Facelifted Toyota C-HR Receives Gazoo Racing Goodies In Japan

GA-C is thy name, and the first Toyota to be underpinned by this member of the TNGA is the Prius. Three years after production started in Japan at the Iwate plant in the prefecture with the same name as the town, the C-HR is now available with know-how from Toyota’s Gazoo Racing high-performance division.

GR Sport is how this bad boy is called, and it’s exclusive to the Japanese domestic market for obvious reasons. The overhauled front fascia is akin to the RX-78 series Gundam mobile suit, the kind of look that wouldn’t appeal to C-HR customers in the Western Hemisphere for obvious reasons. Gazzo Racing badging numbers four logos on the exterior alone, and four more can be seen on the speedo, steering wheel, and snug front seats with more bolstering than you’d expect.

Speaking of the front seats, the black-and-white upholstery isn’t mirrored by the all-black rear seats. This is another sign that Gazoo Racing didn’t have the final word in the development of the C-HR GR Sport, which can only be described as a visual package. But you’d be wrong because the go-faster division's engineers were allowed to bring changes to the stabilizers, shock absorbers, and coil springs in addition to the steering system of the FWD subcompact crossover.

You’ve heard that right! Only available with front-wheel drive, the C-HR GR Sport further sweetens the deal with 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 225/45 tires, different bezels for the fog lights, aluminum pedals, and dark silver trim throughout the cabin. We can’t understand why the start/stop button reads GR, but then again, what did you expect?

Toyota had to spruce things up as much as possible to justify the starting price, namely ¥2,732,000 for the S-T trim level with the six-speed manual transmission and 1.2-liter turbo. That’s $25,100 at current exchange rates while the 1.8-liter hybrid powertrain with the S trim level retails at ¥3,095,000 or approximately $28,500.