A little over three years ago, I reviewed the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback SE Nightshade and said: "I doubt it would have worked for me on a Corolla Sedan, which is probably the most attractive and sporting-looking of that model ever. But the Corolla Hatchback is an even more aggressive and purposeful-looking machine and the black wheels and black accents just work."
Hmmm.
Okay, so, it works better on the Corolla sedan than I thought it would. And although a part of me can't quite grasp who would say yes to $28,035 (including destination) for an appearance package on a Corolla Hybrid SE that costs a grand less, that's probably a me problem.
It helps to keep in mind that the Corolla's closest competitor is the Honda Civic, which does essentially the same thing with the Civic Sport, as well as with the Civic Si, which includes 200 horsepower---42 more horses under the hood than the Sport.
This, however, is the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Nightshade...with 138 horsepower and 105 lb-ft of torque. That is not a typo. The transmission is a Continuously Variable unit, and getting to 60 miles per hour from a standing start requires nine seconds.
Toyota's marketing folks aren't dwelling on that, though---having partnered with SiriusXM Satellite Radio for this short film:
Yeah.
Sure.
So, back to reality---here's the number that makes the 138 horsepower, 105 lb-ft of torque and 0-60 in 9.0 worth considering:
That's my real-world fuel economy average after about 70 miles of combined city street and urban freeway driving...outperforming the EPA combined estimate of 47 mpg (50 city/43 highway)---and it's not the first time I've topped the EPA's number in a Corolla Hybrid.
At 13.1 cubic feet, the trunk is smallish---giving up a cubic foot to the Hyundai Elantra and about a cubic foot and a half to the Civic.
There's 34.8 inches of rear-seat legrooom, which also trails the Honda and Hyundai (37.4 and 38.0 respectively).
The base price of $28,035 including destination gets you a comprehensive suite of active safety features, an 8-inch touchscreen with a six-speaker audio system featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and automatic climate control---essentially the same standard features as the Corolla Hybrid SE. The extra grand compared to the SE brings 18-inch bronze-finished alloy wheels, a sport mesh black front grille, black rear spoiler, black mirror caps, black sport rocker trim, black badging and dual chrome exhaust tips (on a single exhaust).
There were also some extra-cost options on our car. The biggest reason to pop for the Nightshade over the SE, in my opinion, is it makes the JBL Premium audio system (with subwoofer and amplifier) available as an option. The only other Corolla Hybrid that offers it is the top-of-the-line XLE. It's $600, but worth it.
Our tester also had the Convenience Package (blind spot monitors in heated outside mirrors, with rear cross-traffic alert) for $530, a frameless Homelink mirror for $175 and the Preferred Accessory Package (all-weather floor liners and cargo tray, a cargo net, door sill protectors, rear bumper protector and first aid kit) for $631.
All told, the as-tested price is $29,971.
You could actually equip a Corolla Hybrid XLE the same way and save almost $700, but clearly, there's a market for black trim these days---so much so that for 2025, there'll be an even more thorough package called the Corolla FX.
It's a matter of taste. To me, the compelling part of the Corolla Hybrid is that stellar fuel economy, along with Corolla's legendary reliability. I'd happily drive this as a daily.
Just don't ask me to outrun a guy with a chainsaw.
