When Toyota takes the wraps off of the 2019 Corolla Hatchback at next week's New York Auto Show, it will surely be followed by some head scratching. The compact car was originally sold in the US as the Scion iM, but then Toyota killed off the Scion brand, bringing the hatchback back under its wing as the Corolla iM. Now it's just the Corolla Hatchback. Regardless of its name, the new five-door Corolla has been revealed ahead of its debut in New York.
The Corolla Hatchback (like the Scion iM and Corolla iM) is based off of the Toyota Auris, the European variant of the hatch that we saw earlier at the Geneva Motor Show. That means the Americanized version sits on the automaker's Toyota New Global Architecture. Toyota claims that the chassis, in combination with the hatchback's stiffer suspension, results in a vehicle that's engaging to drive.
Just like the Auris, the Corolla Hatchback is longer, wider, and lower than its predecessor. The trip from Europe also hasn't resulted in a drastically different appearance, as the hatchback looks nearly identical to its European cousin. Just like the Corolla iM, the Corolla Hatchback looks like it has something to prove with an aggressive design. The J-shaped LED headlights, angular taillights, and restyled wheels give the compact a hot-hatch design we've come to enjoy with the segment.
The hot aspect continues to the powertrain under the hood. The hatchback features a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litter four-cylinder engine, which is odd for a few reasons. Every other automaker has gone towards smaller, turbocharged engines, but Toyota has increased the size of the engine — the Corolla iM had a 1.8-liter four-cylinder motor — and still stuck with an all-natural approach. Toyota, though, states that the new engine is lighter and more compact. Specs on the motor aren't available at the moment.
The 2.0-liter can be paired to a six-speed manual gearbox (yes!) in true hot hatch fashion or a CVT that can simulate the behavior of 10-speed automatic. The latter also comes with a sport mode and paddle shifters. More interestingly, Toyota states that the Corolla Hatchback is the first passenger with a CVT in the world to have a launch gear. The hatchback is exclusively sold with front-wheel drive, but you probably already figured that out.
On the inside, things look like pure Toyota. The most notable feature is a 8.0-inch touchscreen that's integrated into the center console. The touchscreen is standard, while things like Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa integration, Wi-Fi Connect, and Qi wireless charging are all available. Sorry Android users, Toyota hasn't included Android Auto in the mix.
Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which is the automaker's suite of safety features, is standard on the Corolla Hatchback. That brings things like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, intelligent cruise control, automatic high beams, and lane keep assist.
The 2019 Corolla Hatchback will hit showrooms later this summer with pricing set to be unveiled closer to its sale date.
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