Evo 9 vs Golf R [Final Battle]

In this episode of Mighty Car Mods, it is Evo versus Golf. Only this time, the Evo's not broken. Welcome to another episode of Mighty Car Mods. Martin, it's a bit of a modern-day battle, isn't it? It absolutely is. We've got the best from Germany and the Japanese car. So we were here a while ago with the Golf and the Evo at this track to see what they could do. It uncovered a few issues with the Evo. The Golf has had a lot of development since that day. And now, interestingly, they're both making pretty much the same peak power. Which is interesting because the cars are both making 280 kilowatts at the wheels. Let's have a quick chat about power. Different places in different areas of the world use different kinds of power. There's crank power. There's brake horsepower. We use kilowatts here. But the short version is this car made 180 kilowatts at the wheels. Now it makes 280 kilowatts at the wheels. You can do the maths. This car also makes 280 kilowatts at the wheels. Probably the other limiting factor when you're doing track days and things like that is tyres. But we're happy to say, Martin, they're exactly the same. Same tyres. The other reason that this is interesting is 2.0-litre, 2.0-litre. Modern direct injection engine. Slightly more old-school, but all the tuning parts in the world available for this engine. This car requires ethanol to get to 280. And that one doesn't, which is also interesting because this now becomes a car that you only get 220km out of a tank. And you've got to live near an ethanol servo and all these other things that come into it. They're both also four-wheel drive. Yes. Which is very exciting, Martin. So we actually get to put some of this power down to the ground. So they are only those minimal difference. They're both running Bridgestone Potenza RE003, which is like a track-suitable, street-legal enthusiast tyre. Performance tyre, basically. So, Martin, I think we just do a couple of laps. We see what happens. Both of the cars are working now. We've never been here with both cars actually working. So today's not about trying to... Actually, it is. Today's about seeing which is the better car and which one's faster. It's to see which one pulls away. Because I have a feeling one of them couldn't pull away. And I think I know which one it's going to be. But you'll have to wait and see. I think I know which one as well, Martin. Me too. And maybe people... You know, maybe they'll know as well. But we'll soon find out. So, Martin, have a good and lovely race. You too, my friend. We have a track and two performance cars. Now I'm going to go down here. I'm into sport mode. There'll be no launch control today. Are you ready to go, Martin? I am. I'm just looking at my air-fuel ratio versus boost pressure. Good. Go on through. Are you good to go? I am. Alright, here we go. Everybody, this is it. It is the Evo versus the Golf. Here we go. I'll bog down without launch control. This G just dominates, my friends. Oh, but this is so much quicker now. Actually makes the power advertised. That Golf is fast once he gets moving. Yeah, wow. Once it comes on boost, it just goes. Fancy gearbox to keep it under control. Whoa, look at him. Straight out of the hole. I can keep up, but... But, I have to be right at the top of the revs. Down here. Well, I absolutely cannot shake him. He is right on me. I got in front of him from the outset. But, I tell you what, he is on me like an Evo. I can literally see his all-wheel drive system just moving the car around to keep it where it needs to be. Peak power will help me a lot on this straight. Yeah, wow. This is awesome. This is two 280-kilowatt cars, that's for sure. 160 kilometers an hour up the straight. Tipping it in. Those RE003s are gripping on for dear life. His car is working so hard, I can see it. I can feel mine working hard, but it's like mechanical all-wheel drive versus a smarter and more modern electronic-controlled all-wheel drive. But, he can't shake me. It's interesting, you get 280 kilowatts, and you get 280 kilowatts, and I tell you what, there is not a whole lot in it. I also can't get in front of him. I can keep up, but I'm also at the limit of the tyres as I'm drifting four wheels across this, as he is. I can't shake him. Doesn't matter what I do, I cannot shake him. He is right on me. Awesome. Just an awesome match-up. This Evo has come a long way, really has improved. I pull away on the straights, but he's either braking later, or he can tip into the corners a lot more aggressively than I can. Because down here, he is just on me, on me. Whoa! He locked up the rear. Our tyres are starting to get hot. Yeah, look at this. This is awesome. I'm just diving into these corners hard after him, getting on the power, and he'll just have a rear-vision mirror full of Evo. I'm faster through this section. Again, his car is just trying to hang on. Wow. That's impressive. Because that car, that is a better car to take to the shops than this one, that's for sure. That's awesome. Very, very close, and it was probably only the launch. I reckon if he goes ahead, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Oh, missed a gear. That's what I always do. I missed third. Do you want to try and catch me? Yeah, I'll catch you. Alright, here we go. I will chase down the Evo for a bit, see how we go. I'm going to see if I can get away from him without having to worry about running into him. Here we go. Deep into the corners. Here we go. Hard out. End of second gear. Hard on the brakes again. Deep into this corner. I'm just going to put it all in for this lap. See how much, see if I can gap him. Oh, it's a bit hard to get into third gear. Really hard to get into third gear. I'm skating all four wheels going around that corner. Hard on the brakes. Absolutely huge brakes on this Golf, you may remember. A massive Revo kit. Not how I'd normally want to drive a car, but, I just want to see, out of interest, how much room I can put on this Golf. Just punishing. I hate driving cars like this. Here we go. Clutch is starting to go. I've got a warning light saying too much boost. Too much power. He's on the brakes before me. I'm catching at the end of the straight. It's very bright in the sun there. Both cars are performing incredibly well. I'm starting to lose a little bit of pace, I think. Oh, my lock used up. Hard on it. Yeah, there we go. I think the Evo really has proven that, with this kind of driving, I can understand why some of the fastest cars in the world are Evos. Time attack cars, they're just brutally, brutally fast. And this is sort of what makes it not the best daily, I have to be honest. What's interesting, and maybe this is just down to our driver ability, but, whoever's in front, stays in front. And that's probably an indicator of what kind of level these cars are at, which I think is really, really interesting. Neither car, or neither driver, has the ability to get past the other one once they're actually in front. And it's actually easier to stay in front once you're in front. Not bad, huh? Not bad. Yeah. The gap between us is bigger when you're in front than when I was in front. When you drive this like an absolute idiot, I mean, just into it, and let all the diffs do their thing, I get why they call these cheater cars. Because you just point it where you want it to go, and you floor it, and it goes bang, and it goes there. And I think this all-wheel drive system in yours, I could see it from behind it, I could see it sort of like, trying to make its way through the corner. It was at its limit up there. Through the screwly bit at the top, whereas this is crossed up, but it's fast. Yes. But you have to drive it like an idiot. The second I backed off a bit, you're on my tail. Yeah, exactly. So, it's close, man. You could really see that the same power, especially on the straight. And when you're coming through this bottom corner, and you get into it, you're gone. Yeah. I can't catch you. And maybe if the straight was three times as long, maybe. What's interesting, it definitely appears that this has the straight-line power, and that has the power in the corners. I'd say so, yeah. And to keep the power on, I've got to be above four grand. And who drives like that unless you're on a track? Yeah. So, it's thoroughly impressive. And now it's not broken. Remember, it came with the same power before, but it was nowhere that quick. Not at all. You can see the heat radiating off everything. How are the new brakes? They were excellent. They did put your head through the windscreen. Man, I'm full Quincy's squid. Me too, I'm sweaty. Up the squiddle off my Cheetos. I'm sweaty. That's fast. It was fast last time. That was just ridiculous. Martin, can I give you and our friends on the internet my synopsis? Please. Do you mind? Please do. It might take a couple of minutes. Let's go. I'm here. I'm ready. I'm going to take a seat on my mad car. The Evo's faster. In this environment, absolutely it is. But, at the drags, I mean, I've stuffed the launch just like I did then. There's not enough revs in it. It wouldn't do it. But this is only a high 11 second car on a good day. That's 11.2 every time. My Evo's faster does have a little asterisk next to it. Yeah, go. And that is, if you drive, once the cars are moving, Yes. you drive them as hard as you and I can, the Evo's going to be faster. Yeah. Once they're moving. Yeah. But, if you were to use all of the technology that's available on each of the cars, I don't think the Evo any time soon is going to catch this. When you combine the launch control, Exactly. a 0 to 100 time of 2.8 seconds, and DSG, eventually that's going to catch it. But I'm talking 10 laps. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. It's the launch control and the DSG that makes that a faster car. Yes. But it's the Evo and it's engineering that I think maintains it's speed once it's in front. Is that, I'm not a journalist, but do you know what I'm saying? I absolutely know what you're saying. And it's been so interesting now that we are running the same tyres, RE003's. You could see that they just, they're running out of grip at the same kind of speeds. Yes. The cars are both heavy, really, Yeah. for what they are. They're big four wheel drive things. And you could just see how similar they were. And coming around this straight, I think this has, it has the top end. Yeah. But I can't use it. I'm not on boost until like a third of the way up the straight. You're on boost out of the corner. Yes. I guess it's one of those things, and this is a tricky thing to try and quantify, but do you buy a car that's awesome on the track if you go into the track twice a year? Exactly. Or do you buy a car that's good for the other 363? Now the old man part of me goes, what about all the other days? But then the young bit of me like goes, Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like why have a performance car if you're not going to go and smash it on the track? I completely agree. Maybe the internet wants to hear from us. Which car would you buy? Yep. Out of these two? Yep. They're both going to cost, at this point in time, about $30,000. Yeah. Maybe they're $28,000, maybe they're $32,000, maybe they're whatever. The mods are going to cost maybe $10,000, maybe $5,000. And they're dropping all the time. I mean like off it goes. But the price is going down. Yep. So the question is, with the kind of driving that you want to do, spirited driving, get around each day, which car would you buy? It's really hard to put into words. I just went on this track, probably faster than I've ever been on a track. The experience of it is incredible. The technology is incredible. I like the look. I love the colour. I love the wheels. I love all this stuff. But it ain't no Supergrams! I just keep thinking about what it would be like to be here in Supergrams. Yes. And hearing it. And feeling that six cylinder. And that big turbo. And all this stuff. Yep. And I keep, it's like I'm short-circuiting. Yes. It's like I'm just short-circuiting. And that's why, Martin, that's why it's probably time, isn't it? It's time to wake up, Martin. Wake up, Martin! Marty. Marty, wake up, man. Marty. What are you doing, bro? Oh, I was on Supergram. What is going on, man? I had a f***ing weirdest dream, man. Dude, you look like shit. Oh, I got chilli in my eye. Have you been here all night? Yeah. Oh, man, you're sleeping in nachos. Oh, shit. I'll get you some water, man. Man, if you needed help with your car, you should have just gone, hey, man, give me some help with my car. You don't need to be here pulling all-nighters all night completely by yourself. There you go. Wake up, man. What are you doing? You're sleeping in here. What are you doing, man? I had the f***ing weirdest dream. Yes? I dreamed I owned an Evo. You do? Well, you've got too sexy. Yeah. Well, no, like a real Evo. Eww. I know. How long have you been here? What are you doing? What are you doing to it? I've got heaps of stuff to do. I've got suspension, gear lever. I've got new diff. I've got all sorts of cool stuff. Subaru life, man. But why have you been here all night? Because I was busy. Have you been shitting in a bucket? Martin, I think you need to go home and have a sleep, mate. I owned an Evo. Did I own an Evo? You've never owned an Evo. Oh, you had the Evo 10, but that's not an actual Evo. That's the only Evo I've ever owned, though. And too sexy. That's it. Supergramps is so good. And that other black thing that we don't talk about. Supergramps is so good. Supergramps is awesome. Will you help me fix Supergramps? I'll help you fix it. Do you want a cuddle, mate? Are you alright? No, I just dreamed I owned an Evo. I was scared, man. It was a bad dream. I had a dream I owned a Honda once, Martin. I know what it's like. It is nasty. But... I've got water in my ear, man. Why don't you go home and have a sleep? And then, I will come back and I'll help you work on Supergramps. Which is the only all-wheel drive car. Oh, dude. This was dinner. I'll still have one. Oh, it's pretty soggy. I have chilli in my eye. I love this car. I like Subarus, man. Oh, no. Martin, why don't you go home and have a sleep? And then come back. You just go. I'll do that. You go. Don't throw it at me. I wasn't going to.