2021 Toyota Corolla Review | Price, Specs, Features And Photos Of Sedan, Hatchback And Hybrid

February 1, 2021

There's no shortage of strong competitors in the compact car segment, meaning a car needs to make a case for itself to stand out. The 2021 Toyota Corolla does this by offering an impressive amount of variety and standard safety features, while also being stylish and a solid if not remarkable driver.

The Corolla is available as a hatchback or sedan, with a pair of gas engines and a hybrid powertrain, and it's even available with a manual transmission for diehards. Its main weakness is that there aren't really any versions that are particularly quick or fun to drive, such as the peppy variants from Honda, Mazda, Hyundai and Kia. You also won't find all-wheel-drive versions like Subaru and Mazda offer. But as a sensible, feature-packed commuter with a sterling reputation for variety, it's easy to see why the Corolla continues to be so popular. That's it's no longer as dull as it once was is icing on the cake.

Changes for 2021 are minor except for a couple of special edition trim levels. All Corollas now get Android Auto and automatic engine start-stop as standard. Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning are now standard on the XSE hatchback and sedan, as well as the XLE sedan. They're an option on the SE hatch and sedan, and the LE sedan and hybrid. Available on all hatchbacks is an "Enhanced Cargo Space" option that swaps the spare tire for a tire repair kit and lowers the cargo floor to add 5 cubic feet (for a 23 cubic-foot total).

Both the hatchback and sedan once again offer Nightshade trims that are powered by the 2.0-liter engine and come with black exterior accents and wheels. The hatchback has an exclusive Special Edition that features a unique body kit and red paint. Only 1,200 will be made, all of which will come with a CVT. The sedan gets the Apex Edition, which is less exclusive at 6,000 units but features more equipment. In addition to a special body kit, it also gets a sports suspension and a cat-back exhaust. Particularly rare will be the manual-equipped Apex, of which only 120 will be built.

The interior in the new Corolla is not bad for the price point. The higher trim levels, especially, have quality materials and adornments like genuine stitching on the leatherette throughout the cabin. We weren't in love with the look of the cream-colored plastic interior we saw in the Hybrid, but overall, that's nothing to complain about, especially at this price point. Niceties including heated front seats, proximity key and push-button start, wireless smartphone charging and an upgraded JBL sound system are on offer in higher trims.

Where the Corolla truly wins is in its suite of standard and available technology. Every Corolla comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (more on that in a bit), in-car WiFi, as well as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa capability. The included touchscreen interface is a mixed bag. It's large, prominently placed and easy to reach. The menu structure is simple and basic controls for the radio, for instance, are easy to use. On the other hand, we've often found this system is slow in its responses and a bit rudimentary in its appearance and capability. A choice for early adopters it is not. That makes relying on the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality that much more important.

The sedan is 182.3 inches long with a 106.3-inch wheelbase — the same as the Honda Civic and close to the Hyundai Elantra. Overall width is 70.1 inches, and overall height is 56.5 inches. It has an interior volume of 88.6 cubic feet, with 13.1 cubic feet of trunk space, which is less than both the Elantra (14.4) and Civic (15.1). It seats five. Headroom is in short supply, and rear legroom is less than the previous generation at 41.4 inches, though it beats much of the competition, and two adults can sit comfortably in the back.

The Corolla Hatchback is even smaller at 169.9 inches long with a 103.9-inch wheelbase. Back seat room can be a pinch compared to the sedan, and although its 18.0 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row seems reasonably competitive, in practice, it's shockingly tiny. In particular, there's barely enough height between the floor and cargo cover to fit a paper grocery bag. That's why the new "Enhanced Cargo Space" option for 2021: you lose the spare tire, but the 5 cubic-feet it gains can be a game changers. Either way, unlike most hatchbacks, this one is actually less versatile than the sedan.