Mitsubishi's current ad campaign is "Wake Up and Drive." The TV spots show young hipsters driving around hip urban areas while bobbing their heads to hip-sounding music. (You can thank, or blame, Volkswagen for this latest trend in automotive marketing.)

But really, driving around with the radio on? You can do that with any car. And if you want to wake up, we can surely suggest better cars to be doing it in besides a Mitsubishi. The company's current product line is like the Arizona Cardinals: no big names and near perpetual mediocrity.

But that changes for 2003. Come spring, a car will arrive from Japan that will invigorate the Triple Diamond to a level not seen since the early '90s. The legendary Lancer Evolution is coming to the United States.

The Evolution, a high-performance version of the company's basic economy Lancer sedan, has earned its reputation through extensive use in the World Rally Championship and other racing venues. The original Lancer debuted in 1992, and the car's two main themes — turbocharged power and all-wheel drive — have continued on through six successive generations. Road-going versions of the Evolution have been sold in Japan, but never in the U.S.

By finally bringing it here, Mitsubishi is hoping the Evolution will, besides tickling the hippocampi of enthusiasts everywhere, be a "halo car" — a car good enough to lift the sales and visibility of Mitsubishi's other products. Not surprisingly, this is the same mission Subaru has had in mind for its Impreza WRX.

When the latest-generation Impreza debuted for 2002, Subaru's North American execs made sure the 227-horsepower WRX version came to the States. The WRX and Evolution are very similar — turbo power, all-wheel drive and plenty of racing pedigree. The WRX has been a success for Subaru, stoking Impreza sales and generally adding luster to the company's image.

Can you see where this is leading? Yep, it's the making of a 2003 bantamweight title fight — Evolution vs. WRX: Stateside Rumble. To get a sneak preview, we got our hands on a 2002 Lancer Evolution VII GSR and a 2002 Impreza WRX. Admittedly, this wasn't a fair fight. Our 276-hp left-hand-drive Evo was brought over from Germany by Mitsubishi as a demonstration car for journalists. It bristled with flashy hardware like mutant-size Brembo brakes, a computer-controlled Active Center Differential and even a water sprayer that automatically squirted water onto the front-mount intercooler when high temperatures dictated. We've been told that the 2003 U.S. version won't be quite as hard-core. Official information is due to be released in early January 2003.

On the flip side, the WRX was completely stock and rather ordinary compared to the Evo, or even the 265-horsepower WRX STi version that is expected to arrive in 2003. Still, this was a great opportunity to see how the cars matched up and give you a better idea of which dealership you should start getting friendly with.

We ordered two of our battle-hardened editors out to some of Central California's best driving roads. For two days, the yellow Evo and blue WRX flashed past trundling trucks, buzzed through sleepy towns and ripped down empty curvy roads. And just think, our editors got paid to do this.

Day One

"There's a two-car accident on the 405 North near the 101, and this is causing major delays all the way back to the 10." This was the radio traffic report as we made our escape from L.A. Of course, we weren't smart enough to listen to the traffic report before we left. So our two Japanese rally titans crawled unceremoniously up the 405, their superpowers being unable to make them go any faster than the multitudes of Camrys, Accords and minivans surrounding them.

Most motorists were blissfully unaware that they sat near greatness. Visually, the WRX was quite tame; it lacked a rear wing and its only upgrade was a set of the optional 17-inch BBS wheels. Even the Evolution, with its Jay Leno chin and XL-size rear wing, couldn't draw much of a crowd. The only attention came from two officers in a California Highway Patrol cruiser. They gave us the hard stare, as if to say, "We know that if you weren't stuck in traffic, you'd be breaking the law." Good thing "Minority Report" is just a movie.

The traffic did give us a good feel for each car's interior. Both closely resemble their stock brethren, which means cloth upholstery, plenty of plastic and reasonable seating for four. Special upgrades for each include different gauges, heavily bolstered front seats and short-throw shifters. Of the two, the Subaru was certainly more comfortable and better-looking.

The Evo's front seats seemed to be designed for slim Japanese men on Weight Watchers. Even though both of our drivers were pretty skinny, they felt the Evo was uncomfortable for long-distance driving. If the U.S. Evo has these seats, there's going to have to be a warning label that reads, "Unsuitable for people with eight percent or more body fat." Or maybe, "No lard butts allowed."

The clutch was another problem. It was quick acting for better performance, but it also made standing starts tricky to do without stalling. A stiff ride quality further compounded the Evo's difficult temperament. This car was seriously unwilling to yield to any major road imperfection. Driving over freeway expansion joints sounded (and felt) like distant artillery bombardment. Cruise control? Nowhere to be found. The Evo also fidgeted about on grooved pavement, requiring the driver to stay focused at all times.

Though plenty stiff on its own, the WRX was a near-luxury car in comparison; its more compliant suspension more readily soaked up bumps and dips and its clutch was much easier to operate. It even had the upgraded audio system and six-disc in-dash CD changer. Driving cross-country would be no problem.

In our case, all we had to do was make it a few hundred miles. Once we were free of greater L.A., the two cars were free to let the boost pressure build. The WRX suffered from turbo lag, and its responses were pretty listless below 3,000 rpm. Highway passing frequently required a drop down to fourth gear. The Evolution, however, was ready to rock from just about any rpm. Not only did it have a major horsepower advantage, but its torque output of 283 pound-feet at 3,500 rpm snuffed out the WRX and its mere 217 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. The Evo's five-speed transmission also had a shorter 4.53 final drive compared to the WRX's 3.90.

As we climbed the Grapevine on Interstate 5 (a taxing incline that slows the weak and unprepared), both cars utilized their turbocharged power plants to the utmost. This was a fine environment for them; traffic had thinned out, allowing us to slalom through the lanes as we powered up the winding grade. Chugging 18-wheel semis seemed to be nearly motionless. We even passed a late-model Porsche 911 whose driver (a middle-age guy) seemed a bit taken aback that these two Japanese econoboxes should be so bold as to overtake his normally superior Teutonic ride. But hey, we're sure he's enjoying his well-spent $70,000, right?

We continued north until we reached Frazier Park, at which point we turned west and headed out onto Cuddy Valley Road and Cerro Nordeste Road and then later to Highway 58. These roads snaked us through the upper reaches of Los Padres National Forest, cut across the valley floor and eventually dropped out to California's coast. They provided some fantastic scenery, as well as a great mix of straightaways and low-, medium- and high-speed corners.

Thanks to its race-ready 235/45ZR17 Yokohama Advan A046 tires and advanced all-wheel-drive system, the Evo fearlessly scrabbled through these kinked roads. Its Active Center Differential (ACD) distributes torque equally between the front and rear wheels. Employing steel multiplate clutches similar to a mechanical limited-slip differential, the ACD automatically regulates center differential slip-limiting action.

Furthering its ability were its ultraquick steering responses. Our drivers said it took some time to become accustomed to, and one said, "Sneeze and you'll veer into the oncoming lane." But once mastered, the steering gave the Evo the edge for being able to change direction quickly.

Compared to just about anything else, the WRX feels like a race car. But pitted against the Evo, it felt soft. The steering wheel was bigger in diameter and it required larger inputs from the driver to make the same handling maneuvers. At one point, we drove over a long straight stretch of undulating road at rapid speed. While the Evo was tight and secure, the WRX's dampers allowed too much compression and rebound. And in tight corners, understeer was prevalent unless the throttle was given a swift kick to transfer weight and power to the rear tires.

Based on the judge's scorecard, it wasn't looking good for the WRX.

Day Two

For our return, we traced back our original route and then cut down to Highway 33, which led us through Ojai and eventually to Camarillo, where we would pit the two cars against our battery of instrumented tests.

On our way down, we located a gravel-packed dirt road to further test out the cars' AWD systems. Again, the Evo held the advantage. Its tighter suspension gave us a better feel for the road surface and available grip. And thanks to the cockpit button that allows the driver to select three different modes, we were able to set the ACD to "gravel" for optimized traction.

Once at our testing facility, the Evolution again displayed superiority. Without performing any clutch-shredding super-high-rpm launches, we managed a 0-to-60 time of 5.3 seconds and cleared the quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds at 101.1 mph. The Subaru fell behind with a 6.3-second 0-to-60 and a quarter-mile of 15 seconds at 90.4 mph. For braking, the Mitsubishi utilized its oversize Brembo stoppers to haul down from 60 mph in 119 feet. A 70-to-0-mph test ended in 162 feet. For the WRX, it was 121 feet from 60 mph and 170 feet from 70 mph. Finally, we ran both cars through our 600-foot slalom course. The Evo blazed through at 69.3 mph (one of the fastest times we've ever recorded) while the WRX did it in 66.2 mph.

For pure performance, the Evolution was the clear winner. It was faster and more capable in every category. But our two editors weren't quite ready to fully dismiss the WRX. As a real-world street car, the WRX proved superior. Despite being slower and not as sharp, it was more fun to drive at the limit and easier to put into four-wheel drifts. Plus, its softer tuning and wider seats made it more comfortable in urban areas. It even had a much better fuel range; the Evo's low-fuel warning light frequently illuminated after just 170 miles because its gas tank holds just 12.7 gallons. The WRX holds 15.9 gallons.

So which one should you buy? Well, we can't make a final call until we test the full U.S.-spec Evolution and the U.S.-spec WRX STi. But when asked which car, as-is, they would buy (assuming the Evo stickered at about $30,000), both editors decided to go with the WRX. As one of them said, "It was less expensive and it had the better balance between performance and usability. If I had to drive one of these cars everyday, it'd be the WRX."

Originally posted by blackmagiCL_S
You'd drop the CL-S for a Lancer? But...but...but...it looks like a Lancer!!!

Sure maybe it is faster than the CL...but LOOK at it! I don't care HOW high they make the spoiler (it's a Mitsu remember)...it will still looks @ss.