Toyota Corolla vs Hyundai Veloster

Armed with a deserved reputation for reliability, equipped with modern infotainment and safety technologies, and engineered to be surreptitiously enjoyable to drive, there is a 2025 Corolla for almost anyone. You can choose between a sedan or a hatchback, a gas or a hybrid powertrain, and front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). The performance-tuned GR Corolla is a legitimate hot hatch, while the Corolla Cross, a small crossover SUV, adds extra utility, but this review focuses on the Corolla sedan.

Verdict: The Toyota Corolla rightfully has a reputation for being boring. However, the current 12th-generation model is also more stylish, technologically advanced, and rewarding to drive than previous Corollas. The new-for-2025 Corolla FX sedan demonstrates that with exclusive design details and sport-tuned steering and suspension.

Consider Hyundai and its growth in popularity over the last decade. The brand built its relevance with practical, sensible vehicles, like the Sonata, and SUVs like the Santa Fe and Tucson. But “fortune favors the bold,” or so the saying goes. There is something to be said for taking an unlikely risk.

In the 2011 model year, Hyundai released the Veloster, going in a completely different direction than the rest of its typically safe product lineup. Hyundai already had a hatchback, the Accent (and later the Elantra GT). But the Veloster was something completely different. It featured a unique hatchback-meets-coupe shape and an even more unique 3-door layout. The result was a sporty daily driver that’s both fun and functional, and it has been completely redesigned for the 2019 model year.