What's Hot?
Download Subaru Wallpapers
April 1, 2006
The Power of NineIt’s not hard to fully understand the significance of both the Subaru Impreza STi and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. A couple of bonkers and universally craved cult brands coupled at the tote, they’re little more than thinly veiled Production World Rally Cars you can take your kids to school in and go fetch the Star at the Spar with, among any other mundane task you’ll do every day.
But there’s more to it than that. Much more. While they’re essentially built to do exactly the same thing — beat each other to the next rally stage — they’re diametrically different in their respective approaches.
STi and Evo enter their respective ninth evolutions and both have been developed steadily every single year. And both are the last of a breed, for both Lancer and Impreza will be completely reworked in the near future and STi and Evo ten will be entirely new cars.
So, with that in mind, Cars in Action wasted no time in doing exactly what you always expect us to do — bring the two together.
A bit of history
Subaru and Mitsubishi have used rallying to make their mark. Both were compelled to pretty much build the car they wanted to rally based very closely on a machine you or I can drive straight off the showroom floor in order to qualify for a radically different new Group A WRC about twelve years ago.
So Evo and STi were borne out of the necessity to base WRC cars on road cars, so if they wanted a turbo all-wheel drive supercar to win on Sunday, you or I had to be able to buy it on Monday — or any other day of the week. Both manufacturers quickly established special divisions to build these road-rally rockets and as soon as they were taking stage wins off one another, their respective cults grew at epidemic proportions on the street.
And every year, a newer, better, quicker, faster and nimbler STi and Evo appeared as the likes of Makkinen, McRae, Sainz and Kankkunen took them to a bible-thick list of stage, rally and championship wins. And every year too, the man in the street could buy a better STi or Evo.
Today, while WRC rules no longer require it, Production Rally rules need cars to still be exactly as they are on the road. In fact the only reason we could pull this exclusive face-off, was because this Evo IX was due to be pulled apart to be built up into a rally machine for the 2006 SA championship. The road nines arrive early in 2006…
The powerhouses
Evolution IX is as ever powered by Mitsubishi’s turbocharged and intercooled 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder DOHC 16-valve enhanced for the first time with MIVEC innovative variable valve technology. This together with superior new ceramic compressor vane turbo technology hikes power to 220kW at 6500rpm, although local units will likely be slightly detuned to compensate for SA’s petrol. Torque is up 390Nm at 3500rpm, but it now also comes in a far fatter curve that starts pumping much earlier in the range.
But hang on a second — Subaru’s cheating! Big news is that STi nine is up from a 2.0-litre quad-cam 16-valve AVCS active valve control turbo and manually water spray-cooled intercooler boxer-four, to an equally endowed 2.5-litre unit… This move away from a long held tradition sees power up to 200kW at 6000rpm in SA (225 everywhere else thanks to local fuel) and 407Nm at 4000 but with a much fatter torque band for a far more driveable solution than in previous STis.
So while it’s broken with tradition, Subaru’s rally-rocket is far more road friendly, which is great news to you, me or anyone else not buying the car to win the next stage event. Which means far from cheating, Subaru is presenting you with a far more driveable street solution.
Evo IX retains its competition derived close-ratio five-speed manual transmission — albeit with revised ratios to take advantage of the increased torque, which in turn drives full-time all-wheel drive with front and rear-limited slip differentials and a revised active centre diff promoting even better steering response and traction onto tarmac, gravel or snow. IX’s ‘rally-tuned’ fully independent suspension helps put the traction down; while it’s stopped by ABS assisted Brembo ventilated disc brakes on each corner.
STI nine, meanwhile, now benefits a steering sensor input to its Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system with Driver Controlled Centre Differential to even further enhance power distribution and response. Its suspension has again been refettled for even grippier acceleration, handling and braking and like Evo, STi boats Brembo vented ABS disc brakes.
Rice rockets
Neither STi or Evo have ever been pretty or sophisticated cars in the spec, comfort and classy cabin department and these two are likely to be the last to which those aspects will be applied thanks to their descendants more than likely becoming chicer, more stylish cars. So in our book it means that these two will be the last of the true rice-rockets and will thus become instant classics once superseded in a couple of years…
The Impreza boasts the second facelift to the ‘bug-eyed’ second generation of that platform as it ushers in Subaru’s future brand identity with its aircraft heritage inspired three-section grille flanked by bold new headlights. A new WRC-style roof spoiler and lower-profile bonnet scoop further distinguish STi, while inside, its business as usual with a high-tech Momo leather steering and rally-style seats enhancing an otherwise dreary cabin in classic Subaru STi style more than likely for the last time.
Evo likewise boasts its third and final nip and tuck of its current generation in a revised front bumper, air dam, grilles and inlets and a flatter under-tray, while the carbonfibre rear spoiler lowers the overall center of gravity and IX’s aggressive appearance is further emphasised by smoked front and rear lamp bezels. And once again, Recaro seats and a Momo wheel enhance an otherwise rather low intensity cabin for the last time…
Taking on Zwartkops
So, there we were in the Zwartkops raceway paddock confronted by the Power of Nine — Evo IX and STi 9 together probably for the first time anywhere. The blue Impreza is immediately different while you have to look a bit harder to spot the changes to the Lancer — resplendent already in the rally colours it’ll carry next year. And both are still as tinny and focused as they ever were and in standard form sound muted in spite of the bazookas protruding the different sides of their respective tails.
And there isn’t all that much different inside or even when you fire them up, but their evolution becomes apparent as soon as your drive them. STi is very different from what we’ve become accustomed to. We can’t complain about a laggy, tardy bottom end any more because this thing just gets going and keeps going, much like I’d expect a nuclear submarine to.
What a difference half a litre makes. STi is now WRX-like in its response — even more so — it’s become a road rocket without compromise and can trundle along in traffic just as effectively as it knocks off the limiter into the next cog up. OK, it’s a lot less stressed and possesses lesser specific power and torque capacity, but its still more powerful, torquier and of course quicker and faster than the 2.0-litre it replaces.
Purebred driving weapon
On the road, besides its more responsive nature, STi remains a purebred driving weapon that’s likely to drive rings around anything else you can bring on any demanding surface. OK, STi’s cheap interior finishes (which have improved tremendously over the years but remain wide of the mark), clunky doors and plasticky feel remain, but as I have always said, that’s all part of the magic that makes these things so special — and something that’s likely to be lost in their next incarnations.
Evo too, suffers from that bottom-grade Tazz-like finish, but it would also be less without it. After all, would you take your M5 or E55 cow-and-alley lounges flat out into the bush…?
The revisions to Evo’s suspension I feel have made it even wieldier to turn in — on tar in Tarmac setting, of course. But it’s still the rough and ready rally weapon it always was and to a real driver, this kind of real car feel will never be more satisfying than sissy-boy finishes and fancy trinkets. These are driving weapons, so forget about them if you’re after soft seats and an easy drive…
Once turned in, of course, depending on how you’ve dialled those clever diffs in, both of these cars can be set-up to obey your most precise wants and needs. This I cannot explain further unless I put you in one of them next to me — but if we do that, the tyres are on you!
Evo also feels far more responsive and driveable. It took a lot longer to apply its MIVEC than Subaru did its AVCS, but the effect is as significant as its rival’s latest extra half-litre and it’s just as impressive — perhaps those turbo ceramics do the trick, but I reckon Evo wins this part of the progress race in that it achieved its gains through pure technology rather than that old cubic capacity shortcut…
So, there we have it — your first look at an important ninth generation of the world’s craziest car niche. As mentioned, it’s perhaps the end of an era thanks to a pedantic world’s lust for quality, style and chic that will likely overrun these almost military basic machines’ coming descendants.
Which will be a pity, because it’s just that rough diamond quality that has always set these two so far apart from the rest…
Source: Motoring.Iafrica.Com
by Michele Lupini
Cars in Action Images: Ciaran Nunan
Technorati Tags: Subaru Impreza STi, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
- Posted in : Articles, Comparisons, STi vs Evo
- Author : admin
WRC will never be the same…
No comments yet.