Traditionally, Subaru’s WRX STI would have gone mano a mano with hometown rival, Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution. However, the last new Evo was seven long years ago – an eternity in car-years – which brings Volkswagen’s all-paw wunderkind, the hard-charging Golf R, into the fray against Subaru’s latest force-fed range-topper.

With list prices split by $500, and just 15kW between them, you’d want to believe this will go down to the wire …

Big-boost battle

When it comes to bang for buck, Subaru’s WRX STI has been banging hard and loud for more than 20 years. It has a reputation built on a rock-solid drivetrain blending all-wheel drive with thumping turbo power; a recipe that ensures the STI takes punishment as pleasure, and always comes back for more.

Best of all it looks unashamedly ’90s while doing it. With huge bonnet scoop, small wheels, colossal rear spoiler and chiselled panel work, the STI’s formula is as alive and well today as it was back in grungy 1992.

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The STI is now up against the 2014 Volkswagen Golf R, a product that sits atop the Golf GTI in much the same way Subaru positions its STI variant above the WRX. It’s not quite as white-knuckle fight-club mad as the STI, but it does come pretty close, and on paper – and price – is separated by the smallest of margins.

Part of the reason for this is Subaru’s recent price slashing. The STI is now a whopping $10,000 cheaper than before, bringing it to within $500 of the as-tested price of the Golf R.

It’s that underdog spirit, and the rewards it delivers when you ‘get it right’, that make the Subaru the winner by a whisker in this comparison

Gettin’ WRX’d

OK, we could have said getting STI’d, but the connotation’s far from pretty. Almost as far from pretty as the STI’s interior.

That aside, it’s an impressive machine. Though available only as a sedan (the Golf R is a hatch), it’s what’s beneath the STI’s skin that’s important; kind of like that girlfriend you once had with the bubbly personality.

With Usain Bolt-like acceleration, the STI feels like it’s out to prove a point. It’s not quite as lusty in its middle reaches as the Golf R, but generates serious momentum over 4000rpm for a kick-in-the-back surge that’s hard to forget.

In short, it’s got an addictive bite that sees you snicking through ratios, chasing the rush right through to redline. The shifter is crisp and decisive, the clutch action prompt and deliberate. It’s a car that demands hard-driving to extract its upmost, and we were happy to oblige.

Mind you, the gruffness required to shift the STI along at nine-tenths isn’t entirely without reward. Treat it mean and it delivers plenty of mechanical grip – much more than the Golf R – balanced happily in AUTO mode by the adjustable centre diff, or to your own discretion for a little more ‘creativity’.

The steering is old-school hydraulic (the Golf R’s electric) and delivers a rewarding heft when you’re pressing on. Sure, it kicks a little in response to lumps and bumps, and will try to arm wrestle you on sharper cambers, but it’s an honest system that allows accurate placement in the bends.

And you need it to be. The STI is more softly sprung than the Golf R, and has higher profile tyres, so it squirms more and can be harder to settle. Learn to trust it, and use the throttle to maintain motive grip, and the reward is there. It just isn’t as easily accessible as in the Veedub.

A good day for Golf

Rainy days aren’t usually the best for golf – besides, no one wants to wear those silly pants anyway. But for the Golf we’re playing, wet weather isn’t an issue. This type of Golf loves a twisty drive and has no trouble sinking a hole in one.

Sport analogies aside, the Golf R proves a cinch to drive fast, while remaining completely predictable. It lacks some of the STI’s interactivity, but is more fool proof, sticking to the tarmac – regardless of sloppy driving skills – and is simply easier to get in and drive fast.

It’s also particularly quick to settle over gnarly surfaces and, in spite of its lower profile rubber (235/35R19 plays 245/40R18), is rarely jarring or uncomfortable. The Haldex clutch can take a moment to react when severely challenged, but we only ever lost some grip on a trailing throttle, and that’s to be expected.

However, most surprising was despite the STI feeling faster, it really wasn’t. The Subie was beaten by the Golf R in every category when measured against the V-BOX ‘stopwatch’ (see break-out below).

The in-line four spins quickly beyond 6000rpm before the dual-clutch transmission thrusts the next cog into play, burping belligerently out the exhaust as it does. For those who prefer the three-pedal shuffle, the Golf R also comes with a DIY box, though we’d have to say the DSG is quicker, easier and aurally more entertaining.

However, at cruising speeds the Golf R was quieter, despite some exhaust drone. It’s louder and more resonant under throttle, though lacking the STI’s rich warble. When cruising home, the Subaru’s mechanical, tyre and wind noise can get a little grating, and it’s much louder when cruising (77dBA v 73 in the VW at 80km/h).

The Golf’s stoppers were also hard to beat, halting the R time and again with no sign of heat exhaustion, nor any nasty smells associated with it.

THE VERDICT – Splitting heirs

The WRX STI has long been the king of the budget-priced tarmac tearers. But can the little Volkswagen overthrow the monarchy?

There’s no doubt these big-boost brawlers offer plenty of bang for buck, but they both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Although it has softer edges than its predecessor, the fourth-generation WRX STI still presents as a tough-as-nails, savage beast when compared to the smoother, more refined Golf R.

The R is a capable, high-tech machine that delivers on its promise of being the fastest, most desirable Golf. It effortlessly cuts up corners, and anything its engine gives away to the STI’s (206kW/380Nm v 221kW/407Nm) is mollified by the rapid-fire twin-clutch transmission.

Overall interior fit and finish and modernity of on-board equipment is far superior in the Golf R. The Subaru just doesn’t look or feel as premium and, considering the similar pricing, it really should [Ed: in fairness, Subaru is still a fairly niche company in the grand scheme of things].

But it’s that underdog spirit, and the rewards it delivers when you ‘get it right’, that make the Subaru the winner by a whisker in this comparison. It may not be as easy to live with, park, see out of, listen to, touch, or smell; hell it’s not even as fast in a straight line! But it does plug you into the experience of being at the wheel, in the moment, in a way the Golf R doesn’t quite match – and in these days of tech-heavy driver isolation there’s something to be said for that.

This story first appeared in motoring.com.au.