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Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the baddest Japanese sedan of all?
(Photo by Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor)
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Down 49 horsepower, the WRX was frequently left behind by the Evolution.
(Photo by Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor)
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The Impreza's bug-eyed headlights haven't been warmly received. The flared fenders and hood scoop are cool, though.
(Photo by Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor)
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This is the Evo's best side. The deep air dam, front-mount intercooler and angled headlights and hood vents give it a menacing look.
(Photo by Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor)
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Road Test: Comparison Test
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2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR vs. 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX
Four Squared
By
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
Date posted: 12-12-2002
Mitsubishi's current ad campaign is "Wake Up and Drive." The TV spots show young
hipsters driving around hip urban areas while bobbing their heads
to hip-sounding music. (You can thank, or blame, Volkswagen for this latest
trend in automotive marketing.)
But really, driving around with the radio on? You can do that with any car. And
if you want to wake up, we can surely suggest better cars to be doing it in besides
a Mitsubishi. The company's current product line is like the Arizona Cardinals:
no big names and near perpetual mediocrity.
But that changes for 2003. Come spring, a car will arrive from Japan that will
invigorate the Triple Diamond to a level not seen since the early '90s. The legendary
Lancer Evolution is coming to the United States.
The Evolution, a high-performance version of the company's basic economy Lancer
sedan, has earned its reputation through extensive use in the World Rally Championship
and other racing venues. The original Lancer debuted in 1992, and the car's two
main themes — turbocharged power and all-wheel drive — have continued
on through six successive generations. Road-going versions of the Evolution have
been sold in Japan, but never in the U.S.
By finally bringing it here, Mitsubishi is hoping the Evolution will, besides
tickling the hippocampi of enthusiasts everywhere, be a "halo car" — a car
good enough to lift the sales and visibility of Mitsubishi's other products. Not
surprisingly, this is the same mission Subaru has had in mind for its Impreza
WRX.
When the latest-generation Impreza debuted for 2002, Subaru's North American execs
made sure the 227-horsepower WRX
version came to the States. The WRX and Evolution are very similar —
turbo power, all-wheel drive and plenty of racing pedigree. The WRX has been a
success for Subaru, stoking Impreza sales and generally adding luster to the company's
image.
Can you see where this is leading? Yep, it's the making of a 2003 bantamweight
title fight — Evolution vs. WRX: Stateside Rumble. To get a sneak
preview, we got our hands on a 2002 Lancer Evolution VII GSR and a 2002 Impreza
WRX. Admittedly, this wasn't a fair fight. Our 276-hp left-hand-drive Evo was
brought over from Germany by Mitsubishi as a demonstration car for journalists.
It bristled with flashy hardware like mutant-size Brembo brakes, a computer-controlled
Active Center Differential and even a water sprayer that automatically squirted
water onto the front-mount intercooler when high temperatures dictated. We've
been told that the 2003 U.S. version won't be quite as hard-core. Official information
is due to be released in early January 2003.
On the flip side, the WRX was completely stock and rather ordinary compared to
the Evo, or even the 265-horsepower WRX STi version that is expected to arrive
in 2003. Still, this was a great opportunity to see how the cars matched up and
give you a better idea of which dealership you should start getting friendly with.
We ordered two of our battle-hardened editors out to some of Central California's
best driving roads. For two days, the yellow Evo and blue WRX flashed past trundling
trucks, buzzed through sleepy towns and ripped down empty curvy roads. And just
think, our editors got paid to do this.
Day One
"There's a two-car accident on the 405 North near the 101, and this is causing
major delays all the way back to the 10." This was the radio traffic report as
we made our escape from L.A. Of course, we weren't smart enough to listen to the
traffic report before we left. So our two Japanese rally titans crawled
unceremoniously up the 405, their superpowers being unable to make them go any
faster than the multitudes of Camrys, Accords and minivans surrounding them.
Most motorists were blissfully unaware that they sat near greatness. Visually,
the WRX was quite tame; it lacked a rear wing and its only upgrade was a set of
the optional 17-inch BBS wheels. Even the Evolution, with its Jay Leno chin and
XL-size rear wing, couldn't draw much of a crowd. The only attention came from
two officers in a California Highway Patrol cruiser. They gave us the hard stare,
as if to say, "We know that if you weren't stuck in traffic, you'd be breaking
the law." Good thing "Minority Report" is just a movie.
The traffic did give us a good feel for each car's interior. Both closely resemble
their stock brethren, which means cloth upholstery, plenty of plastic and reasonable
seating for four. Special upgrades for each include different gauges, heavily
bolstered front seats and short-throw shifters. Of the two, the Subaru was certainly
more comfortable and better-looking.
The Evo's front seats seemed to be designed for slim Japanese men on Weight Watchers.
Even though both of our drivers were pretty skinny, they felt the Evo was uncomfortable
for long-distance driving. If the U.S. Evo has these seats, there's going to have
to be a warning label that reads, "Unsuitable for people with eight percent or
more body fat." Or maybe, "No lard butts allowed."
The clutch was another problem. It was quick acting for better performance, but
it also made standing starts tricky to do without stalling. A stiff ride quality
further compounded the Evo's difficult temperament. This car was seriously unwilling
to yield to any major road imperfection. Driving over freeway expansion joints
sounded (and felt) like distant artillery bombardment. Cruise control? Nowhere
to be found. The Evo also fidgeted about on grooved pavement, requiring the driver
to stay focused at all times.
Though plenty stiff on its own, the WRX was a near-luxury car in comparison; its
more compliant suspension more readily soaked up bumps and dips and its clutch
was much easier to operate. It even had the upgraded audio system and six-disc
in-dash CD changer. Driving cross-country would be no problem.
In our case, all we had to do was make it a few hundred miles. Once we were free
of greater L.A., the two cars were free to let the boost pressure build. The WRX
suffered from turbo lag, and its responses were pretty listless below 3,000 rpm.
Highway passing frequently required a drop down to fourth gear. The Evolution,
however, was ready to rock from just about any rpm. Not only did it have a major
horsepower advantage, but its torque output of 283 pound-feet at 3,500 rpm snuffed
out the WRX and its mere 217 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. The Evo's five-speed
transmission also had a shorter 4.53 final drive compared to the WRX's 3.90.
As we climbed the Grapevine on Interstate 5 (a taxing incline that slows the weak
and unprepared), both cars utilized their turbocharged power plants to the utmost.
This was a fine environment for them; traffic had thinned out, allowing us to
slalom through the lanes as we powered up the winding grade. Chugging 18-wheel
semis seemed to be nearly motionless. We even passed a late-model Porsche 911
whose driver (a middle-age guy) seemed a bit taken aback that these two Japanese
econoboxes should be so bold as to overtake his normally superior Teutonic ride.
But hey, we're sure he's enjoying his well-spent $70,000, right?
We continued north until we reached Frazier Park, at which point we turned west
and headed out onto Cuddy Valley Road and Cerro Nordeste Road and then later to
Highway 58. These roads snaked us through the upper reaches of Los Padres National
Forest, cut across the valley floor and eventually dropped out to California's
coast. They provided some fantastic scenery, as well as a great mix of straightaways
and low-, medium- and high-speed corners.
Thanks to its race-ready 235/45ZR17 Yokohama Advan A046 tires and advanced all-wheel-drive
system, the Evo fearlessly scrabbled through these kinked roads. Its Active Center
Differential (ACD) distributes torque equally between the front and rear wheels.
Employing steel multiplate clutches similar to a mechanical limited-slip differential,
the ACD automatically regulates center differential slip-limiting action.
Furthering its ability were its ultraquick steering responses. Our drivers said
it took some time to become accustomed to, and one said, "Sneeze and you'll veer
into the oncoming lane." But once mastered, the steering gave the Evo the edge
for being able to change direction quickly.
Compared to just about anything else, the WRX feels like a race car. But pitted
against the Evo, it felt soft. The steering wheel was bigger in diameter and it
required larger inputs from the driver to make the same handling maneuvers. At
one point, we drove over a long straight stretch of undulating road at rapid speed.
While the Evo was tight and secure, the WRX's dampers allowed too much compression
and rebound. And in tight corners, understeer was prevalent unless the throttle
was given a swift kick to transfer weight and power to the rear tires.
Based on the judge's scorecard, it wasn't looking good for the WRX.
Day Two
For our return, we traced back our original route and then cut down to Highway
33, which led us through Ojai and eventually to Camarillo, where we would pit
the two cars against our battery of instrumented tests.
On our way down, we located a gravel-packed dirt road to further test out the
cars' AWD systems. Again, the Evo held the advantage. Its tighter suspension gave
us a better feel for the road surface and available grip. And thanks to the cockpit
button that allows the driver to select three different modes, we were able to
set the ACD to "gravel" for optimized traction.
Once at our testing facility, the Evolution again displayed superiority. Without
performing any clutch-shredding super-high-rpm launches, we managed a 0-to-60
time of 5.3 seconds and cleared the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at 101.1 mph.
The Subaru fell behind with a 6.3-second 0-to-60 and a quarter-mile of 15 seconds
at 90.4 mph. For braking, the Mitsubishi utilized its oversize Brembo stoppers
to haul down from 60 mph in 119 feet. A 70-to-0-mph test ended in 162 feet. For
the WRX, it was 121 feet from 60 mph and 170 feet from 70 mph. Finally, we ran
both cars through our 600-foot slalom course. The Evo blazed through at 69.3 mph
(one of the fastest times we've ever recorded) while the WRX did it in 66.2 mph.
For pure performance, the Evolution was the clear winner. It was faster and more
capable in every category. But our two editors weren't quite ready to fully dismiss
the WRX. As a real-world street car, the WRX proved superior. Despite being slower
and not as sharp, it was more fun to drive at the limit and easier to put into
four-wheel drifts. Plus, its softer tuning and wider seats made it more comfortable
in urban areas. It even had a much better fuel range; the Evo's low-fuel warning
light frequently illuminated after just 170 miles because its gas tank holds just
12.7 gallons. The WRX holds 15.9 gallons.
So which one should you buy? Well, we can't make a final call until we test the
full U.S.-spec Evolution and the U.S.-spec WRX STi. But when asked which car,
as-is, they would buy (assuming the Evo stickered at about $30,000), both editors
decided to go with the WRX. As one of them said, "It was less expensive and it
had the better balance between performance and usability. If I had to drive one
of these cars everyday, it'd be the WRX."
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