Sport Sedan Shootout

 

1. Introduction
2. BMW 135i Coupe
3. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution TC-SST
4. Subaru Impreza WRX STi spec R
5. Volkswagen Golf R32 4MOTION
6. She Says
7. Conclusion
8. Specifications

 

Conclusion

The fact of the matter remains that despite our conclusion, everyone is going to want something different from their cars, and thankfully we all enjoy that privilege, but when you put these four head-to-head and adopt the assumption that you not only need to enjoy a fast and good handling car but also carry passengers, cargo and endure the rigours of peak hour traffic daily, the answer soon becomes evident.

The Subaru, as good as it is when driven at ten-tenths is one of those cars that must be driven in that manner to be enjoyed, but sadly not many roads allow this type of enjoyment. Around town it borders on being sluggish, feels heavy to drive and is somewhat plastic and uneventful from the both the driver’s and passenger’s viewpoint.

Our little BMW is absolutely blisteringly fast and should you be able to maintain throttle balance – and avoid wet weather – it’s a hoot to drive. Trouble is that if you’re a little to brisk in applying the throttle, especially when damp, it won’t matter if the ESP is on, in between or off you will soon end up facing where you’ve just come from – if you’re lucky.

The cult king – and rightfully so from a performance standpoint – Evo is a god among cars, and if it wasn’t for the bone jarring ride and ES grade cockpit, then it would have pegged a slightly higher score, and possibly over thrown the winner. As it is, the Evolution lost ground by a hair’s breadth on our winner, and caused a rukus amongst the road test crew at the same time, but in the battle of Japan versus Germany there could be only one winner.

As an all round performance vehicle, with the added bonus of unbeatable day-to-day practicality, you simply cannot go past the Golf R32. It’s significantly cheaper, has adequate clearance for suburban conditions, maintains poise wet or dry and has an exhaust note usually reserved for six-figure sports cars – and you’ve got to love that.

Inside and out the Golf is well finished, is manageable even in novice hands yet has a hard edge up top even the bravest drivers will seldom find. Grin inspiring grip, punchy where it needs to be and brilliantly balanced the R32 deserves a very closely fought first place.

 

1. Introduction
2. BMW 135i Coupe
3. Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution TC-SST
4. Subaru Impreza WRX STi spec R
5. Volkswagen Golf R32 4MOTION
6. She Says
7. Conclusion
8. Specifications

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