- 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.
spoiler: STI won
No debate to it. Only one sold well enough to stay in production.
Evo is a great car, I had a 400WHP 8. Really solid and fun and 8K limiter was perfect. That being said, the car felt like a complete shitbox in every other aspect. Terrible DD and really finicky. OEM parts are hard to get and expensive. I sold it and bought another GD STi which I enjoy for a weekend cruiser much more.
4G63T for the win. KO R1
EVO always looked cooler