- The 2026 Toyota Corolla FX Edition hatchback is a tribute to the 1987 Corolla FX16, and it follows the FX sedan from 2025.
- The new FX model wears 18-inch white wheels and a black rear wing for a sporty throwback look.
- The cabin features orange stitching and suede seat inserts, and a retro badge adorns the rear hatch.
The current Toyota Corolla sedan has been around since the 2020 model year, with the hatchback dating back to 2019. The popular compact car will soldier on into 2026 mostly unchanged, but the hatchback variant adds an FX Edition that pays tribute to the 1987 Corolla FX16, a hot hatch that featured the high-revving 108-hp, 16-valve 1.6-liter four-cylinder from the mid-engined MR2. This addition follows the 2025 Corolla FX sedan, which also recalled the FX16 but with a less snazzy look.ToyotaThe Corolla Hatchback FX is based on the SE trim and gains several stylish visual upgrades. There’s a sporty-looking black rear wing, which Toyota says improves the aerodynamics, and a unique badge that reads “Corolla Special Edition” in a retro font that mimics the lettering on the FX16’s rear hatch. But the coolest addition is a set of 18-inch gloss-white alloy wheels with black lug nuts, which beautifully pop next to the Inferno orange paint. The Corolla FX hatchback will also be available in Ice Cap white and Blue Crush Metallic.The cabin features new black “Sport Touring” seats that include suede inserts and orange stitching, with the latter also appearing on the door panels, steering wheel, and gear shifter. The FX Edition comes standard with a 7.0-inch digital gauge cluster and a wireless charger, along with an array of safety features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high-beams. Strangely, the FX hatch keeps the 8.0-inch touchscreen, while the 2025 FX sedan received a 10.5-inch unit.ToyotaToyotaWhile the five-door Corolla FX doesn’t get any powertrain upgrades compared with lesser Corollas, its 2.0-liter inline-four is substantially more potent than the FX16 that it honors, as the new car makes 169 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. Still, we wish Toyota could have tuned the engine a bit higher to make this special edition really stand out. Toyota says it will only build 1600 examples of the Corolla FX Edition hatchback for the United States, with the retro-themed compact car reaching Toyota dealerships in the fall. Toyota says pricing for the full 2026 Corolla lineup will be released later this year, and we expect the FX edition to cost around $2000 more than the SE, based on the pricing for the 2025 Corolla FX sedan.More on the Toyota CorollaCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
Source: caranddriver.com
