From Gravel to Garage: Subaru Impreza STi-22B vs. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI

Rally cars are unique among race cars. They have capabilities well beyond most ordinary cars’, yet they look remarkably similar to the car you might have in your garage. In this sense they are down-to-earth and yet more seductive than the fastest open-wheel cars. After all, we can’t really drive to work or school in Michael’s F399 Ferrari or Mika’s MP-4/14 McLaren. But I’m sure you can picture yourself behind the wheel of a World Rally Championship racer.
The WRC has spawned some all-time great road cars in recent years, including the Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and Celica Turbo GT-4. Thanks to homologation requirements, these cars were just a rollcage and a few decals away from being the same beasts that blasted down the deserts of South Africa and through the forests of England. To buy any of these detuned race cars meant not only buying into the image but also the idea that they contained some of that rally technology-enhancing speed, handling and durability.

In the past couple of years, two teams have been dominant in the battle for WRC supremacy: Subaru and Mitsubishi. They split the championship last year, with Subaru taking the constructor’s championship, and Mitsubishi’s Tommi Makinen the driver’s title.

Subaru has been well-known as a maker of quirky, inexpensive four-wheel drive cars. These were quite popular in the snow-prone areas of the U.S. Lately, though it has shown a decidedly sporty side to its cars, with the release of the Legacy GT, the semi-utility Outback, and of course the Impreza. The Impreza looks rather like a Corolla, so generic is its shape. Yet with the introduction of the Impreza WRX, the car was quickly recognized as a supercar in econobox’s clothing.

Rally cars are unique among race cars. They have capabilities well beyond most ordinary cars’, yet they look remarkably similar to the car you might have in your garage. In this sense they are down-to-earth and yet more seductive than the fastest open-wheel cars. After all, we can’t really drive to work or school in Michael’s F399 Ferrari or Mika’s MP-4/14 McLaren. But I’m sure you can picture yourself behind the wheel of a World Rally Championship racer.
The WRC has spawned some all-time great road cars in recent years, including the Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 and Celica Turbo GT-4. Thanks to homologation requirements, these cars were just a rollcage and a few decals away from being the same beasts that blasted down the deserts of South Africa and through the forests of England. To buy any of these detuned race cars meant not only buying into the image but also the idea that they contained some of that rally technology-enhancing speed, handling and durability.

In the past couple of years, two teams have been dominant in the battle for WRC supremacy: Subaru and Mitsubishi. They split the championship last year, with Subaru taking the constructor’s championship, and Mitsubishi’s Tommi Makinen the driver’s title.

Subaru has been well-known as a maker of quirky, inexpensive four-wheel drive cars. These were quite popular in the snow-prone areas of the U.S. Lately, though it has shown a decidedly sporty side to its cars, with the release of the Legacy GT, the semi-utility Outback, and of course the Impreza. The Impreza looks rather like a Corolla, so generic is its shape. Yet with the introduction of the Impreza WRX, the car was quickly recognized as a supercar in econobox’s clothing.

Since 1992, several generations of Lancer Evolution have torn up dirt roads and Tokyo city streets alike. This is the sixth evolution, and Mitsubishi has not been wasting its chance to make each new model go faster and corner harder than the previous one.
This car also has a turbo four-cylinder, a 2.0 16 valve inline engine. It pumps out 280 bhp and a massive 380 Nm of torque at a low 3000 rpm. Indeed this huge torque ensures acceleration only slightly slower than the Subaru’s, at around 5.4 seconds.

The standard Lancer’s McPherson strut front and multi-link rear have been retained but
of course retuned. Keeping the car glued to the road are 245/45 ZR 17 Bridgestone Potenzas. Handling-wise, the Lancer is also a brilliant car, perhaps more so that the Impreza. It goes just as fast and pushes you back into your seat with equal force. Giving it the edge is its electronic yaw control system, which helps you out by figuring out, based on your steering angle and input from various sensors, and actually pointing the car in the direction you want it to go. It does this by steering the rear wheels! And dividing the power correctly between the front and rear ends of the car.

Unlike the Germans, who prefer their supercars discreet as possible, to the point that they might differ little from the taxicab models, the Japanese have no such qualms. The 22B has bulging fenders and a towering rear wing, which actually has been raised from the rally version’s to improve rear vision. The intercooler juts out below the front grille, and it actually incorporates a water spray which kicks in during hard use to ensure that the forced-fed air is always cool enough for optimum combustion.

The Lancer’s intercooler is so large that the number plate had to be moved to one side, and that adds a certain madness to its appearance. Not happy with one rear wing? The Evo has two on its trunk, biplane style, complete with a third brake light on the lower one. Two nostrils cut into its hood aid breathing. Those bright red Brembo Racing calipers on all four wheels stand out through the OZ racing wheels.

Both cars have interiors that are not that different from the normal versions. They sport different gauges, leather steering wheel, and of course heavily bolstered seats. You’ll need them, too, if you don’t want to slide around the cabin when slicing up a sharp corner or darting through traffic.
If you drive short distances only, then the 22B would be the better choice. It has a more powerful engine, quicker gearing and more pointable handling. Yet these are the very things which make the Subaru exhausting after a longer drive. The Lancer is quieter, its ride less jarring. Its electronically-enhanced handling is more forgiving. So though both cars are brilliant, the Evo VI is the one you’d want to drive everyday.

So now you might imagine yourself in one of these cars, blitzing down EDSA during a downpour, with a rooster-tail of spray in your wake, leaving all the other poor two-wheel drive cars behind. Before you indulge yourself, take note that the price of admission is not cheap. An Evo VI goes for around P2 million, while an STi-22B will cost around P3 million. And unfortunately, all 399 22Bs, and all Lancer Evo VIs, are right hand drive. (Left-hand Impreza WRXs were available some time ago, while Evo Vs are still sold at some import shops, at around P1.55 million.) Still, when you consider that a new Porsche 911 costs around P6 million, either of these cars is a bargain. They don’t just capitalize on the rally versions’ image, but are the very embodiment of their spirit-indeed.

Text By Redline | Photos courtesy of Ralliart and STi