The New York Times reviews the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi EVO.

“With the performance side of the Impreza and Lancer lines now extending from the 237-horsepower Lancer Ralliart and 224-horse Impreza 2.5 GT on up to the Evo MR and WRX STI, the $25,690 WRX and $33,710 Evo GSR are the middle children. In a lot of ways, they’re the sweet spots of their respectivelineups.

The WRX now offers most of the STI’s thrills for two-thirds of the money, and the 5-speed Evo GSR is quicker than the more expensive MR. With its noncomputerized transmission, the GSR will be easier to modify, an important consideration for the legions of Evo owners who bump up their horsepower.”

The 2009 Subaru WRX was reviewed by Alvarado Post, and it looks like they enjoyed the car a lot!

“Subaru has definitely raised performance and handling to a new level because this car is an absolute blast to drive.

Handling is outstanding — simply outstanding.

While I could literally gush over how crisp the re-tuned suspension and steering systems perform, I’m even more impressed with the increase in performance Subaru has managed to deliver in the 2.5-liter Boxer turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.

With a base price starting around $26,000, the Impreza WRX includes a long list of standard features, including: 60/40 split fold down rear seat back, audio system with CD player, automatic climate control system, cruise control, digital clock and outside temperature gauge, electroluminescent instrument gauges, incline start assist, leather-wrapped steering wheel with controls for cruise and audio systems, performance-designed front seats, power windows and door locks, remote keyless entry, tilt-and-telescoping steering column and intermittent wipers.”

Wow! Intermittent wipers!

A Subaru WRX group N races a Yamaha WR-F 450 dirt bike on an asphalted track. The video is in French so you might want to skip to the actual race footage which is amazing. The dirt bike wins the race by 3 seconds.

A Twin Turbo Ford Mustang SVT Cobra against a Subaru WRX and a Mazda RX7.

Ken Block performs a road test of the Subaru WRX – a real world road test.

That 2004 WRX is very low profile. No hood scoop, no rear spoiler, and yet you can hear the blow-off valve as he flies by. What a waste of a beautiful car!

Car and Driver reviews the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart and compares it against the Subaru WRX. They write:

“Compared with the similarly situated Subaru Impreza WRX five-door, the Sportback sits on almost the same wheelbase but is nearly seven inches longer than the WRX, giving it heavier front and rear overhangs in side profile. There’s less cargo room behind the seats in the Sportback, 14 cubic feet versus 19 in the WRX, but more space if you fold the seats: 47 cubic feet against the Subaru’s 44.”

“At 237 hp, it’s notably down on power compared with the 265-hp WRX and feels it, partly because of the Sportback’s higher curb weight.”

“Running a mountain twisty, the Sportback proved it’s a good balance of ride comfort and handling, even better than the WRX, which skews to rather soft and roll prone.”

HAVE A PASSION FOR PERFORMANCE? SO DOES SUBARU.

Drive Performance magazine from Subaru of America, Inc. has articles on:

• How performance components and systems work
• Subaru performance heritage
• Various aspects of the sports compact performance car industry
• Modifications to improve performance in your car – what, why and how
• Things you can do with your sports compact performance car

You’re automatically subscribed if you have one of these Subaru models:

• Impreza 2.5RS (2004 – 2005)
• Impreza WRX (2004 – current)
• Impreza WRX STI (2004 – current)
• Impreza WRX TR (2006 – current)
• Impreza WRX Limited (2006 – current)
• Impreza 2.5i (2006 – current)
• Legacy 2.5GT (2006 – current)
• All turbo models (2007 – current)

All other enthusiasts – whether or not you own a Subaru – must subscribe.

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