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Lancer Evolution or WRX STI

T

TheSiege

Diamond Member
I have been looking for a good side by side comparison. I have a 11 year old Lancer OZ and I am finally going to upgrade. Thoughts or opinions on what you guys prefer?
 
Evo is faster by a hair. Takes to mods very well. Bolt ons and tune gets you 80-90 hp. Dct MR's dont handle the extra power well, they need aftermarket tranny coolers

Sti is more comfortable and better interior. Have manually adjustable torque distributor f/r. But my friend's sti still understeered more than my old evo. I hear they have had a bunch of ringland failures.
 
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There are a few good comparisons on Top Gear.

They preferred the evo every time. STI tends to understeer where the evo has the precision that allows you to power slide at 80mph while brushing up gently against a rally fan.
 
I had the same question about 2 years ago. I think they are so damned similar on paper that you have to go drive them both to really see for sure which one turns you on more. You may get some good info here, but in the end I think that's the only way you will find the answer.

The STI that I drove felt like a tin can. I had a 2001 Eclipse I wanted to upgrade from, and it felt luxurious in comparison. The STI that I drove was a year old, it was during the whole Tsunami thing and nothing new was being imported. Maybe it had been abused and loosened up? Also the dealer pissed me off which may have had an effect, but it just felt... cheap I guess. Squeaky, rattly, thin metallic sounds closing the doors, etc. Not the only measure of a car but not confidence inspiring. I was not impressed. Performance-wise it seemed good but I didn't get a chance to get a real test drive.

I did think the Evo was impressive. I had a chance to throw it around though, which I didn't with the STI, but damn did it negotiate corners. I think I'm a good driver but will admit I'm not, and it made me feel like I was king. Also got a drive with a guy that did race on weekends, and I couldn't believe what he could do with it. It took corners that my (modified) Eclipse would have slid spun out on, and basically held the limit at all times and didn't let you get yourself in trouble.

In the end I bought a 1-Series BMW. If your'e contemplating these cars, I highly recommend trying a 135i. I felt at home in it immediately and within a couple minutes during the first test drive I knew that was my next car. I have no regrets at all.
 
JulesMaximus said:
That's highly useful in a daily driver.

Honestly, unless you're under the age of 29 you should probably just get a grown-ups car.
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Grown-ups suck.

I'll be 36 soon, I have no interest in a Cruze, Impala, 328bi, Fusion or Accord.

I'm actually somewhat interested in an STi, or something American with 8-cylinders. Whatever it ends up being, grown-up won't be in the description.
 
JulesMaximus said:
That's highly useful in a daily driver.

Honestly, unless you're under the age of 29 you should probably just get a grown-ups car.
Click to expand...

AT Garage designated old grumpy guy ^^^

Some people do track their cars you know...

I've owned an impreza, so I am slightly partial to the STi. However, as far as others have said, numbers wise the Evo is slightly better. However, the Subaru, depending on your tastes might have a nicer interior or maybe even better looks. If all else equal and you like both, get the one that is the better deal.
 
I'm over 30 and bought an Evo X MR 4 months ago. No regrets. Sure the TC-SST needs additional work over 350 wtq, but I'm not looking for 600HP in a DD. 4.9s to 60 stock. Stock I think it puts about 230HP to the ground so adding 100-120HP should be plenty to make it even more fun but still be reliable enough for a DD.

Some people think the Evo's interior looks plain but I like it. The only things I don't like inside are the sun visors are cheap, the climate knobs feel cheap, and the stereo stack is still based on the old red/orange color display (while the center MFD is full color now).

If you drive a lot of miles maintenance will be higher on either car given the extra fluids and diffs, etc...
 
If you want to tune, the Evo is the winner, hands-down. If you want reliability, the STi wins BY FAR. Performance-wise, they are pretty close.

I actually chose the WRX over the STi because it was a lot more comfortable as a DD, and I prefer the 5-speed over the 6-speed. The 6MT is a lot better on the track, but I love the gearing in the WRX around town.
 
Do you often need to iron your clothing with nowhere suitable to do it?

If so, the STi is for you! Oh wait, or is it the Evo.... Crap 😉 Get either.

The Subaru has a better reliability reputation for what it's worth.
 
I bought a 2013 Evo X GSR last year. I'm 35 BTW..

The handling of the car is flat amazing. It is actually scary because the limits are so high. We had a bit of snow and just running some Kumho Ecsta 4X all seasons I have been able to get around great. It is the first time I have really enjoyed driving in the snow. The brakes are amazing as well. I took a coworker for a ride and almost made him car sick from the handling / braking (was like a 3 minute joy ride). Don't go for a drive after eating Mexican food, lol.

The car is "raw" which I like in a sports car. It makes all kinds of mechanical noises that you can hear (turbo, exhaust, downshifts, etc..). The hood and roof are aluminum to keep weight down and there is very little sound deadening. The GSR has a ridiculously tight 1-4 (4th gear is fine at 35-40mph) gear ratio, and even in fifth you are still doing over 3K rpm on the freeway.

I also like that I basically never see another Evo on the road where I live. I see a STI just about daily.
Active Yaw Control is a good reason to get a Evo over a STI. It really works. It is easier to make more power in a Evo. You may not be able to buy a 2015 Evo, so get one now while you can 🙂

Now downsides...
The transmission tends to make little "chirps" when going into gear, almost like you are grinding it. When it is cold it is a bear to shift (physically difficult to get into the shifter gates). The car likes to be warmed up and driven hard. 20mpg (premium only) on a good day.

The creature comforts are greatly lacking. Your SO is not going to be impressed. I actually picked up a second car for road trips, a Hyundai Elantra. Here is a list of things that the much cheaper Elantra has that the EVO is missing.

Heated Leather Seats, Navigation with voice commands, Backup Camera, Panoramic Sunroof, Excellent phone/ipod integration, power seats, auto-dimming mirror, etc..
Also it is quieter on the freeways and will knock out 30+ mpg on regular. I understand that you can get more of these features with a Evo MR.
 
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the evo is the driver's choice plain and simple.

sti is a badass car as well, but the evo is more fun and responds to mods better.

The best comparison I can make is that sti sounds like it's going really fast, while the evo actually is.

and jules these are "grown-up" cars. 35k+ awd turbo rally cars for the street. not sure how many kids can afford them.
 
MegaFlop said:
I bought a 2013 Evo X GSR last year. I'm 35 BTW..

The handling of the car is flat amazing. It is actually scary because the limits are so high. We had a bit of snow and just running some Kumho Ecsta 4X all seasons I have been able to get around great. It is the first time I have really enjoyed driving in the snow. The brakes are amazing as well. I took a coworker for a ride and almost made him car sick from the handling / braking (was like a 3 minute joy ride). Don't go for a drive after eating Mexican food, lol.

The car is "raw" which I like in a sports car. It makes all kinds of mechanical noises that you can hear (turbo, exhaust, downshifts, etc..). The hood and roof are aluminum to keep weight down and there is very little sound deadening. The GSR has a ridiculously tight 1-4 (4th gear is fine at 35-40mph) gear ratio, and even in fifth you are still doing over 3K rpm on the freeway.

I also like that I basically never see another Evo on the road where I live. I see a STI just about daily.
Active Yaw Control is a good reason to get a Evo over a STI. It really works. It is easier to make more power in a Evo. You may not be able to buy a 2015 Evo, so get one now while you can 🙂

Now downsides...
The transmission tends to make little "chirps" when going into gear, almost like you are grinding it. When it is cold it is a bear to shift (physically difficult to get into the shifter gates). The car likes to be warmed up and driven hard. 20mpg (premium only) on a good day.

The creature comforts are greatly lacking. Your SO is not going to be impressed. I actually picked up a second car for road trips, a Hyundai Elantra. Here is a list of things that the much cheaper Elantra has that the EVO is missing.

Heated Leather Seats, Navigation with voice commands, Backup Camera, Panoramic Sunroof, Excellent phone/ipod integration, power seats, auto-dimming mirror, etc..
Also it is quieter on the freeways and will knock out 30+ mpg on regular. I understand that you can get more of these features with a Evo MR.
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Great description. 🙂

I really wanted an Evo IX (and still do).
 
Ferzerp said:
Also, the answer is a stingray. Or I guess since you're looking at the STi and Evo, the answer is GT-R.
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The stingray? no thanks.

as far as the GTR.. I have very mixed feelings. what a great car, how lucky are we as enthusiasts just to have something like that being produced. That said, it's over a 100 grand and I cannot get what Matt Farah has said about the car out of my head - he makes reference to the number of 1000+ hp GTRs... even commented that one of the ones he was driving was already going back for more power; basically he is saying how "boring" must a car be that you need to have that much power to make it exciting?

I know that's all relative and there is no such thing as too much power, but having dealt with cars of my own there is definitely a law of diminishing returns.

Forget all the performance numbers, is a GTR at 102k 2- 3 times a much fun as a 35k evo? maybe.. maybe not. It could be that much "cooler" but IMHO I doubt it is that much more fun....

on that note, you should buy a miata. doubt you will get more smiles per $
 
MegaFlop said:
The hood and roof are aluminum to keep weight down and there is very little sound deadening.
Click to expand...

Front fenders are also aluminum. Roof is only aluminum if you do not get the sunroof (I did not).

I don't think mine looks boy racerish. Although once I put my single tip exhaust on that may change a bit.


IMG_4494 by JJR329, on Flickr
 
Hopefully something has changed with the 2015 STI/WRX seats because they've sucked in recent years compared to the Recaros in the Evo.

Aside from that we're a Subaru family. My wife's DD is an '05 WRX...which has good seats.
 
cbrsurfr said:
Front fenders are also aluminum. Roof is only aluminum if you do not get the sunroof (I did not).

I don't think mine looks boy racerish. Although once I put my single tip exhaust on that may change a bit.


IMG_4494 by JJR329, on Flickr
Click to expand...

I have to admit, that does look a lot better than the older EVOs did with that ridiculous wing on the back. The newer STi hatch looks decent too, not as bad as the old sedan with the ridiculous wing.

I prefer subtle... not HEY LOOK AT ME!!! That's all I was getting at.
 
Don't worry, the 2015 will likely lose the rumble. The WRX went to the equal length header setup from the current FXT. There's little reason to believe the STI won't go that route too.
 
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