2022 Toyota Corolla Hatchback XSE Manual Review - IT'S SO GOOD!!

[@samt6788]

Fully agree with this. I ordered my '22 last year specifically because I knew it was the last year I could get a manual brand new. Since then I have added bolt ons like an intake, a nice catback (to get rid of the gross fake tips and get a little tasteful rumble), some chassis stiffening bars, and my favorite thing a billet aluminum short throw shifter which makes the shifter feel 100x better than stock. I still have a lot to do to really dial it in. But just with a few bolt on parts it wakes it up even more and is truly amazing! Even with chassis bracing the car is noticeably more composed in corners, it nearly feels like it is on a good set of coils. It is a car I look forward to driving to and from work everyday and then carving up some back roads on the weekend!

[@spideybuildscars]

How do you like the car after 5 months? I just became a Toyota tech and am looking at 2019 XSE hatches

[@seattlejdmcivic]

Let me say this and I have to agree with you on a lot of what you said but I'm a Honda guy I've owned 30 different Hondas over the last couple decades BUT MY UNCLE JUST BOUGHT A 2020 COROLLA SE SEDAN when it was brand new and..... He really wanted an apex or the GR in a 6-speed manual but unfortunately he could not find one and he had to settle with the SE CVT....... And I have only owned manual cars out of the 30 something cars I've had I WILL ALWAYS SAY MANUAL IS BETTER But........ I will say after we started doing mods his first mod was a K&N intake with a heat shield with an air duct that goes down to the front grill and then we wrap the intake tube in that gold reflective heat taped also help prevent heat soak THAT ALONE mad a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the way the car sounded and felt it had a nice deep throaty aggressive sound.... Then he did a Cat-Back exhaust and then the 2 j header..... He plans to get it tuned to next also do coilovers and he wants to get the Apex front lip rear lift side skirts and little bit bigger Apex spoiler that's bigger than the se standard spoiler... I HATE CVTS... But the way that they gave this one a physical first gear and when you put it over in manual mode and sport mode with traction control off...... it completely changes the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought he was going to hate it and I thought I would hate it as well because he wasn't able to find the 6-speed manual but when you put it over in manual mode and put sport mode on the fact that it is like a tiptronic automatic 10 speed you can still have some fun with it and with the bolt ons it sounds good OF COURSE the six-speed manual would have been better..... But I will say for what it is it's pretty damn fun and a lot of people aren't giving this car credit of course it's not going to be a race car it's a Corolla but sometimes you got to build the car that you have and work with what you got and make it as fun as you can and with suspension mods bolt-ons some nice Wheels it can really change these cars and you'd be surprised with bolt-ons and a tune what these cars can keep up with.... Sorry for the long comment guys.... it's just coming from the Honda world and owning cars that were The underdogs especially in the early 2000s and nobody ever expected them to be fast so the fun part was building them up and making a fun car that was not expensive reliable and able to seriously change people's minds and surprise some people on the road when you keep up or beat them and I think that's why I understand where people are coming from that build these my buddy used to have two different Corollas a 2005 Corolla S that had full bolt ons and tune and then also a 2005 Corolla XRS that was full bolt ons and tuned and that was probably my favorite Corolla and this new one is probably in close second place You can't have fun with these things and again it's fun being the underdog sometimes and building what you got and seeing what kind of cars you can keep up with and as long as it makes you happy and you have fun driving it that's all that matters I know my uncle at 40 years old is having fun even though he's on nothing but stick shifts all his life and he's been driving his 99 Tacoma since it was brand new he finally wanted to get something in his mid-40s to have fun again but would also be a practical daily driver and this car was perfect and I still get to help him mod it and have fun getting him to race it Leslie I myself have two Hondas one that's a fully built track car 1995 Honda Civic Coupe and the other one that's still a fun daily driver a V6 6-speed manual Honda Accord coupe with the 1 of 500 ever made hfp Honda Factory performance package and it is 320 HP all motor naturally aspirated with bolt-ons and tune

[@StopWhatYerDoing]

I totally agree with all your points, Zack! I was crushed when I learned Toyota was getting rid of the manual in the economy Corolla hatch and sedan. I knew if I couldn't get a 6 speed, I just wouldn't get a Corolla. Thankfully I got a late 22 model in Finish Line Red, and I love it! It was a great car to learn on, and no, it's not fast, but it's certainly fun! Toyota definitely dropped the ball on this one. Not everyone can afford a GR Corolla, so this was the perfect little economy car for one or two people to use. Let's just hope Honda can keep the manual alive in their hatchback for a lot longer.

[@theadvocate4698]

Same here! I was devastated by that decision of taking out the manual...at least there still is the mazda 3, in canada we can buy the sedan and hatch as manual. But i would rather get a manual corolla sedan, drove it once and it was cool in SE form...

[@StopWhatYerDoing]

@@theadvocate4698 yeah I'm jealous that your Mazda 3 manuals are still more affordable. The Mazda 3 hatchback with a manual here is around 30k USD. I originally wanted one, but they were just too expensive to justify for a tiny economy hatchback.

[@theadvocate4698]

@@StopWhatYerDoing You could buy it over here and import it in the US, importing cars from both side of the frontier is not that hard, plus you get that 30% exchange rate "rebate" ...could be worth it....

[@keithdosik]

I think the little picture in the trunk is a Prius

[@ethantea360]

I thought so too

[@alwaysiyi272]

I am also really sad Toyota dropped the manual, but the take rate was just around 1% of every corolla hatch sold, and well Toyota is in this business to make money, unfortunately, I guess it just wasn't selling how they hoped, it was fun that we had an affordable manual hatch, at least we have the GR Corolla, even though that is significantly more expensive.

[@SanMartianRover]

Hey, I am a recent/new viewer and I just want to say you are doing everything right. Please keep doing videos the way you are now. I like the little jokes, the filming is good, but most important is the information. You cover all the aspects of the car that I want to hear about. You're doing great. Thanks for the content. I'm subscribed.

[@sonyisda1]

Going off that praise, I'd like to add these videos are perfect length. Other YT auto reviewers tend to have longer videos which is great if you want indepth review of a car you're going to buy but I think Zack has the sweet spot for just the right amount of content for each car.

[@rnt45t1]

If I were to buy a new car, this one is at the top of the list. Especially the manual.

[@seattlejdmcivic]

Let me say this and I have to agree with you on a lot of what you said but I'm a Honda guy I've owned 30 different Hondas over the last couple decades BUT MY UNCLE JUST BOUGHT A 2020 COROLLA SE SEDAN when it was brand new and..... He really wanted an apex or the GR in a 6-speed manual but unfortunately he could not find one and he had to settle with the SE CVT....... And I have only owned manual cars out of the 30 something cars I've had I WILL ALWAYS SAY MANUAL IS BETTER But........ I will say after we started doing mods his first mod was a K&N intake with a heat shield with an air duct that goes down to the front grill and then we wrap the intake tube in that gold reflective heat taped also help prevent heat soak THAT ALONE mad a HUGE DIFFERENCE in the way the car sounded and felt it had a nice deep throaty aggressive sound.... Then he did a Cat-Back exhaust and then the 2 j header..... He plans to get it tuned to next also do coilovers and he wants to get the Apex front lip rear lift side skirts and little bit bigger Apex spoiler that's bigger than the se standard spoiler... I HATE CVTS... But the way that they gave this one a physical first gear and when you put it over in manual mode and sport mode with traction control off...... it completely changes the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought he was going to hate it and I thought I would hate it as well because he wasn't able to find the 6-speed manual but when you put it over in manual mode and put sport mode on the fact that it is like a tiptronic automatic 10 speed you can still have some fun with it and with the bolt ons it sounds good OF COURSE the six-speed manual would have been better..... But I will say for what it is it's pretty damn fun and a lot of people aren't giving this car credit of course it's not going to be a race car it's a Corolla but sometimes you got to build the car that you have and work with what you got and make it as fun as you can and with suspension mods bolt-ons some nice Wheels it can really change these cars and you'd be surprised with bolt-ons and a tune what these cars can keep up with.... Sorry for the long comment guys.... it's just coming from the Honda world and owning cars that were The underdogs especially in the early 2000s and nobody ever expected them to be fast so the fun part was building them up and making a fun car that was not expensive reliable and able to seriously change people's minds and surprise some people on the road when you keep up or beat them and I think that's why I understand where people are coming from that build these my buddy used to have two different Corollas a 2005 Corolla S that had full bolt ons and tune and then also a 2005 Corolla XRS that was full bolt ons and tuned and that was probably my favorite Corolla and this new one is probably in close second place You can't have fun with these things and again it's fun being the underdog sometimes and building what you got and seeing what kind of cars you can keep up with and as long as it makes you happy and you have fun driving it that's all that matters I know my uncle at 40 years old is having fun even though he's on nothing but stick shifts all his life and he's been driving his 99 Tacoma since it was brand new he finally wanted to get something in his mid-40s to have fun again but would also be a practical daily driver and this car was perfect and I still get to help him mod it and have fun getting him to race it Leslie I myself have two Hondas one that's a fully built track car 1995 Honda Civic Coupe and the other one that's still a fun daily driver a V6 6-speed manual Honda Accord coupe with the 1 of 500 ever made hfp Honda Factory performance package and it is 320 HP all motor naturally aspirated with bolt-ons and tune

[@SilverScarletSpider]

it is an excellant car for sure. unfortunately canceling the manual transmission option for the corolla was a brilliant financial decision because not enough americans are willing to buy new manuals.

[@wbwayne8887]

I wish the GR Corolla's wider body was integrated a little better, like the FL5 Civic Type R. The rear fender of the regular Corolla Hatch looks much more aesthetically pleasing to the eye imo.

[@YocoWheelin]

Actually been looking for one of these to replace my current daily, in the 6 speed of course. You love it so much, makes me want it even more.

[@sonyisda1]

4:58 odometer only shows 23 miles.. Takes the idea of a low mileage "used" car to a new level.

[@aenoymotors]

I had a few of these Corolla hatches, all 2019's. The manual XSE was definitely the best one.

[@trigganometry168]

I almost flew there to Naperville cause they had two newish XSE manual left in the country. I ended up finding one with 5000mile XSE in Portland way closer to home and drove 700 miles back home.

[@ShaggyWolff]

Love the channel. Love the videos.

[@danmccarthy4700]

That bit about the pushbutton parking brake legit made me lol.

[@miggster324]

I absolutely loved this review. I sent in a request a few months back but doubt you got it lol I also have a 2022 Corolla SE 6MT, but sedan. Only reason why I got the sedan is because it came with a sunroof. I drive 60 miles round trip to work and I absolutely love it. My buddy bought a 2021 LE and when he let me drive it, I got hooked. I had to get one.

[@Ben-jz3mt]

I’m sure this’ll still be on the road in 20 years, no doubt

[@truth959]

I used to drive a manual Honda Civic. It was the most fuel efficient car I ever owned.

[@nathanm9489]

The little car logo in the trunk is definitely a seventh gen celica rear end

[@BN99239]

Toyota didn't take that manual away, the majority of drivers did. 3% of cars are manuals now, it makes sense to get rid of them to lower costs. I guess Toyota could have kept it and make the manual option $3k more or something, but no one is going to buy these more affordable cars (low $20k USD) and want to spend $3k more for a manual.

[@theadvocate4698]

Just watch the resale value of the manual in the future, it is a dying breed and it is not for everyone but i have been driving manual for the past 25 years and could not envision driving a lobotomized cvt car (no hate, just my opinion)

[@BN99239]

@@theadvocate4698 For certain cars, yes the manual models will go up in price, for cars like these that's just an econobox to get from A to B, it's highly unlikely their value will go up compared to their automatic counterpart. I too also drive a manual, but just saying that it's not the manufacturer's fault. They have to take it away because barely anyone buys them now.

[@theadvocate4698]

@@BN99239 I think that even if the take rate is low, it would be good for the fun, sporty image of toyota to keep the manual. They already have it set up for production so why not keep it even if it have to be ordered in? We are fewer but we still buy cars...

[@CollinMac96]

@@theadvocate4698manual is dead and so is the resale value. I’ve noticed people that complain the most about manuals being dead mostly drive automatics lol.

[@theadvocate4698]

@@CollinMac96 Well i still prefer manual and look at the resale value of japanese cars of the 90's; big difference between manual and auto...there is a market there, a small one but a very vibrant one...

[@Jameshhl]

Flat loading trunk space is actually a HUGE plus in my book.

[@FSM_Reviews]

10:00. That might be one of the older generation Prius models.

[@keiserious]

That looks like a Prius on the cargo mat.

[@winstonmiu]

I really like the E210 SE sedan with the 6 speed. I like cloth seats + the rear legroom. It’s too bad that that model was only produced for 2 years, during the COVID shortage.

[@dave11686]

Love it and the roof bars

[@familypedro8]

Lets go 🔥🔥🔥

[@hollybirge4087]

I had rev match on my Mini, and it was awesome

[@npatricksmith]

Good review as usual. I agree with your points about Toyota making a mistake taking the MT away. It's a bit frustrating. One suggestion for your channel is to get rid of that ultra wide POV driving cam. Due to the lens distortion, that view is ridiculous looking and extremely unnatural. Check out Tedward's channel for a proper POV driving view. Otherwise 👌

[@ak2112]

It's a shame there's no middle ground. An ST to the GR Corrola's RS. FWD 200+hp, 30k.

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

How does it compare to the Civic hatchback, which _is_ still offered with a manual?

[@tsizzle]

I currently drive a manual but the wife doesn’t… so will likely have to trade it in for a cvt. 😢 Automatic downshift rev matching… kinda changes the art of learning to down that manually or learning heel-toe, but I guess it’s save wear on the synchros.

[@TaelsDoll]

i wish i had the manual. only have the auto

[@benoitlauzon4811]

No heated steering?

[@BayAreaRushHour]

I blame Toyota dealers, I actively looked for a manual corolla hatch and no dealer had them in stock nor could I order one. I’m driving a Mazda 3 manual hatch just because I found a dealer with 2 of them. Toyota dealers seem to just get inventory of automatics because those will sell quickly. Think even for the Toyota Subaru twins Toyota has a significantly lower take rate of the manual than Subaru.

[@anthonykiedis1765]

These are great economy cars. I almost bought one but ultimately settled on the Mazda3 hatch.

[@timw2083]

I have an '18 3 hatch with a manual.... Mazda or Toyota are both great choices

[@jmk261]

It's a shame they dropped the manual. But that's a problem with the American market wanting autos only

[@KayakTN]

I kinda want one of the new Corolla hybrids. Maybe next year.

[@karoltakisobie6638]

That's all very nice but I miss economy class Toyotas with MT. They were simple and nearly bulletproof. There were far more fuel efficient than anything on market today. Toyota still makes them, just doesn't sell them in NA. Not everyone can or wants to spend 50k on grocery getter.

[@bwofficial1776]

It always annoys me when a car has a wildly optimistic speedometer that you're only going to use half of. I'd rather have an 85MPH speedometer with the same sweep so there's more resolution for the speeds I'm actually going to drive. The only way a Corolla is going to hit 160 is if it's dropped out of a plane. Manuals are fun. It's that feeling of taking control and being directly connected to the engine and wheels and road. It's a shame manuals are just about dead but it's a partly a reflection of how good automatics have gotten. Automatics used to sap power and lower efficiency and shift slowly and break down all the time. Now that they've become cheap, efficient, fast, and reliable it's a hard sell on a less convenient manual. Now that there are more car models than ever carmakers have to make simple cars that appeal to as many people as possible.

[@AcesHighMedia]

Well they did it so they could sell the new GR Corollas!

[@robme3660]

I wish they had put the reverse gear all the way to the right and down. I want someone to know for sure that it's a manual if they peer in when I have it parked. It's ridiculous, I know. 😂

[@Nathan_Jay]

"C o r o l l u h" -Scotty Kilmer, somewhere

[@stealth.gr4]

I absolutely love my E210. It's easily the best car to get into the car community Also, I'm still willing to bring the car to IL so you can compare stock to FBO and Tuned

[@ShootingCars]

Shoot me an email again!

[@JCVACCARO]

It looks better with the optional rear spoiler.

[@claysonwebster1622]

Why a CVT just make a 5 or 6 Speed normal auto

[@gaborherman1481]

Cheaper to make. Every bit of savings counts.

[@Oldvehicle19]

The cvt is decent but yeah I would Rather 6 or even maybe a 8 speed auto

[@derekgardin1512]

I never heard notchy as a good thing.

[@asp4488]

Once they stop manufacturing the GR, Toyota might bring back the manual transmission.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

They are working on a manual transmission set up for hybrids as we speak. Will probably first be seen in the new MR2...but maybe not.

[@vicp8772]

Keeping my civic hatch 6sp thx. Canadians here still drive stick. Ppl dropped the option, not toyota

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

That’s what I’m looking for this summer when I’m in the market. I’ve had just two autos in my life: an ‘85 Toyota Van was my first vehicle and I didn’t know how to drive a manual yet, and a ‘93 Accord, but it was a beater while my daily was a ‘99 Civic Si. Even the Subaru Forester I had was a manual.

[@spooks9999]

Easy cash grab. Toyota removes the manual and forces you to fork out for the gr Corolla

[@fooloco]

Aaaand it’s gone. 🙄

[@johncena6701]

bro can barely fit in the car lol