We don’t see hatchbacks as often here in the United States as you do in a lot of European countries. Hatchbacks offer a lot more interior space and practicality than your standard sedan because of their boxy rear ends. They are still small like your standard passenger car, making them easy to navigate large cities with narrow roads and heavy traffic. There are a handful of hatchbacks that are popular in North America, like the 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchback. For as popular as the car is, it really doesn’t live up to the hype.

The 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchback

There are a lot of appealing qualities for the 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchback that would explain why drivers would buy one. The underrated interior isn’t lined with luxurious materials or features, but the spacious front seats are well-padded for comfort. Some people also just really love the “hot hatch” styling of the Corolla hatchback, complete with large alloy wheels, an aggressive front end, and a spoiler mounted to the top of the sloping roofline.

A handful of concerning complaints

The biggest complain for the 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchback so far has been the ride quality. For one, the hatchback has unpleasantly stiff handling. While the team at Consumer Reports claims that the car could navigate corners at their test track with a good amount of agility, they also had notes about the car’s rough driving experience. It also isn’t well insulated against road noise, which can make for a loud, unpleasant ride.

Some unfortunate recalls

There are also a handful of recalls for the 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchback, and though they aren’t a big deal once they have been handled, they are still annoying and inconvenient to deal with. Part of the appeal of owning a Toyota is its history of reliability, so when owners are already having to take their 2020 models in for recall work they can be feeling a little less than happy. The recalls for the Corolla hatchback aren’t stressful or dangerous, but having to take your brand new car into the shop for repairs or replacements already can be pretty frustrating.

Some owners still really love their new Toyota Corolla hatchback, and we can’t really blame them. When it comes to owning most cars, we sometimes make sacrifices and compromises to get the price we want, and in a place where the market for hatchbacks isn’t very big, we will take what we can get. The Corolla hatchback isn’t a bad car by any means, but it definitely didn’t live up to the high expectations we had of the car.