29 April 2026 • Cars Now Brunei
The Vios has always been a solid choice for Brunei. Reliable, practical, easy to run, NBT everywhere if anything goes wrong. But exciting? Not really. The HEV GR Sport changes that conversation. Toyota has taken the Vios platform, added a proper self-charging hybrid system, handed the suspension and steering to the Gazoo Racing team, and wrapped the whole thing in GR Sport styling that actually looks the part. This isn't a badge-engineered cash grab. The changes underneath are real, and you feel them.
Toyota Vios HEV GR Sport Front View
Fuel Type: 1.5L Self-Charging Hybrid (HEV), no plugging in required
The GR Sport treatment starts at the front and doesn't let up. The exclusive honeycomb grille gives it a more aggressive face than the standard Vios, the kind that actually gets noticed at a bahia meet. Step up to the 17-inch GR alloy rims in dark tones and the smoke-finished LED taillights at the back, and the whole package feels cohesive rather than add-on. Inside, GR branding shows up where it matters: embossed headrests, GR steering wheel, GR push-start button. It's subtle enough to feel premium and present enough that you remember what you're driving.
Toyota Vios HEV GR Sport Exterior Side Profile
Toyota Vios HEV GR Sport Interior
For a B-segment sedan at this price, the tech list is genuinely impressive. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a 10.1-inch display means no cables cluttering the dashboard. The 7-inch digital instrument cluster shows your power flow in real time, which is the kind of thing that keeps you engaged on the highway. Rear air-con vents are a must in Brunei's afternoon heat and they're here. And Toyota Safety Sense, with Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping, makes the Tutong-BSB stretch a lot more relaxed. The 64-colour ambient lighting is the feature that sounds gimmicky and then ends up being the thing everyone comments on during night drives through Gadong.
Toyota Vios HEV GR Sport 10.1 Inch Display
This is where the GR Sport trim earns its name. The Gazoo Racing-tuned suspension and steering make a real difference through corners, sharper turn-in, more confidence when you push it through those Jerudong curves. It's not a sports car, and nobody is pretending it is. But compared to a standard Vios, it feels noticeably more planted and responsive. The electric motor adds a punch off the line that makes city driving feel livelier than 9.5 seconds to 100 would suggest on paper. EV mode is genuinely quiet, which is one of those things you only appreciate once you've experienced it during a slow crawl through Gadong traffic. The one honest trade-off: the GR suspension tuning is firmer than the standard model. On smooth roads it's fine. On some of Brunei's rougher stretches, you feel it.
Toyota Vios HEV GR Sport on the Road
Up to 27.8 km/L is the claimed figure, and in real-world Brunei driving, mixed city and highway, you're realistically looking at somewhere in the low-to-mid 20s. That's still exceptional for a B-segment sedan. If you're doing the KB to BSB commute regularly, the fuel savings over a standard petrol car add up fast. And because this is a self-charging hybrid, there's no home charger to install, no public charging to hunt for, and no range anxiety. It just works.
The HEV GR Sport sits above the standard Vios range, which makes sense given everything it brings. The premium over a regular 1.5G is real, but when you factor in the fuel savings on a daily commute and the GR-specific hardware underneath, the case for it holds up. As always, contact NBT Brunei directly for the confirmed OTR figure since promotions can shift things.
Estimated OTR Price: BND 36,000 - 39,000 (contact NBT Brunei for confirmed pricing)
The best Vios ever made. If you've been waiting for the Vios to grow into something worth getting genuinely excited about, this is the one. The GR suspension and steering make it the sharpest-handling Vios in history, the hybrid system is effortless in the Brunei context, and the tech list embarrasses a lot of cars in a higher price bracket. The firmer ride on rough roads and a slight loss of boot depth for the battery are the only real trade-offs. For a daily driver that you'll enjoy every single time you get in, it's hard to make a better argument at this price.
