Your opinions please: what's better? A Mitsubishi Evo or a Subaru STI?

My preference is the Subaru, since Subaru is the only company other than Porsche to offer a horizontally-opposed (flat-4 or H-4) engine. The benefit of this engine design is greater engine torque and a lower center of gravity compared to an inline 4-cylinder. This means a flat engine will perform better with a smaller displacement, and have better cornering ability.

Another car you might want to compare is the Saab 9-2X Aero, which is simply a Saab-ified Subaru WRX. The 9-2X benefits from a number of minor improvements over the Subaru, mainly in cabin isolation, comfort, and exterior styling. The 9-2X is being discontinued this year since GM (which owns Saab, and had a controling interest in Subaru) has sold it's stock in Subaru, so there should be some good deals on the remaining inventory of this model.

The Subaru is better built and better looking in my opinion, and it's design will age better than the Evo. Also, Subaru's are the only 4-door cars built that have the frame-less door glass that's usually only used on convertibles, which makes these cars feel sportier when driven with windows down and wide open.

What year Impreza and Lancer? In my opinion, the WRX STI is better. It is more comfortable. It comes with more standard features and options. It has a higher quality interior. It is more reliable. It is just as fun to drive. The Evo is actually faster, but it is not noticable. It is maybe 1 second faster around a track.

I have a Mitsubishi brand vehicle for about 11 years and I love it. My advice would be to go to the library, look at Consumer Reports in the auto issue and it will give you a good idea of what to look forward to regarding future maintenance and sometimes how they stack up against each other. Also, Kelly Blue Book has a place where you can compare the new cars against each other.

WHEN IT COMES TO SPEED WISE BOTH CARS ARE SO EQUAL THAT IT DEPENDS ON THE DRIVER ON WHO IS GOING TO WIN. I MYSELF HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WHEN I LOOKED AT BOTH CARS. I ENDED UP BUYING THE SUBARU AND LOVE IT TO BITS. THE REASON WHY, IS BECAUSE SUBARU HAS BEEN MAKING THE WRX RALLY CAR FOR EVER AND ALMOST ALWAYS SEEM TO WIN IN RACES WITH THERE CARS. SO WITH THAT I FELT THAT SUBARU HAS BEEN AT THE GAME LONGER WHICH MEANS THAT SUBARU HAS BEEN MORE ABLE TO FINE TUNE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. AND SUBARU IS LIKE THE LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY WHEN IT COMES TO ALL WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEMS THAT ARE TOTALLY RELIABLE. NOW THE LANCER JUST REDID THEIR CAR AGAIN THIS YEAR WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE STILL IN THE TESTING GOUNDS TO TRY AND PERFECT THERE CAR. WHICH MEANS YOU ARE BUYING SOMEONE'S TEST MODEL. I WOULD RATHER GO WITH A CAR THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN FOR MANY YEARS THAN ONE WHO IS TRYING TO CATCH UP. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU IN YOUR DECISION.

ANOTHER THING THAT I NOTICED BETWEEN BOTH CARS IS ITS SEEMS LIKE THE PLASTICS USED IN THE SUBARU DASHBOARD, ETC SEEM TO BE A BETTER MATERIAL LIKE HONDA OR TOYOTA USES, AND THE PLASTICS IN THE LANCER APPEAR MORE CHEEP LIKE DODGE NEON OR CHEVY CAVELIER.