A refreshed version of the locally built Toyota Corolla Cross GR-Sport is scheduled to launch in South Africa at some point in 2026, featuring revised exterior styling…
When the facelifted Toyota Corolla Cross hit the market in South Africa in January 2025, the GR-Sport derivatives were – somewhat curiously – cosmetically unchanged. But now we can confirm that the local range is due to welcome updated GR-Sport variants at some point in 2026.
Yes, Toyota SA Motors told Cars.co.za that the revised GR-Sport iteration of the Prospecton-built Corolla Cross is “planned for 2026 introduction”, though added that exact timing and other details would be announced only closer to the launch.
So, for now, all we have to go on are the images you see here. Having just been revealed for European markets, the facelifted Corolla Cross GR-Sport (or GR-S, for short) gains a new derivative-specific front-end design as well as a fresh (19-inch) alloy-wheel design.
In Europe, the Corolla Cross GR-Sport will furthermore be available in a new “Storm Grey” bi-tone colour scheme. Inside, the seats are upholstered in a “suede-like synthetic leather”, complete with “GR” logos and red stitching.
That market’s version – which also boasts a “Sport” mode as well as a “Snow” mode – additionally features bespoke suspension tuning and a 10 mm ride-height drop. Toyota Europe says the steering tune and the paddle shifters “contribute to an engaging and exciting driving experience”.
Though powertrain details for South Africa have yet to be released, we’d expect the updated Corolla Cross GR-S to simply inherit the engine options of the current SA-spec version. That’d mean the choice of either a 103 kW naturally aspirated 1.8-litre petrol engine or a 90 kW 1.8-litre hybrid arrangement, driving the front axle via a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in each case.
As a reminder, though the GR-S derivatives in the current Corolla Cross line-up didn’t score exterior design updates at the recent facelift, they did gain extra features such as sequential indicators, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch touchscreen and a panoramic-view monitor.
The Corolla Cross remains one of Mzansi’s best-selling passenger vehicles, having placed 2nd on the list in 2024 with as many as 21 861 units registered. After the opening 4 months of 2025, the Japanese firm’s locally made crossover finds itself in 3rd place on 5 815 units, behind the Suzuki Swift and Volkswagen Polo Vivo.
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