I'm not normally one of the "it should come with a manual" people, but I'm not sure I fully understand offering an "FX" version and not giving it a manual option.
That said, it does look pretty cool.
Photography courtesy Toyota unless otherwise credited
Remember the Toyota Corolla FX16? We do. Heck, we even ran them as factory-backed magazine project cars, putting an up-and-coming autocrosser named Randy Pobst behind the wheel. The year was 1987.
Photograph courtesy GRM archives
Toyota aimed the Corolla FX16 at the competition from Honda, VW and, well, just about everyone else: front-drive layout, spinny 4AGE engine and a five-speed box.
Toyota just announced a Corolla Hatchback FX for the 2026 model year: 18-inch gloss-white wheels (“black lug nuts give an unexpected wow factor,” says the release) plus “improved aerodynamics” (also quoting the press release) and a rear badge said to recall the one from the ’80s. Inside, the new car gets sporty seats with black suede inserts and orange stitching. Paint colors include Inferno, Ice Cap, and Blue Crush Metallic.
Mechanically, the Corolla Hatchback FX is based on the SE package, meaning the 169-horsepower inline-four. That’d be a strong number for 1987 but, today, falls a little shy of the 300 or so found in our current sport compacts. As Toyota dropped the manual box from the non-GR Corolla a little while ago, this new FX only comes with the CVT.
Perhaps, just maybe, Toyota could offer this package on the GR Corolla as well….
I'm not normally one of the "it should come with a manual" people, but I'm not sure I fully understand offering an "FX" version and not giving it a manual option.
That said, it does look pretty cool.
Hard to support an "enthusiast" car equipped with a CVT :(
Im wondering how they improved the aero, looks to be the exact same when compared to the normal SE/XSE hatches (aside from wheels of course).
I believe the aero they're talking about means the roof spoiler thing.
Can I just buy the badge for my GR? This sounds like Subaru when they said they were bringing the 2.5RS back, I thought cool! Even without turbo, this could be fun. Nope, CVT only for what they called their "enthusiast" model.
That's a stunning little car in that color with the white wheels! I mean the current gen Corolla always looks pretty good but, wow. They're not making very many so I have no doubt they'll find enough buyers who like the look but don't care about the driving dynamics.
In reply to CrashDummy :
To me, it sort of feels like the limited edition models that Scion used to make. Yeah, they weren't any faster, but they did offer some unique paint options and didn't make a whole bunch, so I think there's some level of "collectability."
CrashDummy said:That's a stunning little car in that color with the white wheels! I mean the current gen Corolla always looks pretty good but, wow. They're not making very many so I have no doubt they'll find enough buyers who like the look but don't care about the driving dynamics.
Yeah, that color combo looks really good and if it had a manual it would be even better.
In reply to Colin Wood :
At least they had "X of 2000" or whatever badges. ;^) (Some had a few options that were special, later xBs had the grill, I think interior upgrades too.)
Also, if they use the same brake pads as my GR, those white wheels will be filthy in 50 miles. I cleaned my orange wheels Monday, today after ~75 miles they look untouched.)
Price?
while i applaud Toyota for using some fun colors on one of their cars, shame on them for calling paint a special edition. When your marketing department has to call attention to lug nuts you know what you did was wrong.
Displaying 1-10 of 17 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
