“Puro body kit lang naman ‘yan eh.” No, no it isn’t. This is the Toyota Corolla Apex Edition, and while the Japanese carmaker could have easily taken the vanilla route and gone with plastering a little extra aero here and there, it opted not to.
Instead of settling purely on looks, Toyota has gone ahead and tuned this thing’s suspension for the track, putting it through its paces around company proving grounds in Higashi-Fuji, Japan and Arizona, Texas.
Coil springs have been lowered by 0.6 inches to reduce roll and improve cornering performance, and tuned shocks provide better dampening. The electronic power steering has also been improved, and a catback exhaust has been installed for a more aggressive sound. The brand claims the improvements increases roll stiffness by 47% up front and 33% at the rear.
So no, this isn’t all body kit. That doesn’t mean Toyota hasn’t taken steps to improve its look, though.
Complementing the Apex Edition’s lowered stance are blacked-out exterior bits, some of which get attractive bronze accents. Parts that get this treatment include the vehicle’s front and rear bumpers, side skirts, spoilers, 18-inch aluminum wheels, and fog light housings. The add-ons go hand-in-hand with the US-spec Corolla’s ultra-aggressive face.
The Toyota Corolla Apex Edition runs on the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder DOHC engine as standard SE and XSE units, churning out up to 169hp at 6,600rpm and 205Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. It’s also being offered with a manual transmission.
Only 6,000 units are being produced. Still think these upgrades are all just for show?
