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Let’s get this straight. This is no TRD Corolla. This is no sports saloon. This is still a stock Toyota Corolla with some chassis upgrades and a limited production run of 6,000 units. But if you are one of the millions around the world who are looking to buy a Corolla, this Apex Edition gives you a chance to stand out from most of them, kind of. Image Credit: Supplied
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The Corolla Apex Edition, obviously named after ‘the apex’ of a corner that drivers aim to clip while lapping a track, gets a suspension upgrade. Toyota engineers apparently fine-tuned the dynamic characteristics of the car through extensive testing on different tracks around the world, including TMC Higashi-Fuji Proving Ground in Japan, Toyota Arizona Proving Ground and MotorSport Ranch in Texas. Toyota is also equipping 120 of these special models based on the SE grade with a six-speed manual transmission with downshift rev-matching control. Image Credit: Supplied
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Special coil springs lower the vehicle by 0.6 inches while the increased spring rate promises to reduce vehicle roll angle and provides flatter cornering and steering response. Specially tuned shocks with internal rebound springs will purportedly provide increased damping force that controls vertical and roll movement while solid stabiliser bars with increased rigidity help to decrease vehicle roll angle. All these upgrades result in the Apex Edition suspension getting a roll stiffness that’s up by 47 per cent in the front and 33 per cent in the rear. Image Credit: Supplied
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Toyota says the 18-inch cast aluminium gloss-black wheels are specially developed to aid in brake cooling while offering a mass reduction of 1 kilogram per wheel. Image Credit: Supplied
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While there isn’t much of a bump in the engine’s output, Toyota says the electronic power steering (EPS) has been tuned specifically for the Apex Edition to complement its dynamic suspension changes. It also gets a specially developed catback exhaust that provides a “throatier” note. Image Credit: Supplied
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To signify the changes visually, Toyota has given the Apex Edition a custom body package with bronze accents, a front spoiler, fog light covers, side moldings and rear diffuser and a rear trunk aero spoiler. Image Credit: Supplied