2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback Review: Bringing Fun to the Corolla
Winding Road Handling Test
Toyota set out to make the Corolla hatch feel fun, which is hard to do. Fun isn’t an objective stat, like horsepower (168), or 0-60 (7.5 seconds), instead, it is subjective. Driving fun is a sensation felt by the driver. To that end, I took the Corolla hatch to Angeles Crest Highway, one of Los Angeles’ great driving roads, to see how fun it really is.
I had only just started the run up ACH when I realized that Toyota was on to something with the new Corolla. With it’s slightly long gearing (for fuel economy reasons), the Corolla is best driven by finding your favorite winding road and promptly sitting on the second gear rev limiter all the way through.
As you bang off that 6,800 RPM rev limiter, listening to all 16 valves dance inside the engine’s cylinder head, you will be rewarded with a rather nice sound. People forget that inline-fours can produce a great induction note, and, surprisingly, it’s a Toyota Corolla that reminded me of this. While the exhaust note is all but absent, this M20A engine has a very pleasant on-throttle growl from the intake.
At the limit of grip, the Corolla, like most every other front-wheel drive car, will understeer. Though, just below those limits of adhesion, I found myself laughing quite a lot. The Dunlop all-season rubber, which measures 225/40R18, howl away through the corners. It’s a good sign with the new Corolla, because it means that the chassis is way more capable than the tires. This shows in mid-corner bumps, and over broken pavement, where the Corolla hatch is basically unflappable. You can stay full throttle around the corner and the car soaks up the bump with ease.
This really is a lot of fun driving through a winding road.
On the Daily Drive/Real World Fuel Economy
Other than the occasional hiccup from the funky clutch, the Corolla works just as well in the real world. With the flat torque curve of the M20A engine, the car feels sprightly around town, and in traffic. The engine and 6-speed combo also proved to be quite fuel efficient. Over my week, and 723.8 miles with the car, I achieved a real world fuel economy figure of 35, which is excellent. Amusingly, the Corolla hatch is a fuel sipper even when being thrashed. Exactly 100 of those 723.8 miles were done at Angeles Crest, where it returned a fuel economy stat of 19.6. Impressive considering the car was at full throttle for most of the time. Most cars get about 12 MPG doing the same loop.
The practicality of the hatchback shape becomes apparent when back seat passengers are part of the equation. The Corolla hatchback can easily accommodate four six-foot tall passengers. With much of the Corolla’s 169.9-inch length being wheelbase, there is ample leg and knee room for rear passengers. The only trade-off seems to be cargo space in the hatch itself. For whatever reason, the trunk floor is raised high by the spare tire assembly, limiting maximum usability.
Much like my winding road test showcased, the Corolla is a comfortable place to spend time. The suspension irons out rough roads, which, in Los Angeles, describes most of them. Once I had fallen into syncopation with the Corolla, and got a handle on the clutch, it proved to be a very calming ride.
Continue reading about the Toyota Corolla hatchback on the next page…
