Check out the Toyota Raize GR Sport

The Toyota Raize may be aging, having been on the market for a few years now without any major updates, but the Japanese automaker is keen on breathing new life into it by adding a sporty touch.

Now available for the Indonesian market, Toyota has introduced a GR Sport (or GR-S) trim for the subcompact crossover, and no this isn’t just a kit added by dealers just like here in the Philippines. This is the real thing.

So what exactly comes with the new Toyota Raize GR-S?

The exterior gets the most obvious upgrades starting with the chunky front and rear bumper GR Sport aerokits, GR Sport side skirts, a black and red decal on the rear doors and C-pillars, of course, GR Sport badging, and the 17-inch alloy wheels receive a blacked-out finish instead of the standard two-tone finish.

Not much has changed inside, but it does get a GR badge on the three-spoke steering wheel, along with paddle shifters and a PWR (Power) mode button on the steering wheel (standard on the Philippine-spec 1.0 Turbo variant). Also new for all grades is an updated nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Optional accessories include carbon fiber-look side mirror covers; and GR-branded scuff plates, carbon-look door handle protectors, side body moulding, and shift knob.

No mechanical upgrades have been added under the hood of the Toyota Raize GR-S, having a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder (1KR-VET) engine. As before, it produces 98 horsepower and 140Nm of torque, mated to a CVT that sends power to the front wheels.

It does however get upgraded safety with available Toyota Safety Sense (TSS). This advanced driver-assist system suite includes autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and prevention, and blind spot monitoring, among others.

With the Toyota Raize already here in the Philippine market for almost four years, it could really use an update. Do you think Toyota Motor Philippines should bring in the Raize GR Sport to breathe new life into their most affordable subcompact crossover?

_{Photos from Toyota}