Toyota makes its official: Fortuner GR Sport arriving in 2025

Known to be in the twilight stages of its lifecycle, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has confirmed that the long rumoured Fortuner GR Sport will finally make its local market debut in the first quarter of 2025.

Its launch coinciding with the ninth edition of the Fortuner Challenge adventure series, the GR Sport has been a consistent topic of speculation ever since going on-sale in two unique versions in Indonesia and then Thailand three years ago.

What to expect

Always hinted at but never formally approved by TSAM, the official teaser image as part of the Fortuner Challenge, sees the GR Sport gaining the same external touches as the Thai variant, namely a GR front bumper, a honeycomb grille and standard side-steps,

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Completing the exterior is a honeycomb pattern for the lower air intake with a GR badge, black headlight surrounds, black mirror caps and darkened alloy wheels.

Likely to be a cost option is the displayed roof box with no images of the rear being depicted.

The same applies to the interior which, in Thailand, boasts faux black leather-and-suede seats with red stitching, GR embroidered headrests, a GR leather-wrapped steering wheel with red 12 o’clock marking, GR floor mats and imitation carbon fibre trim and silver inlays.

A GR starter button, GR graphics within the infotainment system and instrument cluster, alloy pedals and red stitching on the dashboard, gear lever, doors and handbrake are set to round the interior off.

Not mentioned, but likely to be carried over from the “previous generation” Hilux GR Sport, are the mono-tube shock absorbers, upgraded dampers and, in the case of the Thai variant, the uprated brakes.

“Normal” power or 48V?

Up front, expectations are that the Fortuner GR Sport will have the same drivetrain as the Hilux GR Sport III, namely the 165kW/550Nm 2.8 GD-6 engine mated to the revised six-speed automatic gearbox.

Unlikely, but also unconfirmed, is the prospects of the GR Sport possibly being modelled on the Fortuner 48V, whose 48-volt mild-hybrid system adds an additional 12kW/65Nm for short spells to the GD-6’s “standard outputs” of 150kW/500Nm.

Expect a price hike

For the moment, pricing remains unknown, however, expect a premium over the R950 900 for the normal GD-6 VX 4×4 and the top-spec 48V VX 4×4’s R961 800.

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