We enthusiasts are constantly clamoring for better colors on our cars, but too few automakers are willing to oblige our pleas for whimsical, joyful cars. Thankfully Toyota isn’t every other automaker, because the new Corolla Hatchback FX Edition is exactly the bright, happy little hot hatch we love — and the kind of car we all deserve. It may not be the kind of sea change performance trim that the GR Corolla is, but who cares about that on a car this brightly painted?
The FX comes with 18-inch gloss white wheels, a rear wing, and upgraded seats with orange stitching. Toyota will sell you one in white, dark blue, or orange, but the first two of those are cowards’ choices. Orange is the true color for this car, and if you get it in that subtle-ass dark blue or boring white you should do so with the knowledge that I’ll judge you out on the roads. Harshly.Â
The FX name
The FX moniker comes from the old FX16 Corolla, an ’80s Corolla hatch that came with the vaunted 4A-GE engine under its hood. The new car may not have the same performance gains as that old model — the FX16 got two whole cams! — but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that wheel design, and the fact that it’s done up in a perfect gloss white. This car rules.Â
Is this little Corolla a hot hatch? No! Is it an endless joy to drive, the way an old Miata is? Almost certainly not! But it’s interesting, it’s fun and lively and a genuine relief to see when compared to the endless swaths of grayscale cars that litter our roads. Toyota gave us good colors, good rally-looking wheels, and that alone is refreshing. Sure would be nice if we could get more than the limited run of 1,600 that Toyota’s sending to the U.S. this fall, but maybe we can’t dream that big. Not yet.Â
Toyota
