Toyota confirms pricing and specs on 2021 C-HR GR Sport

Toyota will use the 2021 C-HR GR Sport to launch the GR Sport sub-brand in Australia, and we now know for how much.

Sitting below full-on GR cars like the GR Yaris and GR Supra, the C-HR GR Sport offers all the styling and suspension tweaks of cars of that ilk, without the boosted engine bits.

It's a similar strategy employed by brands like Hyundai for its N-Line cars.

7

Based on the front-wheel-drive C-HR GXL, the GR Sport brings a range of sporty styling enhancements such as a GR Sport front bumper bar, 19-inch black GR alloy wheels, sports seats, unique trim pieces and GR branding throughout.

Priced at $37,665, it's line ball with the hybrid-powered Koba variant, and offers a black roof as its only option on Crystal Pearl, Hornet Yellow and Feverish Red hues.

Power comes from the range-topping C-HR Koba’s 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated hybrid four-cylinder engine, supplying a combined 90kW to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission; pay no mind to the manual transmission depicted in photos.

7

Suspension tweaks

Despite the standard powertrain, Toyota insists the new C-HR GR Sport isn’t all about looks. The uprated suspension is said to deliver a more enjoyable dynamic driving experience, it drops the ride height by 15mm on retuned springs.

The dampers and roll bars have been tuned to suit, while tyres are sized 225/45. GR engineers have also looked at the steering and installed extra bracing, while its brake calipers are finished white.

The interior kit mirrors that of the most affordable C-HR GXL, meaning the inclusion of 8.0-inch infotainment with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto capability, wireless smartphone charging, dual-zone climate control.

7

Adaptive cruise control is one of many active safety features, including blind-spot monitoring, road sign assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.

The GR Sport C-HR takes things one step further inside, adding leather accented sport seats, dark silver paint surrounds, and a GR Sport start button. Oh, and there are also metal pedals.

It's offered with Toyota's capped price servicing program, pegging the first five services at $200. It's backed, of course, by a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty.

7

GR Sport is just another step on Toyota’s journey to creating a larger range with more performance cars under the Gazoo Racing banner, fulfilling a promise to customers to provide a more exciting line-up.

"When we launched our GR performance brand last year with the GR Supra, Toyota hadn't had a serious high-performance sports car in its line-up for 17 years, but together with the new GR Yaris that arrives next month, we are well and truly back on the performance track," said Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley.

"And just like the dedicated GR sports cars, the performance-enhanced GR Sport models like the new C-HR GR Sport, are inspired by the lessons and technology derived from Toyota's championship-winning motorsports program," he said.