Toyota Corollas in the past decade or so have been heavy on being practical but maybe a little light on being fun. Toyota have tried to address this in the latest Corolla Hatch starting with the engine. Gone is Toyota's old and somewhat underpowered 1.8L 4-cylinder. The Corolla Hatch instead gets a new 2.0L 4-cylinder making 168 horsepower, taking straight line speed from adequate to smile-inducing. Power is sent to the front wheels through either a continuously variable transmission or a 6-speed manual.
The Corolla Hatch comes in two basic trims, a base SE and an upmarket XSE. Buyers opting for the base model will still get a well-equipped vehicle for the price. Standard equipment on the SE includes an 8-inch touch screen display for the center stack, a 4.2-inch screen in the driver's instrument panel, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility, a 6-speaker sound system, Bluetooth streaming, Siri Eyes Free mode, a USB media port and two USB charging ports, voice recognition as well as Toyota's Safety Connect service with a complimentary 3-year subscription. The infotainment system can also be controlled by redundant audio controls mounted on the leather wrapped steering wheel, while buyers opting for the CVT transmission will also get paddle shifters behind that steering wheel.
The XSE costs about $3,000 more than the SE, but it also looks more expensive with sharp looking 18-inch wheels, LED fog lamps, a chrome front grill surround and color keyed, heated exterior mirrors. Inside, the XSE comes with dual-zone climate control a bigger 7-inch TFT display for the driver and leather trimmed seats with heating for the front seats.
Standard safety features include the standard suite of airbags, traction control and stability control as well as Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 System, which includes a pre-collision detection system, a lane departure alert system, automatic high beams, road sign assist and dynamic radar-controlled cruise control. The XSE also comes with a blind spot monitoring system.
Slick Styling
Big Interior
Compact Footprint
Good Fuel Economy
Fun To Drive
Infotainment And Technology
The Toyota Corolla has been primarily a sedan for the past 20 years, but with 2019, Toyota is bringing back the hatchback body style. Some of Toyota's most iconic fun cars have been hatchbacks and Toyota has been quick to embrace this connection, tuning the new Corolla Hatchback to be more fun, engaging and quick to get around corners than its more grown up sedan counterpart. Of course, the main purpose of a hatchback is to provide extra practicality and interior space while keeping similar exterior dimensions to the sedan. The Corolla Hatchback succeeds here as well, providing lots of space for both its occupants and their cargo.
The Corolla Hatchback slots nicely into the compact car segment, competing with the likes of the Honda Civic and the Nissan Sentra. The Corolla 'Hatch' as its been dubbed, is aimed squarely at young people who value practicality and fun at a price that won't break the bank. The Corolla Hatch certainly manages to look the part, somehow looking both cooler and more mature than its rival, the Civic hatchback. With a base price starting at under $20,000, it manages to do a pretty good job of keeping its price reasonable as well. Of course, there is one other very good reason to buy a Corolla Hatchback or any Toyota for that matter: Toyota's legendary reliability.
