2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, front 3/4. Image courtesy of Toyota.

Shred Pavement with Nostalgia in this New Corolla Hatchback

The 2026 Toyota Corolla hatchback FX Edition arrives at dealers this fall. With style honoring the 1987 Corolla FX16, the FX looks unique inside and out.

To Honor the look and legacy of the 1987 Toyota Corolla FX16, this fall we will see the Corolla Hatchback FX Edition. While the 80s FX16 brought us a three-door hot-hatch that made use of dual-overhead-cams and four-valves-per-cylinder to make 108 horsepower from just 1.6-liters worth of inline-four-cylinder, the FX Edition largely uses unique styling to stand out.

2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, front 3/4 in action. Image courtesy of Toyota.
2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, front 3/4 in action. Image courtesy of Toyota.
FX EDITION GOODS

Starting with the base SE trim, the FX Edition adds a black vented sport wing and gloss white 18-in wheels. For a bit more flair, Toyota uses black lug-nuts to bolt them up. You also see 80s inspired rear badging mounted at the base of the liftgate. You choose between Inferno, Ice Cap, and Blue Crush Metallic or orange, white, and blue for body color.

Inside, Toyota installs a black interior. The seats get generous upper and lower bolsters to hold you snugly in place. Toyota calls them sport touring and stylizes them with suede inserts and orange stitching. That stitching also makes its way on to the door panels, steering wheel, and shifter.

2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, front seats. Image courtesy of Toyota.
2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, front seats. Image courtesy of Toyota.
USUAL TECH INSIDE

Considering the FX starts as an SE, you get reasonable tech inside. A 7-in digital instrument cluster reside behind the steering wheel. And an 8-in center display mounts up next to it, above the shifter. The latter will wirelessly connect to your smartphone via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You can charge said phone wirelessly too. Finally, simply state “hey, Toyota” followed by a command and let your voice do the infotainment work.

2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, cargo space. Image courtesy of Toyota.
2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, cargo space. Image courtesy of Toyota.
CARRYOVER POWERTRAIN

Like all Corolla hatchbacks, other than GR, you get a 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder engine. It makes 169 HP at 6600 rpm and 151 lb.-ft of torque at 4800 rpm. Solid numbers for a 3150 lb. five-door hatch, but well below hot-hatch numbers of today. It makes use of both port and direct fuel injection to deliver the regular unleaded fuel to the combustion chamber.

From there, a continuously variable transmission handles gear ratios before sending power to the front wheels. Toyota says to expect 33 mpg combined fuel economy in the FX Edition. I presume that means it will also achieve 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway, just like the XSE trim.

SUMMARY

We will only see 1600 2026 FX Editions make it to the U.S., Toyota says. Among them, I’m curious to see how many will get the Ice Cap (white) coat of exterior paint, to most closely match its FX16 forebearer. Further details will go public as the fall nears, like price. But I do not expect the FX Edition to go too far above $25,000.

The FX Edition looks cool. And I appreciate seeing the nod to the 80s. Time to dust off my “Members Only” jean jacket.

Toyota offered us an FX Edition Corolla Sedan last year, check it out here.

2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, rear 3/4 in action. Image courtesy of Toyota.
2026 Toyota Corolla Hatchback FX Edition, rear 3/4 in action. Image courtesy of Toyota.

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