Toyota has introduced a Corolla Hatchback
Special Edition for 2021, limited to a number of 1,500 units in North America.
While the name is not the most original, chances are you’ll like the content
because the 2021 Corolla Hatchback Special Edition looks the part. Helping it
stand out among regular Corollas is an exclusive body kit finished in a
striking Supersonic Red paint.
Based on the SE CVT grade, the Special
Edition arrives in late summer 2020 with a sharp-looking body kit consisting of
a sporty front splitter, side skirts, black rear roof spoiler, and a rear
bumper garnish. Unique Special Edition badge and black-painted 18-inch alloys
are also part of the package. Interestingly, Toyota says the 2021 Corolla Hatchback
Special Edition “foreshadows even more excitement still to come in the
hatchback segment” which we hope is an allusion to the GR hot hatch the
automaker has promised North America.
Until then, fans of hot Toyotas will have
to settle for the Corolla Hatchback Special Edition which is powered by a
naturally aspirated 2.0-liter Dynamic Force Engine rated at 168 horsepower.
Something that might put them off is the standard Dynamic Shift CVT which
includes simulated 10-speed Sequential Shiftmatic steps, paddle shifters and a
Sport Mode. Unique among transmissions of this type, it features a gearset used
as a launch gear for start-off acceleration, before the CVT’s pulley system
seamlessly takes over. All in all, it should be quite an enjoyable drive, considering
that it also comes standard with a multi-link rear suspension.
The Corolla Hatchback Special Edition
headlines the updated 2021 Corolla lineup, which adds several style, safety and
practicality upgrades. Customers can now choose between two new colors
(Magnetic Gray Metallic and Wind Chill Pearl), which are both available with
the Black Roof option. The SE Nightshade Edition returns for 2021, adding
blackout trim and blacked-out 18-inch alloy wheels to the customer’s choice of
Classic Silver Metallic, Midnight Black Metallic or Super White exterior color.
As with the Special Edition, the SE Nightshade Edition comes with the CVT as
standard.
Safety upgrades for the 2021 Corolla
Hatchback include rear seat-mounted side airbags for all models and Rear Cross
Traffic Alert with Blind Spot Monitor standard on the XSE grade and optional
for the SE grade with the SE Preferred package. The 2021 Corolla Hatchback also
offers the Enhanced Cargo Space option at no extra cost for all models
excluding SE Nightshade. The new feature lowers the cargo floor, adding 169.9 liters of total capacity (to 651 liters) behind the rear
seats. This comes to the detriment of the spare tire which is replaced by a
tire repair kit.
