New 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback Gets Two Special Edition Models
Toyota has launched the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback, including 1,500 Special Edition models that will be sold exclusively with a dashing Supersonic Red paint.
Besides the red, the Corolla Hatchback Special Edition has a number of unique features that set it apart from the regular model. It gets black-painted 18-inch alloy wheels and a body kit that Toyota claims “beats the aftermarket in style and value.”
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This body kit includes a black rear roof spoiler, rear bumper garnish, side skirts, sport front splitter, and unique Special Edition badge. All in all, it looks quite nice when paired with the Corolla Hatchback’s generally stylish, sporty design.
For those wishing to go more incognito, the 2021 Corolla Hatchback will also be offered with a Nightshade Edition model featuring half a dozen blacked-out elements, such as the lower rocker panels, door handles, and mirror caps. Curiously, you can have it in more colors than just black, including silver and white.
Both the Corolla Hatchback Special Edition and Nightshade Edition are based on the SE CVT trim and come with all of the new features you’ll find on the regular 2021 model. Most notably, this includes the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 suite of driver-assist tech, featuring the automaker’s latest automatic emergency braking system — now capable of detecting not just other vehicles but also pedestrians in low-light conditions, as well as bicyclists in the daytime.
Every Corolla Hatchback is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 168 horsepower, which boasts an impressive thermal efficiency of 40 percent (Fun fact: Thermal efficiency is how well an engine converts its fuel and air mixture into power at the wheels, and 40 percent is astoundingly high for a non-bespoke, non-hybrid gasoline combustion engine).
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Photo: Toyota 
Photo: Toyota 
Photo: Toyota 
Photo: Toyota
For all of its sporty aspirations, the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback nonetheless seems better geared at tech geeks than driving enthusiasts. It has an 8-inch touch screen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, a Wi-Fi hotspot, Siri Eyes Free, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, voice recognition, and a six-speaker sound system, and all of that is standard.
Finally, Toyota is offering the car with an Enhanced Cargo Space option, which comes at no extra charge on all models other than the Nightshade Edition. It lowers the cargo floor, increasing trunk capacity to 23 cubic feet, up from 17. Hatchbacks were always compelling because of their large trunks, but this is just something else.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.