Big dollars and high velocity have a long history of coexistence. Enthusiasts rarely have one without the other. Which means that, until recently, the thought of besting Germany's automotive titans with a U.S.-market Japanese sedan was laughable. That was before the EVO VIII and the Subaru WRX STi went on sale here.
After the EVO narrowly edged out the STi in the July issue and became the official king of Japanese performance in America, we still weren't certain if the Mitsu could take on the icons of big-buck German performance. Is the EVO able to out-handle a BMW M3? Can it outbrake an Audi S4? Is it faster than the mighty Porsche Carrera 4S? Sit tight, we're about to tell you.
The Mission Before we start, we want to get something straight. This is a performance magazine and we evaluate cars for their speed and value. We're not going to evaluate how solidly the doors close on the M3 or how easy it is to get in and out of the S4.
We also couldn't care less about image or prestige. If you want street cred with your golfing pals, go buy the Porsche. We don't play golf. We drive fast. All we want to know is which is the better driver's car.
Cost On paper, the EVO is as quick as any car in this test, yet it costs $16,663 less than the S4, which is the next least-expensive car here. That's about the equivalent of a new MINI Cooper or an SVT Focus.
And the Germans only get more expensive from there. The M3 costs $47,195. And the Porsche comes in at a pocketbook-crushing $81,800.
The carsPremium brands from Germany combine luxury with their performance in a way the Japanese have yet to sort out. In Germany, going fast comfortably seems to be as important as going fast at all. Unfortunately, this emphasis on luxury comes at a hefty cost. Nowhere is this more evident than in the little S4's 3,660-pound curb weight.
Audi counters the weight with a serious engine and suspension. The S4's 4.2-liter aluminum V8 packs 344 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. Jamming that much engine under a hood the size of the S4's is as much an act of engineering determination as engineering efficiency. Power is fed through Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system, which puts power to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and Torsen center differential.
Audi has also blessed the S4 with aluminum suspension components, 18-inch alloy wheels and 235/40-18Continental SportContact2 tires.
BMW's M3 is the long-time yardstick for rear-wheel-drive performance coupes. With 333 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque from its 3.2-liter straight six, it's hard to argue with the numbers.
However, being the only two-wheel-drive car in the test, one would think it would also be the lightest. It's not. BMW claims the M3 weighs 3,415 pounds-more than 150 pounds heavier than the EVO.
Still, the M3 combines the classic front-engine, rear-drive dynamics which are deep-rooted in the hearts of many performance enthusiasts. It gets the job done with conventional struts up front and a multilink configuration out back. A viscous limited-slip differential ensures it stays true to its rear-drive configuration with both rear tires smoking.
Porsche's 911 Carrera 4S is the holy grail of German performance cars. Sure, it lacks the turbo's 415 hp, but packs most of its aggressive bodywork and a healthy 315-hp normally aspirated 3.6-liter flat six. It puts power down through a six-speed transmission and viscous coupling, which sends as much as 40 percent of the engine's torque to the front wheels. And, at 3,240 lbs., it's the lightest car in the test.
Underneath, the 911's suspension is more traditional than its drivetrain-at least out front where it still uses MacPherson struts. In the rear, there's a multilink configuration. Bringing the 911 to a halt are the most serious brakes in this test. In front, there are four-piston calipers wrapped around 13-inch rotors. Out back reside four-piston calipers and another set of 13-inch rotors.
In case you've forgotten, the EVO packs serious hardware as well-271 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque from its turbocharged, intercooled 2.0-liter four. Its all-wheel-drive system uses limited-slip differentials in the center and rear. Plus, it has an all-aluminum suspension using MacPherson struts in front and a multilink arrangement in the rear. Four-piston Brembo calipers clamp 12.65-inch rotors in the front while two-piston calipers stop 11.8-inch rotors out back. In other words, the EVO isn't unprepared. It's just less expensive.
The roadThis is where all real road tests should be decided. Sure, the track provides huge freedoms to slide and drift and it encourages automotive hooliganism, which inevitably yields valuable dynamic feedback about every car. But it's not where most owners drive most of the time and it's not filled with real-world obstacles.
Our route for this test took place on a variety of the most demanding roads anywhere. Our path took us down 100-mph twisting descents and over 7,000-foot mountain passes. It fed us through rolling hills on tarmac covered with a dusting of sand and then on to perfectly smooth ribbons of asphalt for hundreds of miles. It was fast and sweeping combined with slow and unforgiving. Brake pedals softened. Rubber burned.
And, almost immediately, two cars stood out. Both the C4S and the EVO shine in all conditions. At triple digits, both are as stable as Gibraltar and initial impressions say that neither really has an edge to look out for. The Porsche, however, is different. Its dynamics aren't like anything this staff has driven hard before.
With a significant rear weight bias, it takes time to build confidence. After an hour or so, everything starts to come together and the C4 really starts to shine. Steering is heavy and ridiculously exacting. Every millimeter of input translates into directional change. As confidence builds, power is put down sooner and sooner, yet understeer remains at bay. Sliding the car is almost out of the question on the street. With 295 section width rubber out back, stepping the rear out under braking is as pointless as it isintimidating. This car is stuck and it is fast.
And the brakes. They're the same. Always. They never soften. Response is consistent over every road at any speed. Porsche has done its homework; the C4 is the only car in the group that didn't suffer from a soft pedal at some point during this test, which included more than 500 road miles and two days at racetracks. These brakes are the embodiment of overengineering.
Back to the hard driving.
The C4 gets faster with every second behind the wheel. The engine, although not overwhelming at first, proves more than adequate. Porsche has done a remarkable job isolating the big 3.6's growl from its passengers. From outside, it sounds downright pissed and overly mechanical. Inside, even at speed, the driver is aware of the engine note only under hard acceleration, where a glorious intake wail fills the interior. There's little wasted energy. Every bit of power goes straight to the ground. And it's deceptively quick. Before long, the Porsche's refinement and precision add up to a comfortable and blindingly fast combination.
Part of the Porsche's secret is control feel. The perfect brakes and steering complement a shifter that, although a bit balky at commuting speeds, comes together in hard driving. The only glitch is the throttle. Porsche's E-throttle doesn't get along with left-foot brakers. It allows a few seconds of brake/throttle overlap before cutting power. Then it kills the fun and turns a quick corner exit into instant slop. Still, once we adjust to its electronic trickery, it proves among the most capable road cars we've ever driven.
More telling is the distance between the Porsche, the M3 and the S4 when any driver climbs from behind the wheel. Is it the quickest car in the group over these roads? Perhaps. Is it the most fun? We'll see.
So it's into the EVO for the next hundred miles. It feels immediately like an old friend on these roads in all its frenetic, quick-steering, hard-braking glory. Not having the Porsche's electronics slapping our throttle foot at every bend is refreshing. And the EVO is every bit as sharp, if not as polished. Its gearshift slots instinctively between cogs, and confidence has never been higher in any road car. Midcorner bumps and road debris matter less in this car than in any other in the group. Anything short of a road crater can be driven through with confidence.
Overwhelming composure are the best words to describe the EVO. It's as fast as any of the Teutons, but more confidence inspiring. It never catches us off guard while chasing the Porsche down smooth roads. And when the tarmac gets rough or slick, any driver here will take an EVO.
And the EVO is honest. There's nothing between the driver and the controls. The ABS is invisible unless something goes drastically wrong. There's no E-throttle. No sport mode. No bullshit in the way. You point, it goes. No questions asked.
After the grip and composure of all-wheel drive it takes a bit to warm to the Ultimate Driving Machine on this inconsistent surface. I go easy. The Porsche and EVO are chomping at the bit behind me. Still, even here, the M3 speaks a language every enthusiast understands. It's a fundamentally balanced car and it's easily the most involving of the Germans. It tells a driver who's willing to listen exactly how much throttle is needed to hang the rear end out of every corner. Or how much restraint is necessary to simply go quickly.
Balancing steering and throttle inputs are the keys to giving a rear-drive car corner exit speed, and the M3 is the keymaster. Listen to what it says and you'll have as much if not more fun when the surface is clean, dry and smooth.
But that's just the problem. The surface isn't always perfect and neither is the driver. The extra confidence provided by the all-wheel-drive cars in this test put the M3 at a disadvantage. With the engine set in sport mode and the traction control off, the M3 will put up a fight with any car in this group for awhile. And its driver might even have more fun. It's brilliant. It just isn't quite as quick.
The S4 has an incredible engine, superb steering weight, a wonderful short-throw shifter and the best seats in the group for hard driving. But it's a bit out of place here. Audi has gotten so busy making it so luxurious (i.e. heavy) that performance suffers. It's stink fast and makes all the right sounds, but when pushed, it comes apart sooner than the others. After an angry descent from the 7,000-foot pass, the S4's brakes sent smoke signals to the gods of thermal energy asking for relief. They still worked but it took some time before pedal feel returned to normal.
Before the meltdown, the S4 was fun. Massive torque at nearly any engine speed in any gear makes any car fun to drive, and when that torque is going to the ground through four 235 section width Continental SportContacts, the result is impressive. The Audi was composed up to about eight tenths and then it was simply off the pace. Going faster meant taking unnecessary risks. And its structure started to protest as well. The doors creaked and groaned when the road became uneven.
Damping and ride are well suited to moderate performance driving, but these roads and this pace don't suit the S4. The S4, it turns out, is the best car for the family-hauling enthusiast. It will double as a driving machine when asked. Just don't ask too often or drive too hard.