2017 Toyota Corolla 50th Anniversary
Special Edition
Toyota’s long victory lap for the
Corolla this year began at the 2016 New York Auto Show with the debut of its
50th Anniversary Special Edition and sporty-ish XSE models. The Corolla hasn’t
really been accused of getting many hearts racing over its 50-year history, but
with more than 40 million examples sold since 1966, the most-popular car on the
planet has nothing to apologize for in regard to its unprecedented run.
The 2017 Toyota Corolla 50th Anniversary
Special Edition will be limited to only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and goes on sale
this fall. The SE-based 50th Anniversary car will sport unique 17-inch gray
wheels, black seats with “Black Cherry” stitching and matching dark red dash
panels, and unique exterior colors including Black Cherry, “Blizzard Pearl,”
and Classic Silver.
Toyota also announced in New York that
the 11th generation of the Corolla, which is in its waning years before a major
overhaul soon, will have a slightly different lineup that more closely mirrors
bigger-brother Camry. The Corolla gains XSE and XLE trims (similar to the
Camry) which will likely consolidate some of the small Corolla’s big rundown of
12 different trims at some point this year. The XSE will get an aggressive
front fascia and both the XSE and XLE will be
available with a suite of safety packages that’ll help bring it in line with
the rest of the compact pack.
Mechanically, the 2017 cars will be
identical to the current model, 1.8-liter inline-4, 132 horsepower, though the
Corolla hasn’t ever been a “numbers” car.
