Toyota Fortuner GR – Sport – Review

Toyota Fortuner GR‑Sport (GR‑S)

Looking sharp enough to turn heads at the robot takeover.
Toyota dresses up the Fortuner GR‑Sport in two exclusive finishes—Attitude Black or Platinum Pearl White—with a daring new front bumper, lower grille, black spoiler, fog bezels, and a sculpted rear diffuser. Sporting 18‑inch black GR alloy wheels, it’s all dressed to impress—no subtlety here, just bold presence

Inside: a cockpit for wannabe rally drivers.
Enter a cabin wrapped in black-and-red—a dramatic theatre of perforated suede‑leather sports seats, red stitching, GR–branded headrests, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a red 12‑o’clock mark, GR start button, aluminium sport pedals, carbon‑effect trims, and a GR instrument cluster. Sporty? Oh yes—but with a refined, motorsport-themed twist

Finally, some grunt to match the look.
Under the hood lies Toyota’s 2.8 GD‑6 turbodiesel, now teased to 165 kW and 550 Nm—a modest but welcome bump over the standard 150 kW/500 Nm. Power is sent to all four wheels via a trusty 6‑speed auto

Ride quality: From slightly snoozy to cheeky.
A tuned monotube shock absorber setup smooths out rough roads and gives the Fortuner a more confident feel—especially when you flick it into Sport mode, where overtaking becomes notably more effortless It’s snugger, more composed—still not a sports car, but don’t tell it that.

Tech and safety: All the usual suspects, minus a few extras.
You get the VX trim’s gear—an 8‑inch infotainment system (still wired CarPlay/Android Auto), JBL audio, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise, lane‑departure warning, blind‑spot, cross‑traffic alert, a 360-view camera, and Toyota Safety Sense suite No wireless mirroring and you still fold the third-row seats awkwardly—classic, dependable Toyota quirks‍

Price tag: R999 000—fashionably expensive.
At just under a million rands, the GR‑Sport jumps above the mild-hybrid VX (R961 800)—and matches its Hilux GR‑Sport counterpart. It includes a 3‑year/100 000 km warranty and a 9‑service/90 000 km plan

In a few words (with a wink):
If the OG Fortuner had a glow-up and joined a gym, this is it—sportier, stronger, sassier. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but grips it with added confidence. For Fortuner faithfuls craving a dash of GR flair, this is your SUV with a little extra swagger—just don’t expect it to stage‑drift past the competition.