2008 Subaru WRX STi.
Subaru and Mitsubishi have been rival automakers for as long as I can remember. Both companies have had entries in the World Rally Championship, with very similar cars. The Subaru Impreza WRX and STI, dominated the WRC for many years in a row, but the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has recently taken over. Both cars, brought to the USA due to the popularity of the Gran Turismo video game franchise, are both steroid-infused econobox sedans with incredible performance potential. The question remains, then…which one is better?
First sold in the USA in 2002, the Impreza WRX has been an excellent performer from day one, with a well-managed AWD system (with some situational understeer issues), a powerful yet nicely-controllable motor, and excellent body dynamics. In just about every driving situation, the Impreza performed well. On the highway, a twisty mountain roads, or in harsh weather conditions, the understeer was always there, which allowed for the driver to adapt and offset it. The car’s turbo flat four motor was smooth, and more progressive than one would expect a turbocharged vehicle to be. It was predictable and very manageable once the turbo spooled.
The aggressive exterior styling, with a large hood scoop, wide box fender flares, wheel fitment, and large rear wing are nicely accentuated by a comfortable, yet sporty interior that surrounds the driver with nicely lit instrumentation. The manual transmission shifter is meaty, with shifts coming smoothly and accurately. The sport seats are nicely adorned with attractive sport cloth, with stylish stitching. As a whole, sitting in the Impreza WRX or STI gives the driver the impression of sportiness all the while retaining comfort.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was a completely different car, regardless of being in the same market and being designed as a direct competitor to the Subaru. While the Subaru was refined yet sporty, the Mitsubishi was a raw performer, with electronics such as Active Yaw Control to offset the power advantage and suspension dynamics. The Evolution also looked the part of the monster within.
Every generation of the Evolution was boxy and aggressively styled. From the Evo 5 to the Evo X, the in-your-face front bumper stared at you with the giant foglamps made for lighting up the road in the various harsh terrains of the World Rally Championship. The gaping hole in the middle of it engulfed a huge intercooler made to cool the air coming in. The hood had one or two large, mesh-covered holes in it made both for style and function, keeping under-hood temperatures to a minimum. The interior felt much more bare-bones than that in the Subaru, with no-nonsense instrumentation and no extra “styling” bits. The seats in the Evo were harsh, and let the driver feel the road, almost too much.
Performance and handling dynamics were also different from those in the Impreza. The Evo models were consistently more powerful than the WRX and STI models. Their power delivery was much more brutal. When the turbo spooled, you were sent forward with a violent jolt, while on the Impreza models it was more progressive. The Mitsubishi also had much more neutral steering, starting with a hint of understeer on turn in, followed by the tail coming out ever so slightly under throttle. This made for an exhilarating drive. The car’s suspension was also much harsher than in its counterpart. One could feel every rut and dip in the road. While it stayed planted no matter the road condition, it was stiff enough to turn kidney stones to dust.
2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
In the last generation of both the Evolution (dubbed the Evo X), and the STI, the dynamics and engineering took an interesting turn. The Evo X is much more refined, with a nicer interior, more sculpted but still aggressive styling, and with electronic gizmos better designed than in previous generations, making the car a smoother vehicle to drive. The handling is now much more predictable, due to the electronic nannies actually working in a form of tango, rather than disjointly doing what they were designed to do and consequently throwing the car’s balance off. The STI, remains subdued, and progressive. The STI’s puzzle pieces were all designed together, so as to mesh immediately and make for an all-around performer that does not need extras to function decently.
These two Rally-bred cars with similar pedigrees, are thus two very different pieces of machinery. While both follow the same formula of taking a cheap economy car, adding aggressive bodywork and a turbocharger to the motor, they still manage to distinguish themselves from one another with important design differences. The Subaru Impreza WRX and WRX STI are sporty cars with a comfortable ride suitable for most anyone. Slightly less powerful than their Mitsubishi counterpart, they have every performance aspect in mind and thus are well balanced.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, on the other hand, is a no-holds-barred beast of a vehicle that took nothing into consideration but pure performance. Due to this mentality, it is much rougher around the edges and more difficult to drive. Only in the last generation did the Evo get things sorted out with the electronics balancing the raw mechanicals properly. In the end, it simply is not possible to say which is better as they both have their own perks. The Evo may win in a purely numbers game, but the Impreza models are far superior from a daily-driving perspective. The choice, really, is yours.
-KF
