Comparison Test: 2010 BMW 335i vs. 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring

If all we evaluated in this test were the differences in steering between the 2010 BMW 335i and 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring, they would be enough.

The Evo, all nerves and haste, offers both lighter effort and the granular acknowledgement of every surface imperfection through its steering interface. The 335i, conversely, manages to ignore the faults that make the Evo's steering wheel dance with its driver. The Bavarians have instead tuned the 335i's steering to offer less information while making it just as useful as that of the Evo. The BMW's effort is higher and its response slightly slower, yet it makes virtually no compromise when driven with purpose.

These subtle differences are a foreshadowing of the big picture each car paints as you use it to unwind a series of bends. And ultimately these differences will matter most when you choose your preferred machine.

So choose carefully.

335i Sedan vs. Evo MR Touring. Really?
Yes, really. There are undeniable similarities — four doors, similar power and similar weight — plus the base prices of these cars differ by only $260. And these similarities, friends, make for a good comparison test. Maybe nobody will cross-shop these two cars for the purpose of buying one, but each car attracts passionate enthusiasm and that makes for a good argument. And both cars are even quite good.

So we lined up a 2010 BMW 335i Sedan with the M Sport package, leather interior and iPod adapter. This example in metallic Le Mans Blue with $6,150 in options rang up a sticker price of $47,625. It comes with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 rated at 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard.

The 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring is, well, an old man's Evo. The Touring package adds a power sunroof (thereby deleting the aluminum roof), leather upholstery for the Recaro seats, more acoustic insulation, a navigation system, automatic headlights and rain-sensing windshield wipers. And in place of the massive rear wing (presumably the sort of thing that old men don't like) is a trunk lid spoiler.

Driven every day, in a world that's full of real-world stuff — bumps, potholes and (let's not forget) women — the BMW's compromises suddenly turn into assets.

Underneath the slightly different appearance is the same Evolution MR we've come to know. Bilstein dampers give it a smoother ride than the GSR, and there's a sophisticated dual-clutch automated manual transmission to handle the shifting should you choose not to. The Evo's turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 is rated at 291 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Three limited-slip differentials (front, center and rear) ensure effective power delivery. The Evo's center differential varies torque split front to rear while the rear varies torque from side to side. If this is your kind of sedan, Mitsubishi has just what you need for $43,984.

Hammer It
Get serious about covering ground in either of these cars and you'll be going very, very quickly. Both offer a level of performance that's substantial for their relative cost. That the performance-cost ratio falls heavily in favor of the Evo becomes evident when both are driven on the same back road.

It's here that the Evo's roots as a rally car with its associated emphasis on a significant amount of traction-enhancing electronic and mechanical hardware help to turn the 335i into a dot in the mirror. Off-camber turns, midcorner bumps and loose gravel on the road are overcome virtually effortlessly thanks to the Evo's all-wheel drive and goes-where-you-point-it handling. Combine this with the fact that once the dual-clutch transmission is set to S-sport mode the Evo MR offers an intuitive two-pedal experience for driving, and the Evo becomes the perfect car for the imperfect road.

But the 335i is no slouch. The Bimmer somehow manages to filter out much of the fracas, and what remains is the minimal information necessary to go quickly. None of the essentials are removed. Rather, there's a distillation of feedback and sound that results in a highly honed driving experience. Steering effort is higher but less busy, while the chassis takes a set early but is less receptive to midcorner adjustments. The car feels and drives as if it were heavier than the Evo as a result, even though it's actually lighter by 144 pounds. The BMW also lacks the Evo's explosive corner exit, primarily because it's only driving two wheels.

The Real World
But we're splitting hairs here. Yes, when driven to the limit on a deserted, twisting road, the Evo is the quicker of these two cars. Driven every day, in a world that's full of real-world stuff — bumps, potholes, freeway irregularities and, let's not forget, women — the BMW's compromises suddenly turn into assets. Even its slower steering seems like a positive attribute in a world where you don't want to change lanes with every sneeze.

In daily use, the Evo's heavily bolstered seats, busier suspension and maximum-attack attitude are a compromise. But its transmission is in stark contrast to the 335i's stick-rowing, old-school job. Even the best manual transmission in the world — and this is among them — is more tiresome than a two-pedal setup in traffic. And traffic, in Los Angeles at least, is a way of life.

Once again, the Evo's technology pays off. This car's flexibility is truly astounding. Thanks to its dual-clutch transmission, this car is capable of logging hours of comfortable traffic time and then switching (with the punching of a few buttons) into a driving tool that delivers the performance of a racing car. There are other very good twin-clutch gearboxes out there (Porsche's ZF-engineered PDK and Nissan's Borg-Warner-engineered unit for the GT-R) but none offer the S-sport mode of the Evo's Getrag-engineered unit, which never — and we mean never — picks the wrong gear when driven hard. (Ironically the BMW M3 uses a version of the Mitsu's Getrag-built hardware.)

It's impressive. And it comes standard in the MR for less green than the BMW with a manual transmission. More important, if traffic is a factor in daily driving, it brings the Evo's civility to within arm's reach of the BMW.

Measure It
Acceleration testing produced identical quarter-mile times for the BMW and Mitsubishi of 13.4 seconds. The Bimmer's lighter weight and slight power advantage yielded a higher trap speed (103.5 mph vs. 101.1 mph). But what the Evo gives up in trap speed, it makes up for with a quicker all-wheel-drive launch, allowing the Mitsu to beat the 335i to 60 mph from a standstill by 0.2 second (5.0 seconds vs. 5.2 seconds). With a 1-foot rollout, like you'd use on a drag strip, these times drop to 4.7 and 4.9 seconds.

Despite its large four-piston Brembo brake calipers, the Evo doesn't stop as short as the 335i. From 60 mph the stopping distances are 115 feet and 109 feet, respectively. The Evo's brakes offered more immediate pedal response, but once engaged aggressively, they lack the effectiveness we'd expect in a system this costly. Conversely, the BMW's simpler sliding-caliper brakes setup works brilliantly by offering less immediate bite but better overall effectiveness.

The results from our handling tests for these two cars are close enough to be called a wash. With the Evo turning 69.7 mph through our 600-foot slalom and the BMW recording 69.5 mph, the speed difference is far less important than what we learn about each car's handling dynamics. Perhaps the most valuable lesson in the slalom is that the BMW is very controllable as you approach its limits in right-left transitions. It can be slowly creeped toward the edge, tossed over it and brought back without a labored breath. Surprisingly, the Evo, which is marginally quicker, doesn't like such fast transitions. It will do it, but you better have quick hands and trust your car control when the going gets sideways.

These two cars also manage much the same level of cornering grip around our skid pad. The Evo circles at 0.93g while the 335i manages 0.92g. Differences here are also substantial, with the Evo muscling its way around with brute force and technology while the BMW circles with intuitive grace, dancing on the limit of adhesion with textbook rear-drive balance.

The Fundamentals
Mitsubishi made a decision when developing its Evo X to go upscale. No longer was it good enough to kick Subaru's ass. Now it wanted to go after the big players in the sport sedan market. More size, more refinement, more cost.

And that's exactly what we have in the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring. It's a car with its aim set squarely on the bigger, more costly and more refined German machines like, say, this 2010 BMW 335i.

And Mitsubishi has made improvements to the overall Lancer package to get to this level. But the Evo isn't on par with the BMW when it comes to the design and quality of the interior. Its navigation system is a joke by modern standards, its materials are less pleasing to touch, and, well, its switchgear still feels inexpensive.

Our only gripe about the BMW's interior? Lame cupholders.

The BMW 335i also offers 4.4 inches more wheelbase, which pays dividends in ride quality but remarkably doesn't translate into proportionally more rear-seat room. A 6-foot-2 editor found the Evo's rear seats more comfortable than the 335i's because of the Japanese sedan's squared-off roof line. Said the big guy: "Both offer enough legroom, but the Evo is less confining."

With 1.2 inches of additional overall length, the 335i did provide more trunk room. Folding split-back rear seats are optional for the 335i, but this car doesn't have them. The Evo's trunk space is significantly diminished by the packaging of windshield washer fluid and the battery between the rear seatback and the trunk. And that, as you might imagine, means its seats also don't fold.

There Must Be a Winner
That this was a close comparison test goes without saying. But in the end, the ability of the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring to deliver value in the form of usable features like a dual-clutch transmission, all-wheel drive and limited-slip differentials give it the win.

But the crux of this contest surpasses any evaluation that can be given by our comparison-test scoring protocol, which emphasizes plenty of numbers. The real meat of this contest is a matter of what you want from your only car. Most who buy these performance sedans will use them that way — hauling wives, kids, friends and cargo. Quickly, if necessary.

So it comes down to what's important for you in a performance sedan. Many will say it's a sublime mix of performance and comfort. And for those folks, the BMW 335i is the right car. If it's purely performance that you want and cost is a factor, then the Mitsubishi Evo is your car.

Either way, the steering feel is world-class.

The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.