Key highlights:
- New-generation HiLux GR Sport reportedly arriving in 2027
- Toyota Australia has not confirmed a local launch
- Wide-track design and 165kW engine tune could return
Toyota could bring back the off-road-focused HiLux GR Sport next year, potentially reviving the wide-track design that made the previous-generation flagship ute stand out. A new report from South Africa suggests the next-generation GR Sport is on the way, although Toyota Australia has yet to confirm whether it will join the local line-up.
The previous Australian HiLux GR Sport combined Dakar Rally-inspired off-road hardware, extra engine performance and practical workhorse capability, making it a popular choice among lifestyle-focused ute buyers.
Next-generation HiLux GR Sport: What we know
Toyota South Africa CEO Andrew Kirby told Cars.co.za that a new-generation HiLux GR Sport would arrive in South Africa sometime in 2027, and he described it as an “exciting product” but declined to reveal further details.
Toyota Australia has also responded to questions about the reported comeback, and a spokesperson told Drive Australia:
“The previous generation HiLux GR Sport was very popular with customers. Should a GR Sport become available in the future, we will certainly look at it, but we don’t have anything to announce today.”
This leaves the Australian launch unconfirmed, despite the positive response to the previous model.
The biggest question is whether Toyota will bring back the wide-track configuration introduced with the Australian-market GR Sport in 2023. That version arrived late in the previous HiLux generation’s life cycle and featured substantially more than cosmetic changes.
The latest HiLux, launched last year, retains the previous model’s basic underpinnings and overall footprint. This should make it easier for Toyota to accommodate the wider wheel track developed for the previous-generation Rogue in 2023.
However, Toyota has not confirmed whether the next GR Sport will receive the full package or a less extensive version of the upgrades. Given the engineering investment Toyota made towards the end of the previous generation, a return of the wide-track layout remains a possibility.
What made the previous HiLux GR Sport special?
The Australian-market 2023-25 HiLux GR Sport sat above the regular SR5 and received extensive mechanical, suspension and styling upgrades. It aimed to combine off-road capability inspired by Toyota’s Dakar Rally experience with the practicality expected from a dual-cab work ute.
| Equipment | Previous-gen GR Sport |
|---|---|
| Wheels | 17-inch black alloy wheels |
| Tyres | Bridgestone Dueler all-terrain |
| Suspension | KYB suspension |
| Brakes | Four-wheel disc brakes, shared with Rogue |
| Off-road protection | Rock rails |
| Exterior | Restyled front fascia and wider tracks |
| Interior | Suede-accented trim |
The upgraded suspension and wider stance helped distinguish the GR Sport from conventional HiLux grades, and the company also increased the output of the familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.
| Specification | Standard HiLux | Previous GR Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel | 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel |
| Power | 150kW | 165kW |
| Torque | 500Nm | 550Nm |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic | Recalibrated 6-speed automatic |
The GR Sport gained an extra 15kW and 50Nm over the standard engine tune, and it also featured a recalibrated 6-speed automatic transmission to suit the additional performance.
Also read: Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series prices rise by $1300 in Australia
Could the latest HiLux inherit these upgrades?
The latest-generation HiLux has yet to receive the previous GR Sport’s 165kW engine tune or wider-track configuration, but Toyota has carried some of the previous flagship’s hardware improvements into the broader range. For example, rear disc brakes are now standard from the SR5 grade upwards.
The company has also suggested that improvements to the latest HiLux’s ride and handling reflect work previously carried out on the wider-track Rogue and GR Sport. This raises the possibility that Toyota could introduce a new GR Sport with a more specialised package rather than simply repeating every upgrade from the previous model.
Toyota has previously offered several GR Sport versions
The GR Sport badge has not always represented the same mechanical package across international markets. Before introducing the wide-track Australian version in 2023, Toyota sold four HiLux GR Sport versions concurrently:
- Styling-focused packages for Europe
- Styling-focused versions for Thailand
- Styling-focused versions for Japan
- A narrow-body, power-boosted version for South Africa
This means the next GR Sport does not necessarily have to follow the Australian wide-track formula, and Toyota could tailor the latest version to individual markets, although it has not revealed its plans.
Toyota Australia has previously hinted at a wide-track comeback
Toyota executives have discussed the possibility of bringing back the wider-track configuration before, and when Drive Australia asked about its return last year, then-Toyota Australia sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley responded:
“You’ll have to wait and see on that one.”
Toyota Australia senior product planning specialist Rodney Lyons also addressed the possibility in September.
“Yeah, I think there’s a possibility for that [wide-track to return] in the future [but there’s] nothing to announce at the moment.”
Lyons explained that Toyota considered the previous wide-track GR Sport successful and believed some of its engineering improvements had already influenced the latest HiLux. He pointed specifically to ride and handling improvements.
The wider-track Rogue and GR Sport offered a more refined on-road driving experience, and Toyota believes the latest-generation HiLux delivers a similar feel without needing the wider track. That suggests the next GR Sport could also build on an already improved foundation rather than start from scratch.
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