GTP Cool Wall: 2018- Toyota Corolla Hatchback

2018- Toyota Corolla Hatchback

  • Total voters
    68
  • Poll closed .
GranTurNismo

GranTurNismo

3,655
United States
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
2018- Toyota Corolla Hatchback nominated by @Obelisk



Body Style: 5-door hatchback
Engine: 1.2L 8NR-FTS I4,1.8L 2ZR-FXE I4, 1.8L 2ZR-FAE I4, 2.0L M20A-FKS I4
Power: 114hp (1.2), 121-139hp (1.8), 169hp (2.0)
Torque: 105-151 lb-ft
Weight: 1240-1295kg
Transmission: 6-speed manual or CVT
Drivetrain: front-engine, front-wheel drive








 
Should've been called Matrix instead of "Corolla Hatchback", at least in the US. Anyway, this is one of the most appealing Corollas the US has gotten in quite a while. The overall design of the car is quite attractive, the fit-and-finish is nice, and it seems like a much more competitive product than the Scion iM or the 2nd-gen Matrix. The sporty package, XSE, seems promising with a 6-speed manual and 170hp; it has enough oomph to be a fun car, but not enough of a hot-hatch to be popular with the GTI/Focus ST "bros", which is a plus.

In summary, it's a pretty nice car, though still an everyday car, therefore Meh.
 
Pretty nice little car. Nothing special, so I'll vote meh but it's certainly not too bad looking, and the stats look nice as well.
 
It's got enough going for it that I may regard it as cool in five years or so, but it's still a new car now, and a pretty plain FWD Toyota with so-so styling. It hasn't had any time to accumulate coolness. I'm not sure I've even seen one yet. Meh.

A 3-door with worthwhile AWD would probably qualify as cool in my book. This is one of those hatchbacks where the rear passenger doors look out of place.
 
bumped uncool corollas up to a meh. the 2.0 almost gets it into cool territory but the optional CVT reverses that.
 
Well, that's certainly a car and conjures up no real strong feelings one way or another. Since I've never really agreed with "meh" being a legit option, I'll go with uncool because it's really uninteresting.
 
When a mid-trim Chevrolet Cruze is a better car in every way, for less money, there is no way the Corolla hatch could ever be cool.
With the CVT automatic, this is the most soul-sucking of appliances, wrapped in typically questionable modern Toyota styling.
 
Duke
With the CVT automatic, this is the most soul-sucking of appliances
Click to expand...
Hey, uh...

Have you test-driven one of these? More engaging than you'd think, and the CVT's far more reactive than previous Toyota iterations. It has a physical launch gear so it can accelerate more quickly, which allowed for the CVT to have a smaller band between the...flywheels, I think they're called? Anyways, it reacts much faster to throttle input due to the narrower band.

As a side note, I traded in a 2016 Mazda3 for this car and the Corolla honestly does better at a lot of things, save for steering weight.
 
I testdrove a 2018 when DD#1's then-boyfriend was car shopping. Personally, I thought it was awful.
 
I reviewed it last year, and while I think it's really quite a good car in its class now — easily a contender, and no longer a penalty box on wheels — @Wolfe nails it. It's too new. For this particular type of car, maybe it'd be cool in a decade or two, but not right now. It balances to a Meh, but sticking to the original belief that a meh car is therefore an Uncool car, well... Uncool.

It's a great platform for GR to turn into a hot hatch, though...
 
I saw it at the autoshow recently... Surprisingly nice interior, especially compared to mother's 2014 Corolla!

I'm leaning towards "Meh" because although it's nice it's just transportation, nothing special about it.
 
I like the new Corollas (like I might even buy one), but the sanctity of cool must be preserved & reserved for more deserving metal.

Uncool.
 
Last edited:
Duke
When a mid-trim Chevrolet Cruze is a better car in every way, for less money, there is no way the Corolla hatch could ever be cool.
With the CVT automatic, this is the most soul-sucking of appliances, wrapped in typically questionable modern Toyota styling.
Click to expand...
Chevrolet Cruze is a well known grenade at this point though.

I wouldn't say this car is uncool, but it's isn't cool to own a corolla so Meh it is.
 
I rank the current Corolla as one of the top 3 best looking cars in its class right now, but wearing one of the most basic nameplates in motoring holds it back from being anything higher than meh.
 

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