2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, 2008 Subaru WRX STI, 2008 BMW 335xi - What Would Jason Do?

The 335xi's shifter throws are neither as precise nor as short as the other cars', but its clutch engagement and electronic throttle control are so well-matched that you'll execute every shift perfectly without even trying. BMW fits its all-wheel-drive 3-series models with a slower steering ratio, but what the rack lacks in quickness, it makes up for in feedback. Its steering system transmits constant messages about the road surface to your fingertips, loading up naturally as you turn in.

The 335xi's operatic engine and prodigious steering feedback keep its driver as involved as the Evo's but with a dose of the STI driver's confidence. BMW doesn't install its sport suspension on all-wheel-drive cars, but the 335xi offers a blend of the silky ride quality and remarkable body control typical of other 3-series. Not surprisingly, tail-out antics are not easily accomplished in this all-wheel-drive Bimmer. Trail-braking causes it to push wide, whereas the Japanese cars' sophisticated, rally-bred chassis computers help them rotate. Regardless, the 3-series is always able to keep up with the others on back roads, its relative lack of absolute grip negated by the additional grunt from the big engine's broad torque curve.

Cruising at high speeds in the 3-series is, as you'd expect, a nonevent compared with the STI and the Evo. Triple-digit speeds happen as if by accident. The 335xi, despite having the largest engine and the best acceleration times, also has the highest EPA highway fuel-economy ratings.

Although their performance credentials are both impressive, the STI and the Evo couldn't be more different in personality. The Evo's high-energy, manic nature is in stark contrast to the Subaru's relaxed, refined demeanor. Yet the STI's understeer is no match against the Evo's sophisticated yaw dance. In cornering agility, the Evo has advanced from the modified compact-sedan realm into hard-core sports car territory. As the crudest, most aggressive car in this trio, it stays truer to the boy-racer ideal in both price and performance.

Some enthusiasts, though, will always view the pair as sub-$20,000 economy cars with $20,000 in upgrades, no matter their performance chops. A few years back, both the STI and the Evo were fantastic bargains at about $30,000. However, as these Japanese rally cars creep up in price, more and more boy racers will understandably stretch their budgets and look toward Germany. That's what this particular boy racer named Jason would do.

Click here for video of this comparison test.

Techtonics: Differential Equations
By Don Sherman

After two decades fiddling with every conceivable type of mechanical differential in their WRC-inspired sport sedans, Mitsubishi and Subaru are both moving aggressively toward active (electronically controlled) limited-slip devices. As the spec panels on the right show, basic open differentials have gone the way of the buggy whip.

BMW's xDrive system is an apt reference in this comparison test, because it bridges the gap between old and new. The old parts in the 335xi are a simple transfer case serving as the center differential and open front and rear diffs. These seemingly outdated components work acceptably well because they're backstopped by electronic circuits. A computer-controlled transfer-case clutch sets the share of torque dispatched to the 335xi's front wheels. Automatic one-wheel brake applications by the ABS help both axles behave as if they were fitted with limited-slip differentials.

Our cornering tests revealed a significant performance edge attributable to the Mitsubishi Evo's new Active Yaw Control system. Two computer-controlled clutches in the rear differential open or close on cue to help the car rotate (yaw) about its vertical axis. This approach proved very effective at curbing understeer and maximizing midcorner speed.

While electronically regulated differentials and cockpit adjustments are handy tools, neither negates all-wheel drive's dirty little secret: ordinary rear-wheel drive usually delivers superior dry-pavement handling. One reason is that every car engineered for public roads understeers (runs out of front-tire grip) at the limit. The most expedient means of diminishing understeer, and thereby elevating performance, is to allow the front tires to devote all of their adhesion to cornering (none to propulsion). The second reason is that skilled drivers generally prefer to command the front of the car with the steering wheel and the rear of the car with throttle adjustments; all-wheel drive muddies this strategy.

So why do Mitsubishi and Subaru continue racing for all-wheel-drive superiority? Two reasons: First, both the Evo and the STI spring from front-wheel-drive genes, and all-wheel drive is a notch higher in the performance pecking order. Second, no one drives exclusively on smooth, dry pavement; when the road is rough or slippery, all-wheel drive is more likely than any alternative to get you home quickly and safely.