Subaru Impreza WRX STI IV Type-R
vs
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V

by Terry Stone

Mark Otway, Rob Lay and myself (Terry Stone) met up on Saturday morning in Godalming. The idea being for each of us to drive the cars (Evo5 and STi4 Type-R) back-to-back. The morning was grey and decidedly wet.

Firstly Mark drove my Evo5 whilst Rob drove the Type-R. I sat with Mark in the Evo and got his first impressions. Mark commented on how he steering was well weighted and had nothing but compliments about the amount of grip from the S01s (225/45 ZR17). A nice, safe tendency to understeer. Mark felt the confidence growing with the Evo's handling, but was disappointed with lack-of-fuss way in which the Evo accelerates. After a while of following Rob and then a little time in front of him, it was obvious that there was very little between the 2 cars in a straight line. I then took the wheel and Mark did the co-driver job. As with driving somebody else's car (especially when they are sat next to you!), Mark had been fairly restrained - but I was not about to be........

Mark and I then moved into the Type-R and I drove. Rob, rubbing his hands together, got the keys to the Evo. Pulling away, it is immediately apparent just how rampant the STi is. The car is just so hungry to eat all the tarmac between the bonnet and the horizon. What an engine! The ratios are so well matched to the engine - really keen to pull all the way past 7,500rpm and clicking into the next gear is just such a pleasure. I really had to concentrate to find the right gear though; there was very little effort required to move the lever away from it's lightly sprung 3rd-4th channel. In the back of my mind, the lack of ABS bothered me; but I needn't have worried - the brakes gave me a lot of feel and I could easily judge the point at which they were likely to lock-up.

I am convinced that the feedback through the steering wheel is better in the Type-R than on the Evo. I did worry constantly about the prevalent sense of impending oversteer, although if you carry enough speed into a bend and are gentle but positive with the throttle on your exit, it is less likely to cause concern than a slow turn-in and early on the power. I guess with a little more time in the wet and a play with the centre-diff control I would have felt more comfortable. The one thing that alarmed me when driving the Type-R, however, was seeing my own Yellow Evo in the mirrors - it is very menacing! We pulled up and swapped over, Mark drove and I did the co-driver bit again.

At this point, we got the initial low down from Rob in the Evo. Rob had already driven the Type-R earlier in the day. His initial impressions were siding in favour of the Type-R (hardly suprising as his regular transport is a UK Scoob). Rob preferred the engine in the Type-R and also the steering feel, once again, probably due to similarities with his own car.

I was quite surprised with Rob's apparent lack of enthusiasm, but this went fairly quickly as I contemplated my plight in the passenger seat of the Type-R with Mr Otway at the wheel. Once again, even from the panic seat, you can really feel the eagerness of the engine - wonderful sound, superb torque, I want one....... After about 10 minutes, we noticed that Rob was not with us, so Mark slowed down a little - we had passed some slower moving traffic before a complex of corners, meaning Rob would have had to wait until the next clear straight to get past. Looking back down a long, straight, clear road to the last corner we had come round (about half a mile back), we saw a pair of headlights belonging to a large Yellow car appear. Rob was with us in a few seconds, so we pulled up and exchanged some more semi-educated opinions. Rob's demeanour was now most definitely changed (it will take week with a bucket of bleach and a scrubbing brush to get the grin off his face!) - the word 'awesome' was used several times; he had, apparently, changed his point of view.

Before the adrenalin flow reached Niagara proportions, we retired to Rob's for a coffee and an exchange of experiences. I was keen to find out what Rob really felt about the Evo and why he changed his mind.

On the return drive, Mark had a bit of a moment in his own car...

Rob and I, in the Evo, had a grandstand view of what went wrong as we were following Mark back. An open 90 degree lefthander had proved too much of a temptation to Mark. The back end went away from him on the exit of the corner. I thought Mark had got the power on a little too early but in his own words: "Later I was going through what happened in my head, and I realised that I committed the cardinal sin - lifted off as I came out of the bend (instead of accelerating, as you suggested Terry). That, combined with the slight fall-off in the road + a lot of mud meant that I had no chance of catching it." On examining the road a little closer, the exit of the corner dropped away from the apex - nasty. The near side lip of the front spoiler caught the low mud bank just past the apex as Mark wound on some opposite lock to correct the back end. Minor cosmetic damage to the lip and a lightly bruised reputation. Oh well....most of us have been there before!

Upon reaching Rob's place, we sat down and went through our final thoughts. The handling and grip of the Evo caused Rob's about-turn. Mark also agreed that the Evo felt so planted through the twisty stuff. Rob mentioned that progress was so fuss-free in the Evo - the ratios were longer, but the turbo was really doing it's stuff. Not so much of a back pummelling as in the Type-R, more of a surge which starts at about 2,600 rpm and builds, pulling through the longer ratios to about 6,300rpm before the torque dies and you're reaching for the next cog. We all agreed that the Type-R felt much faster, but the fact that one car could not shake off the other on a piece of straight road, speaks for itself. Rob really liked the clearly defined 'whoosh' of the Evo's turbo!

Rob commented on the positive feel when engaging gear in the Type-R (a nice notchy feel). Rob's opinion, however, was that even though it had a slightly longer throw, the Evo gear box inspired more confidence when moving between gears due to the heavier 3rd-4th springing - it just felt that you were less likely to find 2nd instead of 4th on a downchange from top. I had to agree on this.

I loved the feel to the steering on the Type-R. There is quite a 'window' between when you feel things aren't quite right to the point when it actually does go wrong. In the Evo, there is much less warning. I have caught myself out in the Evo before - because it's main characteristic is progressive understeer, you gain more and more confidence before overstepping the line and then you have to be very quick to stop the oversteer. Basically, the 'stop sign' in the Type-R is big and red and it's got flashing lights on - the equivalent 'stop sign' in the Evo is small and green and hidden behind a hedgerow.....

When all is said and done, these cars are very different. The Evo is bigger and more aggressively styled and yet is more forgiving, the Type-R has a wonderful engine and requires a gear change techique like racking a pump-action shotgun. The Type-R demands your respect and attention at all times. I have come out even more confused, Mark has come out wishing for a little more understeer from his Type-R. Only Rob seems to have a clear preference - and that's exactly it, a 'preference' and not a 'winner'. I now believe more than ever, that it is a personal thing - I really would recommend a 'try before you buy' policy.

Update

Just to bring the story up to date....

This summer (1999) Terry sold his Evo and bought an STI V Type-R equipped with Leda suspension and Brembo brakes. He says he prefers it to the Evo.

Need I say more?