Through all the North American public’s move away from cars to SUVs and crossovers, there are still lots of sedans being made for sale here, primarily by the Asian manufacturers. The compact sedan, in particular, continues to ring up strong sales here.
The interesting part is that the compact car segment is where you’ll find the majority of cars still offered with a fully manual transmission. Some of those cars are the most basic models that have a stick for cost reasons, but others are for a better reason – to be sporty cars. Some of the most engaging and rational performance cars are small sedans. It is in this very competitive market that Toyota offers the Corolla Apex Edition.
Now, the Corolla needs little introduction, but the Apex is Toyota’s answer to the plethora of “sporty” compacts, if not the outright performance compact cars also available. Outwardly,it looks the part, with black-out trim everywhere, and beefy tires on aggressive 18-inch black wheels. But it is under the skin that one finds a curious combination of equipment.
In a field of cars almost defined by the availability of 200-horsepower turbocharged engines, the Apex gets but the same 2.0-litre regular four that all other Corollas do. And that means 169-horsepower and 151 lb-ft of torque at a lofty 4,800 rpm. It’s flexible and civilized, of course, but zero-to-100 km/h runs of nearly ten seconds are not the stuff of sporty driving. A sport-tuned exhaust will make bystanders think you have more power than you actually do. There is some speculation that more power might be coming for this Corolla, and it would be welcome.
Putting a bit of sparkle in the Apex’s performance, however, is the six-speed manual transmission our tester was equipped with. The shift feel, clutch take-up, and pedal alignment are all conducive to an enthusiastic driver having some fun with the car, and if matching revs on downshifts is not yet an acquired skill, the Apex has the iMT function that will do it for you. If you’d prefer, a CVT automatic is also available, but one has to think that would be far less sporty.
Where Toyota got really serious was in the suspension area. With solid anti-roll bars, stiffer springs that lower the body 0.6 inches, and tighter re-valved shock absorbers, the roll stiffness has been greatly increased, and the Apex handles like no Corolla before it – on smooth road surfaces. On anything like normal roads, with expansion strips and patched pavement, the Apex might be the roughest, most jarring ride you will find in any vehicle short of a race car. To live with this on a day-to-day basis, you’d need to be fully committed to enduring it just to have the occasional thrill on your favourite country road corner. There are other cars with this kind of suspension performance, but they have adjustable shock absorbers to ease the ride in normal city driving. Maybe that feature wasn’t in the budget for Toyota, but the Apex needs its settings to be toned down a touch.
Inside, the Apex is an attractive combination of light grey and black surfaces, and the upholstery on our tester was a very nice cloth for minimum sliding round during the lateral g-forces the suspension can generate. The front seats are “sporty” level in terms of support and comfort, with manual height and recline adjustment, and adequate lumbar support that is not adjustable. The comfort and convenience features have been kept closer to the “basic” level than the “luxury” one on the Apex, as there are more high-end Corollas available without the performance profile of the Apex.
So, the Corolla Apex is a mixed bag. It is very attractive in a sporty way, inside and out, and the six-speed manual will keep enthusiasts happy. Of course, it has all the expected Toyota attributes, too. But on the other hand, the suspension goes a bit too far, and the engine not far enough, to make this a truly balanced sport compact package, of which there are many on the market. The Apex is in tough in its present form.
Specifications
- Base MSRP: $27,440 (estimated)
- Type of vehicle: Front-engine, front-wheel drive 4-door sedan
- Engine: 2.0L DOHC I4
- Power: 169 hp
- Torque: 151 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed manual
- Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS
- Fuel Consumption (L/100 km) rating, city/highway: 8.2/6.5
- Fuel Consumption (L/100 km) observed, urban: 9.6
