2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR

Back in his standby 2008 Mitsubishi Evo after driving the CTS for a night, associate online editor Rory Jurnecka fell immediately back in love. "I just cannot say enough about this car's steering; it's so good and so immediately noticeable that just driving away from the last resting spot the car feels purposeful. The brakes are at least as good, too, hauling the Evo down calmly and securely from freeway speeds, yet with so much force -- and they look fantastic, resplendent in red paint from behind gun-metal gray BBS alloys.

"Compared with the obvious in-fleet competitor, the Subaru STI, the Evo feels plenty faster, though the numbers are very similar. The way the Evo delivers its power, coming on strong later in the rev range and building steadily to redline is just so visceral that the butt-dyno would peg the Evo as being the faster of the two."