Toyota Corolla 2021
The 2021 Toyota Corolla lives up to its tradition of being an inexpensive, safety-conscious, well-equipped compact car. Available as a hatchback or a four-door sedan, the small Toyota offers a variety of personalities. Both body styles feature a pair of four-cylinder engines , and are also offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. For people who appreciate driving sharing, Corolla can be had with a manual transmission and sport suspension. However, it’s still less exciting than most of its competitors, such as the Honda Civic and Mazda 3. While the hatch has a small rear seat, it shares desirable features and an attractive cabin design with a sedan. The 2021 Corolla isn’t the most exciting small car, but it’s still an efficient and stylish option.
What’s New for 2021 Toyota Corolla 2021
Toyota Corolla 2021
Toyota is adding a special, limited-edition version to its 2021 Corolla hatchback lineup . The 1500 copies to be produced feature an exclusive body kit and Supersonic Red paint. Each Corolla hatchback also adds rear seat-mounted side airbags, bringing the car’s total to 10. Its payload volume can also be increased by 6 cubic feet (23 total) with a new no-cost option that removes the spare tire and adds a tire repair kit.
The sedan also adds a limited production trim level called the Apex Edition. Besides the unique look and custom-tuned chassis, it’s available with summer tires and a manual transmission. However, only 120 stick-shift models will be available; Others have a CVT. Every Corolla now has Android Auto, too. Both models are available again with the Black Eggplant exterior accents.
The Corolla hatchback has plenty of packaging compromises to justify our interest. Instead , we opted for the SE sports sedan, which starts at $23,230. Along with a sport suspension that makes driving more fun than a regular setup, it’s available with a manual transmission for an extra $700.
We’re happy to check this box, although it eliminates option packages otherwise available with the standard continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Thankfully, the Corolla SE sedan still came standard with plenty of features to keep us satisfied. The list includes 18-inch wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, front sports seats, and an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Engine, transmission and performance
With the exception of the Sport SE and XSE models, the Corolla sedan uses a 139-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that sends power to the front wheels through a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Exhilarating versions have a 169-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with an optional CVT or six-speed manual transmission. While all hatchbacks have a larger engine, only the sedan offers a hybrid powertrain. Our tests of the 2019 Corolla SE hatchback and the 2020 Corolla XSE sedan prove that even the most powerful engine does not provide adequate acceleration. The Toyota Twins were careful around town and steady on the highway.
However, hard acceleration produced raspy engine sounds that reduced its refinement. The Corolla sedan and hatchback have a pleasant driving quality that adequately isolates all but the worst of the bumps. Controlled body movements also provide better agility than previous repetitions. The Corolla SE and XSE also separate themselves with a stiffer sport suspension and larger 18-inch wheels (everything else rides on 15 or 16-inch wheels). However, compared to sporty and co-op competitors, such as the Mazda 3 and Volkswagen Golf, the Corolla’s progressive steering is satisfactory but not perfect. Although none of the Corolla models had impressive results in the 70-mph-to-zero braking test—which requires between 174 and 183 feet—their brake pedals were reliable and easy to operate.
