I love the Subaru WRX STi (formerly Impreza WRX STi), and I think I was very vocal about it. However, whenever I’m discussing the Subi with a friend or a fellow petrolhead, there is one particular car that has to be forced into the conversation, and I think you already know what it is, courtesy of the title.
It’s the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, an equally brilliant four-door rally-inspired sports car that will offer mind-blowing performance and great practicality in one gorgeous-looking package.
But then there’s the big question: Which one is better, the car with the blue paint and gold rims or the car with the three-diamond emblem?
It might seem like a straightforward answer to Subaru fanatics who will, of course, defend the WRX STi, and a similarly simple answer to Mitsubishi fanatics who will advocate the Lancer Evolution, but it’s actually not that clear-cut.
It’s no secret that the Mitsubishi is more “hardcore” than the Subaru and is usually the faster car around a racetrack, but 99 per cent of our driving is not a racetrack, so the Subi makes more sense as a daily driver because it’s the softer of the two.
It’s a similar story with two of the best hot hatches on the market: the Renault Megane RS and the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The Renault is the no-compromise “raw” sports car, but the Volkswagen is the better all-rounder. In other words, the Mitsubishi is the Renault and the Subaru is the Volkswagen. Confused yet?
In my opinion, there is no better car; both the Mitsubishi and Subaru have won countless rallies and both have proven to be fantastic road cars, so it’s all down to personal preference: do you want outstanding performance at the cost of every-day comfort or do you want slightly less outstanding performance with more real world drivability?
I prefer the latter, so I’d go for a WRX STi, but that doesn’t make me any less of a Lancer Evolution fan.
Unfortunately, you will only be able to buy a WRX STi in 2015 because Mitsubishi is killing off the Lancer Evolution, which I think is one of the stupidest decisions in automotive history.