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By Joe Tralongo
Updated April 22, 2019
If you’re looking for an inexpensive small hatchback but worried you’re going to have to miss out on fun features like Apple CarPlay and adaptive cruise control, the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback will put a smile on your face. The fun-to-drive factor is high with this car, as is the quality of its interior bits.
True performance junkies will no doubt gravitate toward the more powerful versions of the Honda Civic and VW GTI hatchbacks. Those who live in places where snow is a regular visitor might prefer the all-wheel-drive security afforded by the Subaru Impreza or Mazda3, which along with the Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra GT also offer more rear-seat legroom.
The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is all-new this year, replacing the former Corolla iM as the company’s hot hatchback.
Fun and efficient compact cars are a dime a dozen, but very few combine the simple driving pleasure and reasonable price of the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Unlike its sedan counterpart, the Corolla Hatchback is a pretty cool customer, with aggressive styling, a peppy engine, great handling and just the right standard feature set to make the car attractive to younger buyers without pushing the price through the roof. In fact, a comparably equipped new Corolla Hatchback nicely undercuts the Honda Civic and Mazda3 by a good margin, putting Toyota value front and center. The Corolla Hatchback is also big on safety, with a suite of standard driver assists that are optional on some competitors.
Used 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback pricing starts at $16,142 for the Corolla Hatchback SE Hatchback 4D, which had a starting MSRP of $22,195 when new. The range-topping 2019 Corolla Hatchback XSE Hatchback 4D starts at $17,611 today, originally priced from $25,195.
Original MSRP | KBB Fair Purchase Price (nat'l average) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
$22,195 | $16,142 | |||
$25,195 | $17,611 |
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for used 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback models in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly.
Toyota has recommitted to building fun and exciting cars from the ground up, and the 2019 Corolla Hatchback is a perfect example. The taut suspension, precise steering and quick-reacting brakes all keep the promises made by the Corolla Hatchback’s aggressive styling. The 2.0-liter engine offers 168 horsepower, which may not seem like much but actually delivers fairly brisk performance in this lightweight 5-door. The standard 6-speed manual with downshift-rev-matching is a joy, but we think many people will actually prefer the convenience of the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), and we’re okay with that. Why? Because this is one of the smoothest, most engaged CVTs we’ve driven in a while, with clever features like a built-in launch gear that delivers instantaneous acceleration from a dead stop.
There’s also the added benefit of greatly improved fuel economy over the manual, as well as additional safety features like full-speed dynamic cruise control. Toss the Corolla Hatchback into a corner, and you’ll delight at its ability to instantly go where it’s pointed without complaint. The big 18-inch wheels and tires on the XSE offer the most grip, yet the ride never feels choppy or irritating, even over rough patches of pavement.
For an economy car, the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback has one very upscale interior. Soft-touch surfaces abound, enhanced by real seam stitching and intelligently designed controls. Seat comfort is supremely good, and there’s even available power lumbar for the driver. The large 8-inch Entune touch screen sits prominently atop the center dash and features hard buttons that make navigating the infotainment system’s various functions a bit easier. We found rear-seat legroom is a bit tight, but doable. Cargo space is also on the small side for this class, but the folding rear seats with flip-folding head restraints make it easy to increase the Corolla’s cargo hold in seconds.
The 2019 Corolla Hatchback sits low to the ground, enhancing its already mean stance. Standard LED headlights and taillights are a welcome touch, as is the eye-catching Blue Flame paint available at no extra cost. Thick B- and C-pillars create some annoying blind spots, but the front A-pillars are sufficiently thin enough to allow good forward and side visibility. The rear hatch features a wide opening for easy loading of big objects, and the hatch itself opens high so tall people won’t hit their head.
APPLE CARPLAY
It’s been long in coming, but Toyota is finally offering Apple CarPlay in some of its cars, including the new Corolla Hatchback. Now you can take your tunes, maps, texts and more with you, all channeled through the excellent Toyota Entune 3.0’s 8-inch touch screen. Nice.
TOYOTA SAFETY SENSE 2.0
Standard on every Corolla Hatchback is Toyota’s Safety Sense 2.0, which includes pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection and emergency braking, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, lane-departure warning with assist and automatic high beams. Automatic-transmission models add full-speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and lane-trace assist.
Given its sub-$21,000 starting price, the new Corolla Hatchback is amazingly well equipped. The base SE comes with a 6-speed manual transmission, LED headlights and taillights, 16-inch alloy wheels, Smart Key entry with push-button start, a tilt/telescopic leather-wrapped steering wheel, color-keyed heated power mirrors, 6-speaker Entune 3.0 audio with App Suite and Apple CarPlay, two front USB ports, an 8-inch touch screen, 4.2-inch multi-information display, eight airbags, Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (see Favorite Features) and hill-start assist. Add the CVT automatic and you’ll get an enhanced version of Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, paddle shifters and 3-level Drive Mode Select featuring Normal, Eco and Sport.
Stepping up the XSE brings a whole lot more including 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seating, dual-zone automatic climate control, LED fog lights, blind-spot warning indicators, 7-inch TFT (sharper image) multifunction display, and an 8-way-power driver’s seat with power lumbar support. The SE Preferred Package adds a blind-spot monitor and an upgraded Entune 3.0 system. The XSE Preferred package adds wireless cellphone charging, 800-watt 8-speaker JBL audio, navigation and access to Remote Assist, while the XSE Preferred Package with Options adds adaptive headlights.
Powering the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is a peppy 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine producing 168 horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque. Customers can choose between a 6-speed manual with downshift-rev-matching, or a truly impressive CVT automatic with manual-shift mode and a launch gear for quick acceleration. The manual is clearly more fun, but the CVT is more practical and gets much better fuel economy plus opens the door to more safety systems and options. Tough choice.
2.0-liter inline-4
168 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm
151 lb-ft of torque @ 4,800 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 28/37 mpg (manual), 32/42 mpg (automatic), 30/38 mpg (XSE)
Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.
We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.
Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.
Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)
We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
Curb Weight | 3060 lbs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
EPA Passenger | 85.0 cu.ft. | ||
Fuel Capacity | 13.2 gallons | ||
Front Head Room | 38.4 inches | ||
Front Leg Room | 42.0 inches | ||
Max Seating Capacity | 5 | ||
Minimum Ground Clearance | 5.1 inches | ||
Overall Length | 169.9 inches | ||
Front Shoulder Room | 54.0 inches | ||
Towing Capacity, Maximum | 1500 lbs. | ||
Trunk or Cargo Capacity | 23.3 cu.ft. | ||
Turning Diameter | 37.4 feet | ||
Wheel Base | 103.9 inches | ||
Width with mirrors | 69.9 inches |
Alloy Wheels | Available | ||
---|---|---|---|
Number of Doors | 4 doors | ||
Roof Rails | Available | ||
LED Headlights | Available | ||
Rear Spoiler | Available |
City | 32 mpg | ||
---|---|---|---|
Highway | 42 mpg | ||
Combined | 36 mpg |
Drivetrain | FWD | ||
---|---|---|---|
Transmission Type | Automatic | ||
Recommended Fuel | Regular | ||
Hill Start Assist | Available |
Horsepower | 168 @ 6600 RPM | ||
---|---|---|---|
Torque | 151 @ 4800 rpm | ||
Engine | 4-Cyl, Dynamic-Force, 2.0 Liter |
Basic | 3 years / 36000 miles | ||
---|---|---|---|
Powertrain | 5 years / 60000 miles | ||
Corrosion | 5 years / Unlimited miles |
Used 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback | Used 2019 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid | Used 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage | Used 2019 Honda Fit | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | $16,346 | $14,802 | $13,020 | $16,347 | |
KBB.com Rating | N/A | 4.4 | 3.0 | 4.6 | |
Consumer Rating | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | |
Fuel Economy | City 32/Hwy 42/Comb 36 MPG | City 57/Hwy 59/Comb 58 MPG | City 36/Hwy 43/Comb 39 MPG | City 33/Hwy 40/Comb 36 MPG | |
Fuel Type | Gas | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
Safety Rating | 5.0 | N/A | 4.0 | 5.0 | |
Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
Basic Warranty | 3 years or 36000 miles | 5 years or 60000 miles | 5 years or 60000 miles | 3 years or 36000 miles | |
Horsepower | 168 @ 6600 RPM | 139 @ 5700 RPM | 78 @ 6000 RPM | 128 @ 6600 RPM | |
Engine | 4-Cyl, Dynamic-Force, 2.0 Liter | 4-Cyl, Hybrid, 1.6 Liter | 3-Cyl, 1.2 Liter | 4-Cyl, i-VTEC, 1.5 Liter | |
Drivetrain | FWD | FWD | FWD | FWD |
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