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TOYOTA FORTUNER GR SPORT - GAZOO RACING GOES GAME FISHING Road Test - The Bugle KZN

TOYOTA FORTUNER GR SPORT - GAZOO RACING GOES GAME FISHING Road Test - The Bugle KZN

Author: By Independent Bugle Reporter
Date: 2026-03-27

There are test drives and then there are test drives. Pointing a white Toyota Fortuner GR Sport up the North Coast toward Prince's Grant Golf Estate on a clear KZN morning falls firmly into the second category. Hardship, this was not.

Toyota's Gazoo Racing division has been working its way methodically through the local lineup, sprinkling performance fairy dust wherever it lands. The Fortuner GR Sport is the latest recipient and honestly, it may be the most convincing argument yet for the whole GR-Sport philosophy.

Under that purposeful bonnet sits an uprated 2.8-litre GD-6 turbodiesel producing 165 kW and a deeply satisfying 550 Nm of torque, routed through a six-speed automatic to all four wheels. Those numbers represent a meaningful step up from the standard Fortuner and you feel every single one of them the moment you ask the question on an open stretch of the N2.

The ride to Prince's Grant was effortless and commanding in the way that only a properly sorted suspension can manage. Toyota has fitted GR-tuned monotube shock absorbers and the difference over the standard car is immediately apparent. Body control is tighter, cornering more composed, yet the ride remains entirely civilised over the North Coast's less glamorous road surfaces.

Outside, the white Platinum Pearl paint against those 18-inch GR alloy wheels and red brake calipers makes a statement that is aggressive without being theatrical. Inside, the black and red perforated leather cabin with GR-branded headrests and aluminium sport pedals wraps you in motorsport intention without sacrificing the seven-seat practicality that Fortuner buyers rightly demand.

The Fortuner GR includes a three-year/100 000 km warranty and a nine-service/90 000 km service plan.