- WRX STI versus Lancer Evo.
(rhythmic digital music)
Since the dawn of time, a single question
has been ringing in mankind's ears:
if I wanted an all-wheel drive rally-bred sedan
that could rip apart supercars while still being able to
put the kids in the backseat, (baby crying)
which do I get?
A Lancer Evo, or a Subaru WRX STI?
The Lancer Evolution and Subaru WRX STI
were both born in the world of rally.
They competed neck-and-neck for years on end,
and their success at each stage
started a bitter rivalry both on and off track.
On the surface, these cars are really similar.
All-wheel drive, four doors, four-cylinder turbo engines,
and big ol' wings.
We're gonna compare these cars
over the course of five rounds,
each round with different criteria.
We are gonna look at their racing heritage,
their stock performance, their potential as a tuner car,
and the culture that surrounds them.
If that's not enough, we've got a super secret
mystery fifth round to decide the victor.
And I'll be your navigator during this journey,
giving you all the facts, and keeping my biases
out of the question.
Trust me, my preferences are weird anyway.
I daily an FR-S, and track a Yaris.
- [Man] What?
- We'll be keeping score along the way,
and by the end of this video,
we will finally know which is better.
(rhythmic digital music)
We can't talk about either of these cars
without first knowing a bit about their rally heritage.
- [Video Game Voiceover] Round one.
(bell dinging)
- The production models of the STI and Evo
are a direct result of Mitsubishi and Subaru's
heavy involvement in WRC, World Rally Championship.
(rhythmic digital music)
Even though homologation rules for WRC ended in 1997,
meaning manufacturers didn't need to make road versions
of their WRC cars, plenty of the tech
that was developed to win rally stages
made it down to the production models of STI and Evo.
Subaru has a three-win streak as a constructor,
meaning the tallied results of all their drivers,
while Mitsubishi's Tommi Makinen
has four back-to-back wins in the driver's championship
that scores only his points.
And in my opinion, his wins say a lot more
about his ability as a driver
than they do about the Evo.
The real stat that matters is that Subaru
has 47 rally event wins compared to Mitsubishi's 34.
On top of all the winning statistics,
the Subaru just looked damn good doing it.
The 555 livery scheme that eventually
became Subaru's official racing colors
after the sponsorship ended is a staple of not just Subaru,
but rally in general.
With all this data in one place,
I gotta give it to the STI.
The stats just don't lie here.
The Evo was always there though,
nippin' at his heels, so I'm gonna give the STI four points,
the Evo three, and we'll move on to our next round.
(mellow digital music) (bell dinging)
- [Video Game Voiceover] Round two.
- In this round, we're gonna look specifically
at the performance numbers and specs of each car
as it came from the dealership lot.
Unfortunately, this is not as straightforward
as it would seem.
Across 20 years of production, the STI and the Evo
had dozens of variations within model years.
Some are limited runs, like the 22B
and the FQ360, and within that,
there are so many region-specific versions for Japan,
for the UK, and for the U.S.
The biggest factor that makes any year of Evo
stand out over an STI, though,
is the tech that goes into it.
Mitsubishi as a company put so much focus
into complex component development
that in the early years of the STI,
Subaru was actually using Mitsubishi turbos,
so even though those early STIs are great,
you couldn't have an STI without Mitsubishi.
The Evo was a development bed for active yaw control,
which later birthed the all-wheel control philosophy
for all-wheel drive.
Mitsubishi not only had an active center diff
to send power to either the front or the rear,
but active yaw control could intelligently send power
to the left or right,
but not every region was given the same secret sauce.
The U.S. didn't even get active yaw control
until the Evo IX, and while Mitsubishi
offered a six-speed transmission,
many regions were stuck with a five-speed
or a Tiptronic system.
And the back and forth doesn't end there.
In 2003, the Evo VII was outpacing the bugeye era of STI
with its stiffer, sharper handling,
and let's be honest, better looks.
But then, in 2004, the STI got lighter,
sharper, and a bit faster,
while the Evo got a less twitchy clutch,
and a larger fuel tank.
By 2008, though, the Evo X was outperforming the STI
in every metric, but the Evo remained mostly unchanged
for the next seven years,
in which Subaru continued to develop,
and today, they are selling the STI S209,
which is the most powerful STI Subaru has ever made.
So with that minefield of different specs
offered in different regions,
and some cars being identical on the outside,
but totally different on the inside,
this round is a bit of a toss-up,
though it's worth mentioning that the fastest official lap
of the production STI around the Nurbergring
is five seconds quicker than the official record
for a production Evo, but that's not really enough
to give it the edge in this category.
That doesn't take into account driver, or day,
or even the type of STI or Evo,
so we'll tally them both at three points each,
meaning the STI still has the edge by one
going into round three.
(bell dinging)
- [Video Game Voiceover] Round three.
- With the production specs of both these cars
in such flux, it's almost a mute point
to dwell on the stock power, because finding a stock Evo
or STI these days is like finding Elon Musk
at an ARCO station.
It's unlikely, and you're probably gonna have more questions
than could be answered.
(crowd booing)
Before even getting into the tuning though,
it's important to look at what people like
about both these engines.
Both cars offer small, four-cylinder,
turbocharged engines that aren't too high-strung.
Both rev over 7,000,
and both make over 250 horsepower from factory.
The STI is a little different in that it uses
a flat-four boxer engine, which sets the weight down low.
It also comes with unequal length headers,
which give it that iconic Subie rumble.
(engine revving)
Compared to that, the Evo might seem somewhat pedestrian,
with a two-liter, I4 turbo engine,
but that's where the dealership sticker
doesn't tell you the whole story.
When it comes to building power,
the 4G63 engine in the Evo I through IX
has the advantage of a stock iron block.
It can easily handle over 400 horsepower,
whereas most Subaru tuners recommend
a built bottom end after 350.
The 4G63 turbo also runs a lower compression ratio,
so adding boost is much easier.
Another point to mention in the Evo's favor
is that the unequal length headers of the Subaru
actually sacrifice a little top end power
to get that sweet sound.
That's a staple of tuner culture right there,
something that's cool even though it doesn't
make the car faster.
That being said, there are quite a few aftermarket options
for equal length headers for the STI,
but if you don't rumble down the driveway,
are you even a Subie, bro?
Even though it has the specs of a strong contender,
Evos are said to require an engine whisperer
once they're no longer stock.
And while well-maintained stock motors
have been known to cross the 200,000 mile marker,
modified ones can be unpredictable in the wrong hands.
Take a look at our buddy, Brandon.
He has had so many problems with his Evo.
He loves it, but just listen.
(engine rumbling)
The STIs, on the other hand,
are more of a known quantity.
They may drink oil like crazy,
and the thinner cylinder walls of the EJ25
can lead to knocking, warping, head gasket failure,
and not to mention the blown ring lands, people.
But Subie techs are abundant,
and many talented garages can get your STI running reliably
if you're not going too crazy with mods.
- [Man] Oh, it's on fire!
- While parts are cheaper for the STI,
the iron block of the Evo is going to handle more power
without having to be fully-built.
Not too long ago, we showed you
Mark Jager's 800-horsepower Time Attack STI,
which is still running on the EJ platform,
but reaching that point took time, effort,
and a whole lot of money.
Even with its need for a skilled hand,
the Evo's ability to build power
makes it such a desirable tuner car,
it's gonna score four points in this category.
The STI is just not as strong as the Evo,
it gets three points, and for you eagle-eyed mathemiticians,
you will know that that means we're all tied up
going into the next round.
(bell dinging) - Round four.
- Both the Evo and the STI get love
not only from owners, but from fans as well.
If you didn't find out about Evos through Gran Turismo
or Initial-D, you definitely got to know
what the Mitsubishi was all about
as Brian O'Conner no-look drove it through Miami in 2003.
- He did the stare-and-drive on you, didn't he?
He got that from me.
- The Evo was so impactful in the tuner community,
we saw another one in "Tokyo Drift."
And yes, Subies have been in the franchise briefly,
but mainly for the Subie team,
we got a great WRX scene out of "Baby Driver" in 2017.
I'd argue, though, that this did nothing
for the car's popularity, as it was supposed to look
as stock as possible, and the stunt team
swapped it to rear-wheel drive to make it perform
the ludicrous level of oversteer
that the stunts called for.
when it comes to modified Subies.
It's the crown jewel of a much larger community,
which includes Foresters, Legacies, BRZs, and many more.
Subaru parts are prettty interchangeable, too,
so not only does this give Subie owners
a big space to show off individuality,
it also fosters a community where people are happy
to help you find that one special part,
or trade you those cool JDM mirrors.
Just be ready for some secondhand smoke.
Cars are cool, so is lung health, people.
(coughing)
That may seem like the STI community
is gonna be bigger than the Evos,
but most Subies at meets aren't STIs.
The STI is the top version of the WRX,
which is the top version of the Impreza.
Most owners into say, stance lifestyle
wanna make a car their own, and don't care
about trim packages from the dealerships.
Evo owners tend to be less varied
in what they actually do with the car.
Evos can be built for the drag strip,
carving canyons, or track days,
but it's less common to see an Evo
stanced out at a car show in today's environment.
Look, I've had a chance to go cruising
with the SoCal Evo group down here in L.A.
I've gone to a few years of Subie Fest,
and both were great opportunities
to meet nice car people who just love cars.
(engine screaming)
Culturally speaking, the Evo scores strong
with its presence in our movies, anime, and video games.
I gotta give it four points.
The STI community, though,
is so prevalent and varied,
I gotta give it four points as well,
which means that we are still tied up
at 14 points apiece, but we still have one more round.
The decider.
(energetic percussion music)
Two rally cars charging
at this single-lane tunnel of a round,
and only one can make it through.
- [Video Game Voiceover] Final round.
(bell dinging)
- This is the point where I get to
the biggest glaring issue with the Lancer Evolution.
That is that in May of 2016,
the last Lancer Evo X rolled off the production line.
1,600 FE, or final edition units were made for the U.S.
They came individually numbered,
with black roofs, manual gearboxes,
and 303 horsepower.
The battle that raged on for over two decades
finally ended with only one left standing,
but this was no victory.
The competition was what made both these cars strong,
and STIs everywhere shed an oily tear,
and the tribute of a 21 PSI salute.
(peppy keyboard music)
Today, the STI is a different beast.
It's larger and heavier than ever before,
but it is producing more horsepower.
The fifth generation is slated to move
from the EJ20 base motor to a turbocharged version
of the FA20, making 315 horsepower.
So I guess even though the STI isn't as tight and sharp
as it once was when it was facing off with the Evo,
it's still here, which I guess makes it superior.
But a car-ending production can actually be a good thing.
Look at the FD RX-7, the Honda S2000, the Silvia.
The desire for those cars hasn't gone down.
If anything, they're being appreciated more now
that there's a finite number of them.
The fall of the Evo means that it left a hero.
It didn't stick around to get soft and flabby.
Today, used Evos sell for five to 10,000 more
than a similar STI.
Here in L.A., I can find a STI for under 10,000,
but I struggle to find an Evo for under 20.
With the STI being more attainable,
cheap if you're going used, and still available
as a new car if you're going to a dealership,
I'd say it gets three points in this category.
For the Evo's newfound spot as a JDM classic
and almost a collector car, I wanna give it a high score,
but the sheer fact that Mitsubishi might be resurrecting it
as a crossover puts a big stain on the Evo name,
and with four years of it being absent from dealerships,
I can only give it two points,
which means that the STI is our winner.
(bell dinging)
(upbeat digital music)
(engine screaming)
And honestly, before doing the research on this episode,
I would've 100% agreed.
I've been bookmarking every good hawkeye I've seen online
for the last year, but after learning about
the stupidly complex all-wheel drive tech,
meeting Evo drivers, and seeing what they can do on track,
I'm gonna have to start looking for Evo IXs.
Thanks for watching.
Be sure to check out our other Evo and STI content
on our channel, like both episodes of Up to Speed,
and the Evo II and Time Attack STI episodes
of Bumper to Bumper.
I'm Joey Rassool, you can find me on Instagram
@JoeyRassool, so tell me what you think in the comments.
Do you agree, do you disagree?
Do you think I'm right, do you think I'm wrong?
You can argue with me all you want,
but you can't argue with the numbers.