Confused - 2011 Subaru Impreza 2.0 R-S vs 2011/2012 Mitsubishi Lancer EX GTA

**Abhisingh** · April 21st, 2013 05:34 PM

Hey there,

Am new to this forum and basically to driving and owning a car in the Philippines. So I started looking around a few days ago and the 2 cars that seem to be going head to head (in my head) are the 2011 Subaru Impreza 2.0 R-S (used, 20k KMS) and the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer EX GT-A (used , 10k kms)..The cars I am looking at are both AT. I have read a lot about both on Tsikot and other motoring forums but can't seem to settle on a clear winner, so any help would be very welcome !!

Am going to be primarily using it in Manila and hopefully around the country in the weekends. Both me and the wife plan to use it eventually. I'm looking for something that is fun to drive but still doesn't burn a hole in my pockets.

Any inputs will be much appreciated ..

Cheers !!!

**NeilJohn** · April 21st, 2013 06:02 PM

Would you mind sharing what your priorities are? I surmise that would decide which is best for you.

I assume you are after a sporty ride as you shortlisted the two. I have driven both the GTA and the impreza and I would have to go with the former as it has a very smooth transmission with responsive paddle shifts. The impreza, in automatic guise, feels adequate but the power is not enough for it to be called sporty. There's not much difference between handling and steering between your two choices.

You can't go wrong with whichever you choose but the GTA seems a bit fresher as it only has 10k km, then again, we really don't know how hard it was driven.

Happy hunting!

Originally Posted by Abhisingh

Hey there,

Am new to this forum and basically to driving and owning a car in the Philippines. So I started looking around a few days ago and the 2 cars that seem to be going head to head (in my head) are the 2011 Subaru Impreza 2.0 R-S (used, 20k KMS) and the 2012 Mitsubishi Lancer EX GT-A (used , 10k kms)..The cars I am looking at are both AT. I have read a lot about both on Tsikot and other motoring forums but can't seem to settle on a clear winner, so any help would be very welcome !!

Am going to be primarily using it in Manila and hopefully around the country in the weekends. Both me and the wife plan to use it eventually. I'm looking for something that is fun to drive but still doesn't burn a hole in my pockets.

Any inputs will be much appreciated ..

Cheers !!!

**niky** · April 21st, 2013 10:10 PM

If both were manual, they are about equal, with the Subaru having more balanced handling.

In automatic form, the Lancer is superior. The Lancer CVT is just as quick as the manual in terms of performance, except from a dead stop. The Subaru 4AT is nowhere near as sweet to use as the 5MT, and the transmission gets easily confused.

**Abhisingh** · April 22nd, 2013 09:00 AM

Thanks for the inputs gents !! Another set of points that I need to mention are - Yes I am looking for a sporty ride and have no limitations of AT only since I come from a country where AT is almost non-existent. Secondly I might be here for only 2 years or so and although I hate to say it but yes ease of resale and value are also important priorities.

**niky** · April 22nd, 2013 09:53 AM

If you're only keeping it two years, you'll likely lose 50,000 pesos or less in resale value, so it's a non-issue.

**Abhisingh** · April 23rd, 2013 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by niky

If you're only keeping it two years, you'll likely lose 50,000 pesos or less in resale value, so it's a non-issue.

Thanks Niky ... An observation I have is that I see a lot more GTAs in the used car market compared to Imprezas and even 2012 models are available at a steep depreciation. Would it be correct to assume that an Impreza stands a better chance at resale and also will fetch a better value ?

**niky** · April 23rd, 2013 03:06 PM

There are fewer because they're rarer. Most Subaru buyers went straight for the Forester when the brand came in. Demand was never very strong for the non-WRX Impreza. And even if you can find one, selling it might be difficult afterwards.

**Abhisingh** · April 23rd, 2013 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by niky

There are fewer because they're rarer. Most Subaru buyers went straight for the Forester when the brand came in. Demand was never very strong for the non-WRX Impreza. And even if you can find one, selling it might be difficult afterwards.

OK, that is a sobering thought indeed... I was tilting towards the Subaru because of the brand loyalty and the customer following that it enjoys but I will consider your inputs and re-evaluate. Thanks !!

**GTi** · April 23rd, 2013 07:07 PM

If you're looking for a sporty ride with good resale value, it would probably be wiser to get an FD Civic 2.0S instead. It matches, and on some points even exceed, the two in terms of performance and tuning potential.