Toyota Corolla GR Sport

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross facelift in Malaysia gallery – from RM134k; three variants including hybrid GR Sport

In Cars, Local News, Toyota / By Gerard Lye / 17 December 2024 10:26 am / 6 comments

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV GR Sport

Following its launch at this year’s Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show (KLIMS), we now bring you full galleries of every variant of the facelifted Toyota Corolla Cross, of which there are three available, all locally assembled (CKD) in Bukit Raja, Selangor.

The line-up starts with the 1.8V that is priced at RM133,800 on-the-road without insurance and is powered by a 2ZR-FE 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four petrol engine making 139 PS (138 hp or 103 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 172 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The DOHC, VVT-i mill drives the front wheels via a CVT with seven virtual speeds and a sequential shift mode.

After the 1.8V comes the 1.8 HEV, which was the only variant shown at KLIMS and retails for RM140,800. This comes with a 2ZR-FXE engine which has the same displacement as the base variant, but runs on the Atkinson cycle and adds an electric motor rated at 72 PS (71 hp or 53 kW) and 163 Nm.

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV (left), 1.8V (right)

The engine alone makes 98 PS (97 hp or 72 kW) at 5,200 rpm and 142 Nm at 3,600 rpm, with the total system output (factoring in the electric motor) being 122 PS. An E-CVT specifically designed for hybrids is used to transmit power to the front wheels.

At the top of the range is the 1.8 HEV GR Sport at RM148,800. This is a new variant of the Corolla Cross, as the pre-facelift GR Sport was not offered as a hybrid. The hybrid powertrain is identical to the 1.8 HEV, with both featuring a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery that has an energy capacity of 6.5 Ah.

In terms of styling changes, the new Corolla Cross’ front end gets redesigned bi-LED headlamps (with sequential turn signals) and a slimmer upper grille. Further down, the main grille sports honeycomb perforations and blends in neatly into prominent faux intakes at the sides.

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV GR Sport (left), 1.8V (right)

The GR Sport is differentiated from the rest of the range by its distinctive face with more exposed intakes, two-tone paintjob, clear taillight lenses, rear bumper lower garnish and variant-specific emblems. Additionally, the range-topper comes with stiffer suspension, a performance chassis brace and a ‘Sport ECU’ for the electric power steering.

All variants are fitted with 18-inch wheels, with the 1.8V and 1.8 HEV getting them in a dark grey metallic finish, while the GR Sport gets two-tone units. There are five exterior paint finishes to choose from – Red Mica Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Silver Metallic, Celestite Grey Metallic (HEV only) and Dark Turquoise, which is a new colour. The GR Sport pairs a black roof with either Platinum White Pearl, Red Mica Metallic and Dark Turquoise.

As for interior changes, there’s now a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system (previously 9-inch) that supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. More significantly, the foot-operated parking brake has been replaced with an electronic parking brake that has an auto hold function.

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8V, 1.8 HEV spec sheet (left), 1.8 HEV GR Sport (right); click to enlarge

The base 1.8V is equipped with a 4.2-inch colour multi-info display, but the hybrids get a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument cluster with three layouts, four visual designs (Casual, Smart, Tough and Sporty) as well as real-time hybrid-specific displays.

The black interior of the 1.8V and HEV is decorated with dark brown accents, while the GR Sport gets an injection of red stitching on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped gearshift lever knob and boot, and leather seats for that sporty feel. The front headrests of the GR Sport are also embossed with the GR logo, which also appears on the engine start/stop button.

Other features include an eight-way powered driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control (hybrid variants only), rear air vents, a powered tailgate with kick sensor, vehicle telematics with the Toyota MY companion app (for remote start and status monitoring) as well as a comprehensive safety suite.

2025 Toyota Corolla Cross facelift price list; click to enlarge

The Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 system uses a camera and radar to enable Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) – All Speed and the Automatic High Beam (AHB). Seven airbags are also the default across the range, with solar and security window film included as standard.

A five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty accompanies each purchase, with hybrid variants getting an additional eight-year, unlimited-mileage warranty for the hybrid battery pack, inverter and power management control ECU. Buyers have the option to extend the hybrid warranty for another two years, which is transferable to the next owner.

So, what do you think of the latest Corolla Cross to go on sale in Malaysia? Which of the three variants would you go for? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

GALLERY: 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV GR Sport

GALLERY: 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 HEV

GALLERY: 2025 Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8V

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2024 Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid in Thailand – new lithium-ion battery, redesigned GR Sport, from RM130k

In Cars, International News, Toyota / By Jonathan Lee / 6 November 2024 11:02 am / 6 comments

Continuing pretty much unchanged since 2019, the Toyota Corolla Altis sedan (known simply as the Corolla in Malaysia) has just been given an update that goes beyond the usual model year changes. That’s because the Hybrid model, now called the HEV, has received a rather significant change to its mechanicals.

Specifically, the nickel-metal hydride battery that Toyota had used since the original Prius has been replaced by a lithium-ion pack. Capacity has been increased slightly from 3.6 Ah to 4 Ah, resulting in a slight improvement in fuel efficiency to 23.8 km per litre, up from 23.3 km per litre.

Beyond that, the hybrid powertrain is pretty much unchanged, consisting of a 98 PS/142 Nm 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre Atkinson-cycle Dual VVT-i four-cylinder engine, a 72 PS/163 Nm electric motor and an eCVT that altogether produce a total system output of 122 PS.

To go with the new battery, the GR Sport model – now only available in HEV form – has been given a redesign with a full-width lower grille with intersecting rectangular trims, very obviously inspired by the facelifted GR Yaris. You also now get clear LED taillights and a black finish for the roof, rear boot lid spoiler and 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels.

Inside, there are new red seat belts, GR-badged steering wheel, Smoked Silver door pull trim and added lumbar adjustment for the eight-way power-adjustable front seats. The faux leather and suede upholstery with red stitching and GR-embossed headrests is still unique to the GR Sport. Elsewhere, retuned electric power steering joins the GR-specific springs, dampers and anti-roll bars.

Both HEV variants, the GR Sport and HEV Premium, gain a new HEV badge that replaces Toyota’s long-serving “Hybrid” emblem, replete with the company’s Beyond Zero circular blue logo. Save for the GR Sport, all models also receive a new Cement Grey paint option. Pricing has gone up slightly, with the HEV Premium now retailing at 1,009,000 baht (RM130,200) and the HEV GR Sport at 1,129,000 baht (RM145,700).

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2023 Toyota Corolla GR Sport now in Malaysia – tuned suspension; sportier exterior, interior; from RM153k

In Cars, Local Car Launches, Local News, Toyota / By Gerard Lye / 28 August 2023 8:00 pm / 44 comments

As promised, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) today officially launched the new Toyota Corolla GR Sport, which joins other sportified models like the Hilux GR Sport as well as the Corolla Cross GR Sport.

Retailing at RM152,800 on-the-road without insurance, the Corolla GR Sport is priced RM5,000 more than the 1.8G and comes with specific touches to reflect its sporty persona. To start, the front bumper is noticeably different from a regular Corolla, as the lower intake has a wider profile and features black trim with a honeycomb-patterned mesh.

The lower intake trim also integrates the front fog lamps, which are visually connected to C-shaped chrome trim on the corners of the bumper on a regular Corolla. With the relocation, the bumper corners get prominent faux air inlets highlighted by horizontal slats.

Elsewhere, there’s black trim around the front Toyota badge that connects the headlamps as well as the lower intake. The side mirror caps are also painted black and the car also comes with an underbody cover. At the rear, you’ll find a new bumper with a diffuser-like element.

Other GR Sport exclusives include sports suspension with retuned dampers, springs and stabilisers; larger 18-inch wheels in an exclusive design and a Dark Gray Metallic finish; wider 225/40 profile tyres; and GR emblems.

Inside the predominantly black interior, the GR Sport gets sport seats with the GR logo stitched on the headrests, along with red stitching and side shoulder covers. More instances of red can be found on the door trim, while the engine start button is GR-branded.

Beyond the sporty touches, the GR Sport is equipped similarly to the 1.8G variant, which now comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as part of an update to the Corolla range.

Other standard features are automatic LED projector headlamps, dual-zone climate control, an electronic parking brake (with auto hold), paddle shifters, an eight-way powered driver’s seat, rear side window sunshades, a Qi wireless charger, a 3D panoramic view monitor and digital video recorders (front and rear).

There’s also a nine-inch Display Audio touchscreen head unit with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, seven airbags, VSC, traction control, ABS, EBD, brake assist, hill start assist, emergency stop signal, a tyre pressure monitoring system and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

2023 Toyota Corolla GR Sport spec sheet; click to enlarge

Like with the 1.8G, the GR Sport variant gets the Toyota Safety Sense suite of safety and driver assistance systems, which include Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA) with Steering Assist & Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), (Automatic High Beam (AHB) and Blind Spot Monitor (BSM).

Another thing shared is the powertrain, with the same 2ZR-FE 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four engine providing 139 PS (138 hp or 103 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 172 Nm of torque, mated to a CVT driving the front wheels.

The Corolla GR Sport is available in three exterior colours, namely Red Mica Metallic, Platinum White Pearl MC and Attitude Black. A five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty accompanies each purchase.

GALLERY: 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Sport

GALLERY: 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Sport official photos

GALLERY: 2023 Toyota Corolla GR Sport Malaysian brochure

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2023 Toyota Corolla GR Sport confirmed for Malaysia – launch on August 28; to be priced at RM152,800?

In Cars, Local News, Toyota / By Gerard Lye / 25 August 2023 1:49 pm / 35 comments

UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has begun teasing the new Toyota Corolla GR Sport, which will be launched in Malaysia this coming Monday on August 28, 2023. The sportified C-segment sedan will join other GR Sport models in the line-up based on the Corolla Cross as well as the Hilux.

UPDATE: The Toyota Corolla GR Sport has been launched in Malaysia, with the regular variants also receiving updates.

The company is not providing official details for now, but based on our previous sighting of a price list for the Corolla which included a GR Sport package option, the upcoming model will come with a GR Sport front bumper, alloy wheels, interior finishing and sports suspension tuning.

Said price list (effective from July 3, 2023) is still accessible on Toyota Malaysia’s website, with the GR Sport package priced at RM5,000. However, it is only offered for the 1.8G variant, which currently has an estimated price of RM147,800 on-the-road without insurance. As such, the Corolla GR Sport will most likely retail for RM152,000. We’ll need to wait until Monday to find out if this is true.

With no mention of engine tweaks, the Corolla GR Sport should retain the same 2ZR-FE 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated inline-four engine that makes 139 PS (138 hp or 103 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 172 Nm of torque, mated to a CVT driving the front wheels. This echoes the Corolla Cross GR Sport and Hilux GR Sport, which only get visual and suspension changes.

The debut of the Corolla GR Sport in Malaysia is delayed when compared to neighbouring markets. In Thailand, the Corolla GR Sport (known as the Corolla Altis GR Sport there) comes with a hybrid powertrain, while in the Philippines, the model is powered by a non-hybrid 1.6 litre NA four-cylinder.

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Toyota Corolla GR Sport – RM152,800 coming soon?

In Cars, Local News, Toyota / By Paul Tan / 6 July 2023 3:50 pm / 28 comments
It looks like UMW Toyota is gearing up to launch a new Toyota Corolla GR Sport based on the Corolla sedan model, as seen from the estimated price list posted under the Corolla page on their website. If you go to the Corolla page and scroll down, you can click View Estimated Price List and you’ll see it. The new pricelist is dated 3rd July 2023.

The Toyota Corolla GR Sport will most likely be priced at RM152,800 as it is a RM5,000 add-on exclusively available to the Corolla 1.8G model which is priced at RM147,800.

According to the pricelist, the GR Sport Package adds on the following:
- GR Sport Design Bumper
- GR Sport Alloy Wheels
- GR Sport Interior Finishing
- GR Sport Suspension Tuning
However, there are no photos of the Toyota Corolla GR Sport anywhere on the website at the moment, which explains why the pricelist is labelled ‘estimated’ at the moment. It must be a teaser of sorts ahead of the unveiling of the car. The picture we used above is the Thailand market car, which is called the Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport.

UMW Toyota Motor’s GR Sport line-up currently consists of the Hilux GR Sport and the Corolla Cross GR Sport. You can also buy a GR Corolla, powered by a 300 PS, 370 Nm 1.6 litre turbocharged engine, six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive that can hit 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds.

GALLERY: Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport (Thailand market)
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2022 Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport launched in the Philippines – Toyota Safety Sense, 1.6L CVT; fr RM108k

In Cars, International News, Toyota / By Gerard Lye / 8 April 2022 12:51 pm / 22 comments

2022 Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid GR Sport (Thailand market)

Following its introduction in Thailand in January, the Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport has now entered the Philippines. According to Autoindustriya, the new variant is priced at 1.302 Philippine pesos (RM108,175), making it PHP87,000 (RM7,129) more expensive than the 1.6 V CVT sold in the country – choosing the White Pearl finish is an additional PHP15,000 (RM1,229).

For the premium, the Corolla Altis GR Sport comes with a new front bumper that features a wider lower grille, joined by fake vertical corner air intakes and gloss black strips in the upper grille. There are also side skirts and a rear bumper lip with diffuser-like fins, while the 17-inch alloy wheels come in a special two-tone design.

Moving inside, red contrast stitching is applied on the leather seats, steering wheel and centre armrest, while in other areas like the door handles, there are red accents as well. To add to the sporty aesthetic, a GR engine start button, paddle shifters and GR-branded floor mats are also included in the kit list.

2022 Toyota Corolla Altis Hybrid GR Sport (Thailand market)

As the new variant is based on an existing one, it gets the same features as the 1.6 V CVT, including a powered driver’s seat, a seven-inch multi-info display, automatic air-conditioning with rear vents, LED headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, keyless entry, an eight-inch touchscreen head unit (with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) and a six-speaker sound system.

The powertrain is the same too, with a 1ZR-FE 1.6 litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder Dual VVT-i engine pushing out 121 PS at 6,000 rpm and 153 Nm of torque at 5,200 rpm. Drive goes to the front wheels via a CVT with a manual mode. In Thailand, the Corolla Altis GR Sport can be had with a 2ZR-FBE 1.8 litre NA engine or a 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre hybrid powerplant.

On the safety side of things, the Corolla Altis GR Sport improves upon the 1.6 V CVT by being the first non-hybrid variant to come with the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) suite of systems. These include Toyota’s Pre-Collision System, Automatic High Beam, Lane Tracing Assist, Lane Departure Alert, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and blind spot monitoring. These join other standard items like seven airbags, ABS, VSC, hill start assist and a reverse camera.

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Toyota Corolla Altis GR Sport revised in Thailand – new look, hybrid variant, standard Toyota Safety Sense

In Cars, International News, Toyota / By Jonathan Lee / 21 January 2022 11:58 am / 10 comments

Toyota Motor Thailand has introduced a new version of the Corolla Altis GR Sport, which has been redesigned and now takes after the Taiwanese model – in a similar fashion to the Corolla Cross GR Sport. Of bigger news is that the look-faster variant can now be had as a hybrid and with the Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assistance systems as standard.

On the outside, the stuck-on bodykit and other aesthetic addenda have been replaced by a new front bumper with a much wider lower grille, plus fake vertical corner air inlets and gloss black strips that give the impression of a larger upper grille. There are also sleeker side skirts and a more subtle rear skirt with an integrated diffuser design. Two-tone versions of the regular 17-inch alloy wheels complete the look.

Inside, the GR Sport is visually identical to before, with red highlights on the door grab handles and leather seats, plus red stitching and GR headrest embossing. A GR engine start button, a new head-up display and a manual rear windscreen sunshade have been added to the kit list, while the hybrid model’s seven-inch digital instrument display has now been made a standard feature on all Corolla Altis variants bar the base 1.6G.

As per the Taiwanese model, the Thai car comes with uprated suspension that consists of revised springs, dampers and rear anti-roll bar. Safety-wise, both petrol and hybrid GR Sport variants come with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane centring assist, lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and automatic high beam.

The petrol car continues to be powered by a 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre naturally-aspirated Dual VVT-i four-cylinder engine, producing 140 PS at 6,000 rpm and 177 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. It is mated to a CVT with seven virtual ratios and steering wheel paddle shifters.

New to the GR Sport is the hybrid powertrain that pairs an Atkinson-cycle version of that mill (which, by the way, churns out 98 PS at 5,200 rpm and 142 Nm at 3,600 rpm) with a 72 PS/163 Nm electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery to generate a total system output of 122 PS. Toyota claims a combined fuel efficiency figure of 23.3 km per litre.

The hybrid HEV GR Sport replaces the previous range-topping Corolla Altis model, the HV Premium Safety, and is priced at 1,114,000 baht (RM141,100). The 1.8 GR Sport, on the other hand, receives a 60,000 baht (RM7,600) price premium and now retails at 1,059,000 baht (RM134,100).

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