in the Malaysian version. Toyota states they’ve tweaked the suspension and increased the rear bumper’s rigidity to deliver more responsive driving and improved handling stability.
Inside the SUV, you’ll be greeted by a pair of front seats that look like Toyota just plucked them straight from the GR Corolla and put them into the Corolla Cross GR Sport. These front seats are upholstered in synthetic leather and feature BranNove perforation stitching. There are also four drive modes, which are specific to the GR Sport variant: Eco, Normal, Sport, and SnowExtra.
Other GR Sport-specific interior amenities include a three-spoke genuine leather-wrapped steering wheel, gear shift paddles, aluminium pedals, smoked silver metallic trim, and a key fob with the GR logo.
The Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport is priced at JPY3.895 million (approx. RM115k) in Japan. Closer to home, the facelifted Corolla Cross GR Sport is priced at RM148,800.
Given our facelifted Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport was launched late last year, it’s highly unlikely the Japanese GR Sport version will show up here anytime soon. But the car industry can be unpredictable, so who knows? Maybe UMW Toyota Motor will surprise us and bring this updated version to Malaysia in the future.
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