Evo or Impreza?
Discussion
City or United? Blur or Oasis? McDonalds or Burger King? Evo or Impreza?
Not a what car thread, as I own an Impreza and am not in the market for another or an Evo. However, the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza have been rivals for many years on both road and on the rally stages but which one do you favour?
I always thought that the Impreza rally cars looked cooler and sounded better, although arguably, the Evos were more successful on the rally stages.
I was never that interested in them when I was younger, with Porsches and BMW M Power cars being my aspirational vehicles of choice but having owned an Impreza WRX Estate for over a year I now get them and am rather fond of my car. For the money (and they are ridiculously good value in the case of the Impreza), nothing else really offers the same level of performance in all conditions and practicality. I also find the ride comfort on my car on modest 17" rims perfectly acceptable. For me, the Subaru seems like the more well-rounded car for fast road driving and the extra practicality of the hatchback only adds to the appeal. The "new shape" Impreza has finally grown on me as well. Although I haven't driven the STI version (only the standard 2-litre), I would hope that the larger 2.5-litre engine is a bit more flexible (mine is pretty gutless below 2000rpm), it is certainly better equipped and although the classic Impreza saloon has a certain something about it, the Impreza has never been about looks, although I would liken the new model to a 21st century Lancia Delta Integrale. Not beautiful but certainly very purposeful looking.
Interestingly, prior to owning an Impreza, I favoured the Evo, as I saw the Impreza as a bit chavvy. I have only driven a standard Evo VIII (260bhp?), it is certainly faster than the Impreza and I imagine even faster cross-country or on a track but my passengers certainly didn't appreciate the very firm ride and although the clutch and gearbox on my Impreza isn't supermini light, the clutch was very switch-like and the gearbox difficult to use at low speed in the Evo. I've heard that the fuel consumption is also even worse and the service intervals a lot shorter on the Evo.
I would love to own an Evo one day (probably a "lower-powered" Evo VIII or IX) to compare what they are both like to live with everyday but I imagine the Impreza is an easier car to live with day-to-day but the Evo faster and more fun to drive hard on the road and on track (especially in the wet). Although I'm sure the latest Evo is still excellent, it looks a bit too Volvo-like, although by no means unattractive for my liking. I have taken my Impreza on track once on the Nurburgring but it felt a bit too heavy and soft and on what is quite a slow, twisty circuit, I wasn't able to use the power and traction advantage to go any quicker than the lighter and more agile hot hatches (MINIs and RenaultSport Clios), as I was off boost too much of the time. I expect it would suit a faster more flowing circuit such as Thruxton though!
So, do you favour the Impreza or Evo and why? Has anyone owned both? It would be interesting to get a balanced arguement regarding what they are both like to own and drive on a daily basis.
Not a what car thread, as I own an Impreza and am not in the market for another or an Evo. However, the Mitsubishi Evo and Subaru Impreza have been rivals for many years on both road and on the rally stages but which one do you favour?
I always thought that the Impreza rally cars looked cooler and sounded better, although arguably, the Evos were more successful on the rally stages.
I was never that interested in them when I was younger, with Porsches and BMW M Power cars being my aspirational vehicles of choice but having owned an Impreza WRX Estate for over a year I now get them and am rather fond of my car. For the money (and they are ridiculously good value in the case of the Impreza), nothing else really offers the same level of performance in all conditions and practicality. I also find the ride comfort on my car on modest 17" rims perfectly acceptable. For me, the Subaru seems like the more well-rounded car for fast road driving and the extra practicality of the hatchback only adds to the appeal. The "new shape" Impreza has finally grown on me as well. Although I haven't driven the STI version (only the standard 2-litre), I would hope that the larger 2.5-litre engine is a bit more flexible (mine is pretty gutless below 2000rpm), it is certainly better equipped and although the classic Impreza saloon has a certain something about it, the Impreza has never been about looks, although I would liken the new model to a 21st century Lancia Delta Integrale. Not beautiful but certainly very purposeful looking.
Interestingly, prior to owning an Impreza, I favoured the Evo, as I saw the Impreza as a bit chavvy. I have only driven a standard Evo VIII (260bhp?), it is certainly faster than the Impreza and I imagine even faster cross-country or on a track but my passengers certainly didn't appreciate the very firm ride and although the clutch and gearbox on my Impreza isn't supermini light, the clutch was very switch-like and the gearbox difficult to use at low speed in the Evo. I've heard that the fuel consumption is also even worse and the service intervals a lot shorter on the Evo.
I would love to own an Evo one day (probably a "lower-powered" Evo VIII or IX) to compare what they are both like to live with everyday but I imagine the Impreza is an easier car to live with day-to-day but the Evo faster and more fun to drive hard on the road and on track (especially in the wet). Although I'm sure the latest Evo is still excellent, it looks a bit too Volvo-like, although by no means unattractive for my liking. I have taken my Impreza on track once on the Nurburgring but it felt a bit too heavy and soft and on what is quite a slow, twisty circuit, I wasn't able to use the power and traction advantage to go any quicker than the lighter and more agile hot hatches (MINIs and RenaultSport Clios), as I was off boost too much of the time. I expect it would suit a faster more flowing circuit such as Thruxton though!
So, do you favour the Impreza or Evo and why? Has anyone owned both? It would be interesting to get a balanced arguement regarding what they are both like to own and drive on a daily basis.
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