Toyota South Africa recently took the covers off their Corolla Cross GR-S and now the latest model to receive the GR treatment is the ever-popular Hilux.
Exterior Design
Upgrades to the Hilux GR-S include a large and prominent black front grille, horizontal cross bar and Toyota lettering across the bar. Toyota has applied special treatment to the LED headlights, with the air ducts being stacked vertically. Integrated LED fog lamps are housed in the air ducts.
Noteworthy, the bumpers of the Hilux GR-S are based on the Raider model design opposed to the Legend model design. They include wider black overfenders with contrasting inserts to enhance the aggressive appearance. Further upgrades to the Hilux GR-S include black mirror caps, black door handles, black side steps and rear styling bar with GR branding. Optionally available are GR side decals on the doors.
Interior Design
Inside, upgrades to the Hilux GR-S include a new instrument cluster which includes metallic bezels and red needles, bespoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with red contrasting stitching and sporty aluminium pedals with rubber inserts. The Push Start Button and centre console also receive GR branding.
Carbon-fibre trim is present opposed to the brushed finish found in Legend models. The carbon-fibre trim is paired with red accent trim, enhancing the performance look and feel.
The front seats of the Hilux GR-S are racing-inspired and feature Alcantara inserts. The seats also boast GR branding on the headrests, red accent panels as well as power adjustment for the driver's seat.
Engine and Handling
The GR-S models are usually only meant to receive visual and handling upgrades however the Hilux GR-S sports an increased power output of 165kW and 550Nm of torque - 15kW and 50Nm of torque more. This has been made possible thanks to a special ECU calibration which interfaces with revised 6-speed automatic transmission mapping and lock-up control in order to ensure optimized power delivery. This results in 0.65 seconds shaved off of the 0-100km/h sprint time. Only one drivetrain is available in the Hilux GR-S - a 4x4 transaxle mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with Auto LSD function.
Beneath the skin, the Hilux GR-S sports new monotube shock absorbers which are paired with stiffer coil springs in order to deliver improved high-speed stability and handling response. The Hilux GR-S also boasts a wheel and tyre package which features bespoke 17-inch alloy wheels in a Titanium finish, with the tyres having been revised with taller profile 265-65-R17 rubber, offering enhanced off-road performance.
Safety and Security
The Hilux GR-S benefits from Toyota Safety Sense which includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert and pre-collision system. These safety features are complimented by ABS, VSC, EBD, hill assist control and brake assist systems. Passive safety features are comprised of ISOFIX and a full array of airbags.
Pricing
The Toyota Hilux GR-S 2.8 GD-6 4x4 6AT is priced at R865,400 and includes a 9-services/ 90 000km service plan (intervals set at 10 000km) and 3-year/ 100 000km warranty. Service and warranty plan extensions can also be purchased from any other Toyota dealer.
All Toyota models come equipped with Toyota Connect which includes a complimentary 15gb in car Wi-Fi allocation, vehicle telematics and enhanced user features via the My Toyota App.