If your looking at Corollas I'd recommend looking for a Scion IM.
Its basically a Corolla hatchback, but has an independent rear suspension and comes with the 137hp valvematic variant of the 1.8L engine. It handles a bit better than a vanilla Corolla and it gets great gas mileage like a Corolla.
When the Scion brand bit the dust it got moved over to the Toyota Corolla lineup and became the Corolla IM.
Its a bit tighter in the rear though (shorter car) so if rear legroom is a concern you'd want to check it out first or ignore it completely. That gen corolla has a huge back seat.
They can be had for a good price, with likely lower kms/miles. A lot probably has to do with the lack of desirability of the Scion brand and lack of driver assists (before it became a thing).
It only exists in 2016 (Became a Corolla IM in 2017, and I think gained some of the aforementioned driver assists)