A sportier, fuel efficient, practical Corolla hatchback is here to break stereotypes of a typical boring Japanese hatchback
The Toyota Corolla hatchback first broke its cover at this year’s New York Motor show where it drew a lot of attention. One thing which made the Corolla hatch stand out in the crowd was the fact that it looked nothing like the older car. The hatchback looked sporty and quite aggressive at the same time while it is now also lower, wider and longer than its predecessor.
The new hatchback underpins Toyota’s new Global architecture platform (TNGA) which also supports plenty of other models in their lineup as well. This new platform has helped improve the cars handling and body rigidity. Besides featuring a new platform the hatchback also features a new sportier suspension setup towards the front and a sophisticated multilink suspension towards the rear.
The hatchbacks look quite sporty and get a big front mouth which now has become quite common in almost all the Toyota cars. The rest of the hatch too looks equally sporty with lines and creases all across its body. The hatchback uses a standard 18-inch wheel wrapped in with Dunlop SP Sport 5000 performance-oriented all-season tires.
Just like its exterior, the Corolla gets an upgraded interior as well which features softer materials positioned on the dash, upper door panels, centre console, and armrests while it also gets contrasting colours inside to draw everyone’s attention. Besides the improved materials, the interior now features a bigger eight-inch infotainment system which comes as standard across the range. This infotainment system features Apple CarPlay only, but not Android Auto as yet.
The Corolla hatchback sold in the markets of US gets a new naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit which produces about 168 Hp of peak power and around 204 Nm of torque. The engine is paired to a 6-speed manual transmission as standard with an automatic rev-matching system which can be turned on or off with a press of a button along with an optional ‘Dynamic Shift’ CVT transmission.
Many International publications that test drove the car said that the hatchback scored decently in the ride and handling department and also is practical enough at the same time. The car feels quite engaging to drive while it also manages to return a decent fuel efficiency figures at the same time.
Toyota Corolla Hatchback Image Gallery