Toyota is reaching back into its archive of performance models for its latest special edition Corolla. The 2025 Toyota Corolla FX is named after the 1987 Corolla FX-16, a twin-cam, 16-valve hot hatch sharing the same engine as the legendary AE86.
The 2025 Corolla FX Edition is based on the SE trim level and visually differentiated by a rear spoiler, satin-black 18-inch alloys with black lug nuts, as well as black badges and black mirror caps. All will have a Midnight Black roof, but the FX is offered in Midnight Black and two other colors — Ice Cap (white) and Underground (gray) — which will have a two-tone look.
The original FX-16 was the first performance Corolla after the platform switched from a rear-wheel-drive to front-wheel-drive platform, and was a fierce autocross machine back in its day. Unfortunately, the 2025 FX sticks with the SE’s 2.0-liter 169 horsepower and 151 lb.-ft. of torque. But, like the FX-16, this engine has dual overhead cams and 16 valves. It also has variable valve timing, but these technologies aren’t quite as cutting-edge as they were 37 years ago.
That’s not to say the 2025 FX is, like the Nightshade Edition, a pure appearance package. Its steering has been tuned for a sportier feel, Toyota says, and it comes with lowering springs that should lower your center of gravity a bit.
Inside, the FX’s seats come wrapped in Moonstone sport fabric and orange stitching. It’s the first Corolla to get Toyota’s 10.5-inch infotainment screen, which is standard. Come 2025 you’ll also be able to order it in other Corolla trims, but as an option. The FX also has the XSE’s 7-inch multi-info display and wireless charge pad.
It feels odd to have the FX name on a sedan and not a hatchback like the original. We only got one generation in the U.S., but there were three generations of Corolla FX in Japan, all hot hatches. We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the name FX is a concatenation of “FF 2-box,” meaning a front-engined, front-wheel-drive car with a two-box form (one from front bumper to cowl including the engine compartment, and another for seating and cargo area). A sedan is technically a three-box. But since the number isn’t in the name and only the biggest history nerds care, we’ll let it slide.
