INTRODUCTION
By Erin Riches Email
Date posted: 02-06-2006

Forget about the rear-drive V8 renaissance happening on the domestic front. Forget about the pedigreed sport sedans coming out of Germany. If you want the most performance $35,000 can buy, the only cars you need to drive are the 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi.

These scrappy ex-economy sedans may not look upscale or retro, hell, they don't even look that expensive, but they're fast. Brutally fast. And they'll out-handle any upscale, retro-styled sports car you can name.

You see, underneath that semi-juvenile, boy racer bodywork are sophisticated all-wheel-drive systems, rally-spec running gear and turbocharged four-cylinders that make tremendous power. Performance is so densely packed into these cars that they begin to rewire the driver's brain. You drive faster. You take more risks. You howl like a demented chimp when people scoff at your F1-size spoiler. And, you love every minute of it.

Two years ago we tested these rivals, and the faster Evo came away the winner. For 2006, however, both cars received a short but significant list of mechanical changes so we thought we would give the WRX STi a rematch.

Evo vs. STi, part two
The Apex Silver '06 Lancer Evolution in this test is a base IX model, which falls between the top-line MR and the stripped RS in the Evolution lineup. Our test car had the $3,120 Sun, Sound and Leather Package, which provides a sunroof, an excellent 315-watt Infinity sound system, mediocre leather upholstery and HID headlights. It also balloons the sticker price from shy of $32 grand to $35,114. Given the choice, we would have taken the HIDs and left the rest.

Subaru sent over a more sensibly equipped WR Blue Pearl '06 WRX STi with gold-painted BBS wheels, no options and a total price of $32,995. Despite the $2,000 disparity, the cars are equipped with almost identical hardware. Each is fitted with three limited-slip differentials, 17-inch wheels and tires, and four ventilated Brembo brake discs. ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution were also standard on both, and the WRX STi provided HIDs at no extra charge.

However, the most impressive bit of standard equipment is under their aluminum hoods. On the Evo, that hood conceals a turbocharged, double-overhead-cam, 2.0-liter inline four that makes 286 hp at 6,500 rpm and 289 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm, amazing numbers for an engine displacing fewer liters than your daily coffee intake. It hooks up to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Working from an extra half-liter of displacement, the Subie's turbocharged, DOHC, horizontally opposed four-cylinder cooks up a cool 300 hp at 6,000 rpm and 300 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. It's matched with a six-speed manual.

Even though Subaru doesn't offer a leather or sunroof option, inside, the WRX STi is the better equipped of the rivals. Our STi tester included amenities like front-seat side airbags, automatic climate control, cruise control and an in-dash CD changer, none of which is even offered on the Evo.

No rest
The cars showed up just in time for a holiday weekend.

No problem.

We handed off the keys to two editors for a late-night run from L.A. to San Jose. Once there, they ditched the relatives and headed straight for the Santa Cruz Mountains, where secreted away amongst the redwood groves, pinot vineyards and expensive homes are some of the best driving roads Northern California has to offer. These two-laners are damp, narrow and riddled with sharp curves. In other words, they're perfect for testing a couple of rally cars like the Evo and STi.

After a couple of days of terrorizing this mountain utopia, they switched cars and made a few more runs up Skyline Boulevard, a road the locals know as the back way to San Francisco. It's two-lane blacktop, sometimes with a center line, sometimes not, with steep grades aplenty.

The next morning the real work began back in L.A. We took the STi and Evo to the track where we put them through a full battery of acceleration, braking, slalom and skid-pad tests. There was a lot at stake: These numbers counted for 30 percent of the final score.

Choose a hero
Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution IX and Subaru's Impreza WRX STi are as closely matched as any two rivals have a right to be. Buy either one of these turbocharged, all-wheel-drive sedans and you're getting one of the very best performance bargains out there.

However, the manic Evo is still the more refined and capable performance machine. It's faster, turns in significantly better handling numbers and supplies its driver with more feedback. A lot more feedback. Plus, if you drop our test car's extraneous Sun, Sound and Leather Package, the Evolution IX costs $1,000 less than the STi. And don't forget that Mitsubishi is currently throwing in free scheduled maintenance for three years/45,000 miles.

Although the STi offers a smidge more comfort and equipment, the Evo is the one to get if you want the most fun per hard-earned dollar.

Your boss' boss drives a Mercedes SL500 roadster. It's beautiful. Sexy. And your coworkers fawn over it. Too bad it's so slow.

For about $32,000, you can buy a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and smoke that stuffed shirt.

But there's more to owning an Evo than embarrassing high-end German cars.

It's about a completely unfiltered driving experience that sucks you in and never lets you go. Every shift of the five-speed gearbox feels like you're hand-feeding torque to all four wheels. Every hard turn feels like you have three friends, Suspension, Steering and Brakes, and they're telling you all their secrets. And every second you spend in the Recaro seats? That's a lasting embrace from the one that got away.

Victory came easily to the Evo in this test. It posted better numbers than Subaru's WRX STi at the track, which counted for 30 percent of the final score. It also earned slightly higher scores on editors' evaluations. It's the car we wanted to drive. And it's the car we think you should drive.

VIII to IX
Even though the Evo isn't fully revamped for 2006, Mitsubishi is calling it the Evolution IX. Compared to last year's Evo VIII, cosmetic differences are minor — the split grille is dropped, the headlight lenses are smoked and the front inlets are reshaped.

The real changes are under the skin. Thanks to the installation of a larger turbocharger and variable intake valve timing (Mitsubishi's MIVEC), the IV makes 10 more hp and 3 more lb-ft of torque than last year's car. Total yield is 286 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque.

While the output difference is small, the '06 upgrades minimize off-the-line lag and flatten the torque curve, which allowed Mitsu engineers to tighten up the five-speed manual's gear ratios. Now the Evo responds immediately to throttle input, gathering itself up in a wave of euphoria unknown to other cars, including the STi. When you hear the turbocharger spool up, you know you're going to the 7,000-rpm redline whether you like it or not.

Under five
Trust us, you'll like it. The 2.0-liter engine is smooth all the way up and, basically, there's never less than 250 lb-ft of torque from 2,500 to 6,000 rpm.

We got a 4.9-second 0-to-60-mph and a 13.3 quarter-mile at 103 mph out of our silver IX. Fast? You bet. In fact, there isn't a faster car in this price range. However, we were only able to get these numbers by defeating the Evo's 5,500-rpm launch limiter, which is active when the car is stationary and the clutch pedal is all the way in. Try this on your personal Evo and you risk voiding the warranty if something goes wrong.

If the six-speed Evolution MR is too much of a financial reach, we doubt you'll be disappointed with the IX model's five-speed gearbox. Five-speed Evos actually get better fuel economy — 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway compared to 18/24 with the six-speed. Our tester averaged 20.5 mpg. Pretty good for a performance car, though we never got more than 280 miles on the car's small 14-gallon tank.

Gearing is perfectly matched to the engine's power band with the five-speed, and the shifter moves through the gates with precision. One editor said he was more susceptible to missing a shift in the Evo than in the STi. We're guessing that's because things happen faster in the Mitsu, increasing the chance of driver error.

So much grip, so much feedback
If you want to fall in love with an Evo, take it to the curviest road you can find and make about 20 laps.

It's not just about how quick the steering is, how deftly the suspension manages changing loads, or how well those differentials stir up the power when you're exiting corners, although these traits will undoubtedly impress you. This car talks to you. You feel it reaching out to you through the steering wheel, the driver seat and the pedals, and you do what it tells you. You feel like a pro.

In the hands of a real pro, the Evo is capable of exceptional numbers. It ran through the slalom at 70.7 mph, 2.5 mph faster than the WRX STi and only 1 mph slower than the featherweight Lotus Elise.

On the skid pad, it managed 0.93g, tying with the Subaru. The Evo exhibited more body roll than the STi but was easier to rotate.

It was also easier to rotate off-throttle on public roads, a nice reward for skilled drivers. Yet, the Evo's not too hot for less experienced drivers to handle. Should you make a mistake, it's no more likely to bite than the STi.

The brakes offer as much feedback as any other part of the Evo, though pedal feel is softer than the STi's and the antilock brake system makes more noise. Our test car's best 60-0 stopping distance was 115.8 feet. The Subie's best was 114.5 feet.

Usually, we left the Evo's Active Center Differential (ACD) on the "Tarmac" setting, but one day it rained so we tried out "Gravel" mode. This pretty much gives your Evo the ability to scale water-logged mountain roads as if they were dry. Credit goes to the 235/45R17 Yokohama Advan A046 tires, too, which have a big appetite for asphalt, wet or dry. Also useful for foul-weather rallying is the Evolution's standard rear window wiper.

Daily commutes revealed the one downside to the Evo's handling-biased hardware: ride quality. It's firm, firmer than the STi's. Not unbearable, mind you, but not relaxing.

Not so many extras
With so much performance packed into a $35K car, there's a price to be paid somewhere and that somewhere is inside the Lancer Evolution.

Our leather-upholstered test car wasn't exactly bare bones, but we could see the Evo's economy-car roots through its average materials, outdated audio controls and lack of side airbags. We could hear them, too, as the hard-revving engine caused various trim panels to vibrate and buzz.

But Mitsubishi takes care of the driver. The Evo's standard Recaro seats force you to assume a proper driving position. Vital controls are all within finger's reach. A tachometer, the only meter you really need to see on a twisty road, is in the center of the gauge pack.

The speedometer, however, is off to the side. It's easily blocked by the steering wheel and should be larger.

Storage space is surprisingly adequate for a performance car. The center console will hold your cell phone and the door bins can take a few CD cases. You can even put two large coffees in the cupholders without impeding access to the shifter. That is, assuming you don't mind wearing Arabian Mocha Java on your shirt every time the tires sniff out an expansion joint.

Should you have passengers to put in the backseat, the Evo offers more legroom than the STi, though the low, squishy bench isn't exactly welcoming to adults. Trunk capacity is a passable 10.2 cubic feet, but our test car's optional subwoofer ate up about an eighth of that.

Single purpose
It's not the least bit luxurious and only true enthusiasts will respect you for driving it. But if ultimate performance is what you crave, the 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX is the car to have.

Just don't blow by that SL roadster. Old man needs the illusion.

Last time we tested Subaru's WRX STi, we let it loose against a Pontiac GTO. It was no contest: The STi was just as fast as the 400-horsepower GTO and it mopped up in the handling and braking tests. Plus, author Ed Hellwig said, "It's as raw a performance car as you're going to find in a showroom. It tosses subtlety out the window in favor of maximum performance at all costs."

Not bad for a $33,000 car. However, get it alongside Mitsubishi's Lancer Evolution and the STi isn't quite as remarkable. Its throttle response is slower, its steering isn't as sharp, and its suspension isn't as tightly controlled. You can have almost as much fun with the Subaru on back roads, but when you're up against an Evo, "almost" means 2nd place.

Trying to close the gap
Subaru sells more WRXs than Mitsubishi does Evolutions, but the STi has never quite equaled the Evo's performance. So for the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, company engineers did some work on the STi's drivetrain and chassis.

They fitted the STi's DCCD all-wheel-drive system with a new steering angle sensor and mechanical differential, and reset the default front/rear torque split to 41/59 from last year's 35/65. The result, says Subaru, is a greater range of power distribution among the wheels, which improves the car's balance in hard cornering situations. Additional help comes from the suspension, which rides one-eighth-inch lower for '06 and uses stronger inverted struts.

Company designers are trying out yet another styling language on the Impreza, and the '06 STi gets the face of an adolescent Alfa Romeo. Last year's impudent hood scoop has been tamed to regular WRX size.

Not as high-strung
On paper the STi looks like it could be faster than the Evo. Our test cars weighed about the same, and the Subaru generates 14 more hp and 11 more lb-ft of torque from a larger-displacement 2.5-liter boxer four-cylinder engine that uses variable valve timing. That comes out to an even 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, coveted numbers for any car in the under-$35,000 bracket.

But we wonder if the STi is really making as much power as Subaru claims. At the test track it took 5.4 seconds to reach 60 mph to the Evo's 4.9. It began to close the distance by the quarter-mile, though its 13.6-second run was still three-tenths of a second behind the Mitsubishi.

Of course three-tenths of a second isn't a difference you can really feel from the driver seat, but drive the cars back-to-back and distinct personalities emerge.

The STi has more lag off the line and doesn't seem to rev as quickly. Going to the 7,000-rpm redline feels like an option, not a necessity as in the Evo. If you take that option, the torque comes spilling out and, said our top test-driver, "it feels and sounds very abusive." If you don't, the STi putters along contentedly, saving its performance capabilities for another day.

It's a similar story with the WRX STi's six-speed manual gearbox. The shifter smoothly slots between the gates, and the pedal resistance and spacing is perfect for heel-and-toe downshifting. But shifting the six-speed doesn't provide the positive metal-to-metal sensations that you get with the Evolution's five-speed.

Fuel economy is slightly worse in the Subaru. It has an 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway rating to the Evo IX's 19/25. We averaged 18.4 mpg, 2 mpg less than we got in the Evo. At least with the STi's 15.9-gallon capacity, 300-mile tanks are a little more common.

Corners hard, stops hard…
It may not be as emotional as the Evo, but the WRX STi certainly isn't soft. Drive the car hard and it delivers. Power flows in torrents through the intricate system of differentials, and the Subaru charges around corners as if its high-grip 225/45R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE070s will never let go. Body roll is almost nonexistent.

The Subie exploited these strengths on the skid pad, tying with the Evo at 0.93g.

The STi also stops hard. It turned in the shorter braking distance of the two cars, using just 114.5 feet of asphalt to haul down from 60 mph. The Evo stopped in 115.8 feet. Pedal feel is firm and progressive, and ABS operation is quiet and refined.

…But needs fine-tuning
Tight body control and strong brakes won the STi some points, but ultimately its dynamics fell short of the Mitsu's finely honed package.

In the slalom it wasn't as easy to predict or control amid changes in throttle position, and its slower steering ratio made for more work. The result was an average speed of 68.1 mph, a great number in most circumstances but 2.5 mph slower than the Evo in this test.

We also noted that the STi didn't offer as much feedback during brisk runs on mountain roads. That might not be a big deal to the casual driver, but when you're pushing hard, you're not as in-tune with where the car's limits are. "Compared to the Evo, it feels like it's hiding something," said one driver.

Additionally, in tighter turns, we sometimes observed a crude kickback through the STi's steering wheel.

Everyday ease
In exchange for its reduced capabilities, Subaru's WRX STi offers a little extra comfort.

Although its suspension can be a bit harsher over bumps than the Evo's, it's much more forgiving on the highway, making the STi the more tolerable road trip companion.

The car's non-Recaro front seats don't hold you as snugly through turns, but they allow freer range of movement, which makes a difference on long drives. There's also the matter of cruise control: The STi has it and it's a nice convenience.

Well furnished
You don't expect to live lavishly in a hard-core performance car with a low price tag, but the Subaru's cockpit is warm and inviting compared with the Evo's no-frills digs.

It offers more legible instrumentation, larger controls and better-quality materials overall, save for the cardboard headliner. Everything felt solidly screwed together in our tester, though a few of the dash panels were slightly misaligned.

A long equipment list is another of the STi's advantages. Side airbags are standard, as are extras like automatic climate control and an in-dash CD changer. The STi's Driver Controlled Center Differential defaults into "auto" mode, but a thumbwheel on the console allows you to manually adjust the constraints on power flow through the center diff. There's also a manual leveling **** for the HID headlights. The only thing missing on the STi is retained accessory power.

Tall rear passengers will likely complain about the scant legroom in the backseat, though the bench itself is more supportive than the Evo's. Storage space should be adequate for most buyers, and as in the Mitsu, you can put a pair of hot drinks in the console cupholders without blocking the driver's access to the shifter. Despite the Subaru's slightly more relaxed demeanor in traffic, tongue-burning risk remains high.

Trunk capacity measures 11 cubic feet, all of it usable in our test car, which didn't have the optional subwoofer. In fact, this is as functional a luggage hold as you're going to find in the performance-car world.

Evo lust
Even after another round of upgrades, the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi comes up slightly undercooked whenever the Evo is in town. Or at the same test track. Or lurking on the same back roads.

That doesn't mean you won't like it. This is a serious performance car with a turbocharged brute of an engine and scary grip through the turns. Yet, you can drive it to work in relative comfort.

And as good as the Evo is, if you measure your commute in hours, not minutes, you might prefer to spend it with Subaru's STi.