2009 Car of the Year: Sports/Performance Under $50,000

Nov 01, 2008

Special to The Star

Bang-for-the-buck performance has never been more important for driving enthusiasts as we watch the car-buying budget evaporate.

Save for the mature Acura, this year's entries for sports/performance car under $50,000 – the spunky BMW, street-legal rally cars from Mitsubishi and Subaru and Dodge's reincarnation of a 1970s muscle car icon – look like the automotive stage call for the next The Fast and the Furious flick.

Acura TSX Premium

Despite its smooth 2.4-litre four-cylinder and slick shifting six-speed manual transmission, the five-passenger Acura was simply outgunned here.

Compared to other entrants in this category – with only 201 hp – the entry-level luxury sports sedan Acura felt like a chaperone trying to get out from the way of a trio of rambunctious teenagers.

Taking 8.0 seconds to saunter to 100 km/h, the TSX was at least 2.0 seconds behind the pack. And with a 100-to-0 km/h stopping distance of 43.8 metres, the Acura was more than 10 per cent longer than the category average.

At least it's a good value in its segment. The front-drive Acura comes with a host of standard features (leather, moon roof, premium sound) that would cost you more with the other entries here.

Price as tested $36,200

WINNER: BMW 135i Coupé

Heavily based on the larger 3 Series, it's no surprise the four-passenger 135i has sublime steering, and a fine balance between ride quality and sharp handling.

Not as obvious: its 300 hp twin-turbo inline-six cylinder engine and well-matched six-speed manual make it also incredibly fast.

In fact, at only 5.1 seconds, the rear-drive BMW is the quickest in this category from naught to 100 km/h – narrowly beating out the Subaru by 0.1 seconds.

That said, the BMW is no track-day special. It understeers at the limit and is less nimble and communicative than the masterful Evo.

Racing fantasies aside, though, the 135i is the most rewarding road car to drive in this category.

Price as tested: $43,300

Dodge Challenger SRT8 6M

Based on a rear-wheel-drive Dodge Charger sedan, 500 limited edition Challenger SRT8s two-door coupes sold out last spring. For 2009, the SRT8 version returns with a $2,000 six-speed manual as an option to the existing five-speed autobox.

With more than three times the displacement of the Evo's mill, the Challenger's 420 hp 6.1-litre V8 aids the five-passenger Dodge in overcoming its Rubenesque 1878 kg curb weight. Amazingly, it posts similar low-five-second 0-to-100 km/h times and mid-30-metre 0-to-100 km/h braking distances as the much lighter BMW, Mitsu and Subie.

On the track, though, the big Dodge has a hard time masking its mass. Nimble it is not.

Plus, for a barely-under-$50,000 car, its interior disappoints in both design and quality.

Price as tested: $49,245

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR

On public roads, the Evo MR's stiff ride and loud exhaust will have TSX and 135i fans quivering. And the Mitsu's cockpit build quality is no better than a $16,598 Lancer DE.

But on the track, driving enthusiasts won't care. With a new dual-clutch sequential gearbox with three mode settings: maim, stun and kill, 2.0-litre turbo four and trick AWD system, the long-awaited Evo arrives in Canada loaded for bear (or more precisely Subaru).

Dancing through the cones on the Niagara airport test track, the Mitsu's AWD system applies torque to the outside wheel, bringing the car around, aiming it to the next set of cones. Neat.

The result: As a pure track weapon, the 291 hp Evo rivals the nearly twice-as-expensive Nissan GT-R.

Price as tested: $48,743

Subaru WRX STi

Like the Challenger, the new hatchback-only STI version of the WRX posts competitive acceleration and braking numbers.

With its 305 hp 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four, six-speed manual transmission and AWD with customizable centre differential that can tune the amount of torque front and back, the five-passenger Subaru goes and stops as well as the Bimmer and the Mitsu.

At just under $40,000, it's priced more like the Evo GSR and delivers a better ride on public roads. But when driven like the pseudo-rally car it portends to be, the WRX STi is lacking. The 245/40 Dunlop SP600 summer rubber grips well. But steering that could use more feel, a suspension that could be stiffer and a gear change that could be more accurate make it less of a track weapon than the ballistic Mitsu.

Price as tested: $39,995

Toronto Star