Yahoo Autos 2025 Toyota Corolla FX Edition Tries for 'Edgy,' Doesn't Quite Get There
Toyota has just revealed a new special edition of the 2025 Corolla.
Based on the SE trim, the Corolla FX looks to honor the 1987 Corolla FX16 with a modest appearance package and an attractive set of new wheels.
Unfortunately for fans of that legacy model, the new FX retains the SE grade's lethargic 169-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder powertrain.
Toyota is reaching back into the history books for this one. The 2025 Corolla FX edition looks to honor the red-hot 1987 Corolla FX16, a car we loved. Regrettably, Toyota doesn't seem to have read beyond the legacy model's name with this one, as the new FX doesn't get any of the performance upgrades that made the classic so good, only a modest appearance package.
For instance, the new FX gets... a 10.5-inch infotainment screen. According to Toyota, the larger screen will be standard on the FX, but available on the rest of the 2025 Corolla lineup. In addition to the upgraded infotainment, the FX gets a gaggle of appearance changes, highlighted by a new set of 18-inch satin-black finished alloy wheels and a prominent spoiler at the rear. Other changes mirror Toyota's Nightshade models with a black roof and black accents for the badging and mirror caps.
Our disappointment with the FX lies with what it doesn't get—namely any performance upgrades. In our 1987 road test of the Corolla FX16, we described the hatchback as "a car that defines the term 'pocket rocket.'" Toyota nabbed the 1.6-liter twin-cam four-cylinder engine from the rear-drive Corolla GT-S and the mid-engined MR2 and stuffed it into the engine bay of the front-drive Corolla FX16, creating a properly sporty hatchback.
The new model is based on the SE-grade Corolla and retains the mightily slow 169-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant. It's a fine powertrain when you're talking about the standard Corolla SE. But bring a historically fun name into the mix, and the equation changes—especially when the raving mad turbocharged three-cylinder from the GR Corolla is so close at hand.
The new FX does get standard lowering springs, and according to the automaker, the electric power steering has been retuned for "the ultimate sporty feel." We want to believe, but we're skeptical. The FX should begin showing up at dealerships later this fall, while pricing for the full Corolla lineup will be released in the coming months.
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