Back in the 1950s, the mafia controlled boxing on a global scale. They decided who fought who and when. In the middleweight division two fighters rebuked this idea and refused to sign up to mafia control. These two middleweights, Jake La Motta and Sugar Ray Robinson, ended up fighting each other many times, simply because there was no-one else to fight. A similar relationship has been raging on our roads for a decade now.
Subaru Impreza vs. Mitsubishi Lancer is one of the most keenly fought contests in the automotive world with the victor essentially being the undisputed champion of the middleweights. However, the importance of their crown reaches far beyond their division; their dominance is not down to the intervention of the Yakuza; it is down to their pure ability. On the right stretch of road even the most hallowed of supercars has to yield to their devastating pace from point to point. So who is the champ?
The tale of the tape doesn't give away any obvious answer. Both offer high tech four-wheel drive chassis that are intelligent enough to make the most of any grip available; both pack turbocharged four cylinder engines offering big punch from compact platforms. They weigh about the same and have similar physical dimensions. You have to look deeper for clues to the outcome.
The looks could be decisive depending on the judge. The Impreza draws heavily on its rally relative and is all bulges, wings, ducts and aggression, even in the most basic form. The Evo is more subtle, particularly as the
base model with normal saloon car looks from most angles: aggressive, yes, but more subtle and restrained than the Impreza and indeed previous generation Evos.
Get in and turn the key and another critical difference makes itself heard, literally. For some, the throb of the Impreza's boxer four will be enough. Not many production cars offer the same aural delights at peak revs, never mind at idle. I love the Impreza's burble; a blip of the throttle simply makes it more staccato. Only when the blower spools up does the note change significantly as the bass line throb forms the foundation of the symphony with the induction roar and turbo whistle adding layers of depth above it. The Evo's four can't really compete here; it sounds bland in comparison. That may sound harsh, but it's true.
But snick into first and get underway and the picture changes again. Both offer very pleasant working environments and controls. The seats are appropriately grippy, the pedals well placed, gears quick and smooth to shift and the engines are tractable and mild mannered. Indeed around town they are easy to drive and could be almost any family car. But head out of town, drop a couple of cogs and punch the throttle to the firewall and they show their true colours. Some people say they have excessive turbo lag, but this is a little misleading, as it's really the stark contrast between the vivid acceleration available on boost and the merely rapid off boost that exaggerates the effect. Any Evo or Impreza is very quick and delivering full boost as soon as you get into the 3000rpm plus region. Subjectively the bigger power versions feel laggy as there is so much power available on boost. Not strictly turbo lag, more torque step. A draw in the straight-line performance stakes then, although it should be noted that the £23k MR260 is much quicker than the £21k WRX. By the time you get to 300bhp plus then tenths of seconds to 100mph make no difference, and 155mph maximum speeds are purely for pub bragging rights.
The performance around bends though shows for the first time two very different personalities. Come to a bend in the Evo and the quickness of the steering can catch you out at first, and this isn't just down to the speed of the rack; something funny goes on. It isn't all string and mirrors; tricky diffs are at work here. The AYC (Active Yaw Control) senses what is going on and physically aids your progress; you think that's clever until you get to the apex and bury the throttle and feel the Evo claw at the tarmac and physically drag itself through and out of the bend. The Impreza handles very well in most contexts, but here the Evo makes it feel slow witted, cumbersome and inert. It is here that you can pull yards on the Impreza and there is simply nothing that can be done about it. More familiarity with the cars might close the gap in some cases, but not here. Once you get used to the supernatural forces at work then you can work the Evo even harder, get on the power even earlier and laugh even louder. You can dial in the amount of oversteer required, depending on how you feel and who is watching. I haven't driven an Impreza with the adjustable centre diff yet, but it will have to be very good to close this gap. It isn't just raw speed either; the Evo is also more delicate, intimate and communicative. If you love driving above all else then the Evo has to win. But there is a price to pay in some cases. The Evo tends to be much more stiffly suspended than the Impreza and can be genuinely uncomfortable in some scenarios.
The winner of this battle is very much dependant on individual taste; for me the MR260 version of the Lancer strikes an almost perfect balance between pace and comfort and is simply too good for the equivalent Impreza. I would love it to have the unique exhaust note of the Impreza but it isn't to be. I could live without that, as the Impreza doesn't offer the same range of abilities. But to see this as a definitive outcome would be wrong. Pump up the volume and my preference would change, the
Impreza STi with the Prodrive Performance Pack is a better day to day foil than the
FQ300 Evo, as the Mitsubishi is just too plain hard and uncompromised in this guise whilst the Impreza retains some refinement. Essentially drive before you buy; you'll know which is right very quickly.
It is hard to believe that in 1991 Ford would have taken £27,000 off you in exchange for a 4x4 Sapphire Cosworth and all these years later you can get into the base variants of either of these cars, that are streets ahead of the Ford in terms of ability, for around £20k. This, in itself is one reason why no one has chosen to take on the pair. How do you do it for the money? Bang for buck is unequalled anywhere on four wheels; these cars are at the peak of their genetic pool and each iteration of their development hails a new dawn in the automotive world. At the end of the day we should all rejoice in the fact that these two exist and continue to evolve. Even the might of the Modenese Mafia lives in fear of these Yakuza; they are truly the common man's supercars.
Dave Jenkins - 28 May 2005
