There is only one engine available across the Corolla Hatch range and it’s a 1.2-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol. It produces 85kW of power and 185Nm of torque which is sent to the front wheels through a CVT transmission.

 

I expected the CVT to be slow and clunky, but I was surprised by how smooth and clean it was. It shifted up and down the gears without much hassle, but I feel like Toyota missed an opportunity to double-down on the sportiness by not including a pair of paddle shifters along with the manual shifter zone on the gear lever.

 

Toyota claims that the Corolla Hatch will do 6.1-litres/100km and that’s a fair figure given that I had averaged around 7.5-litres/100km with the Sport mode activated.