Ladieeeez and gentlemen, welcome to the octagon for the main event, a grudge match of epic proportions pitting the top two contenders in world for the title of all-wheel-drive, turbo four-cylinder champion.
In the red corner, weighing in at a trim 3356 pounds, is a black belt with the heart of a boxer: the all-new 2008 Subaru WRX STI.
Wearing gray and also hailing from Japan is the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR, a 3546-pound track master capable of throwing down in conditions ranging from tarmac to gravel to snow.
Like human mixed-martial artists, the Lancer Evolution and WRX STI are multitalented warriors that excel in all forms of combat. They both see regular competition around the world in everything from rally to enduro racing, autocross to circuit racing, even drifting and street racing. Pound-for-pound, dollar-for-dollar, these two are the most versatile sport sedans in the world.
They've slugged it out before in the pages of this magazine. When they first met in our October 2004 issue, the 2005 Lancer Evolution MR took the title. In our December 2005 issue, the rematch favored the 2006 WRX STI. This time around, a knockout may be in the cards, as each contender has been completely redesigned.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Subaru's WRX STI steps into the octagon with two significant advantages over its rival: less weight and more power. It certainly looks the part, too. The five-door Impreza wagon is a no longer a skinny shrimp; flared fenders, broadened bumpers, and quad exhaust tips give it a chiseled physique. Underneath this impressive musculature is a 305-horsepower, 2.5-liter turbocharged boxer engine and all-wheel-drive system carried over from the larger Subaru Legacy sedan.
In the name of more stringent safety standards, Mitsubishi's 2008 Lancer Evolution is larger and heavier than it's ever been-and a full 3.2 inches longer than the STI. Power comes from an all new, all-aluminum, 291-horse, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Though it's down 14 horsepower and weighs 190 pounds more than the STI, this is no wheezin' Butterbean; what the Evo lacks in power and displacement, it makes up in electronic trickery. At its core is a system called Super-All Wheel Control, a complex array of structural and dynamic improvements, most notably Active Yaw Control (AYC), that could very well be the Evo's secret brass knuckles.
Fighters, are you ready? Then let's get it on!
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