Blame it on our economy, or more, accurately, on the man with a wristband: a million pesos will not get you very far these days.  For those seeking a luxury car, a million bucks cannot even buy an entry-level Honda Accord (and that effectively crosses out all the yummy European cuts—sans the dull Opel Astra).  The selection is so few that if I may be so bold, summarizing the choices under this category is an cinch: cutesy runabouts (Toyota Echo); overly sedate sedans (Honda City or any of the 1.6’s); people carriers (Hyundai Starex) and AUVs (Adventures/Revos). 

Fortunately, there are some fine cars hidden under a million pesos waiting to be discovered.  Even after removing all the Ferraris, Porsches or even the BMWs and the Mercedes, the Philippines is still home to sub-one million pesos performance cars.  It takes a lot of careful thought to eliminate the field one by one, but as the field gets thinner, the choices start to become clear—and the final showdown is between two cars that embody their manufacturer’s technological know how and wizardry: the Honda Civic SiR and the Subaru Impreza Turbo.

Grand Turismo and Sega GT fans should have their mouths gaping by now—how in heaven’s name will a front-wheel drive, normally aspirated 1.6-liter sedan be able to match a four-wheel drive turbocharged 2.0-liter super car?  Well, the match up is not really a head to head square off per se—this is not a case of having Mike Tyson going against Onyok Velasco.  This battle is more like a battle on the car’s respective fields: the SiR as a high-revving front driver and the Impreza as a four-wheel drive turbo road rocket.

In terms of front drivers, nothing comes close to Honda’s Type-Rs.  In fact, the Type-R is the weapon of choice whether in the drag racing scene or even the touring car championship battle.  This specialty division of Honda delivers the company’s wild and wacky cars that just want to be pushed to the absolute limit.  Unfortunately, since no Type-R is available at your local Honda dealer, the closest thing we will get is the Civic SiR.  The ultra-reliable DOHC VTEC engine is nicknamed ‘The Terminator’ because it absolutely will not stop revving.  Although the Type-R and the SiR share the same engine, the SiR has a lower horsepower rating at 160 compared to the Type-R’s 185 mainly because of non-modified cylinder headers and pistons and more restricted airflow.

On the other hand is a car that needs no introduction—the Subaru Impreza. This car showcases the company’s dedication to win the FiA World Rally Championship. The Impreza is voted by global journalists as one of the best things to hit the pavement; being on the same level as the Porsche 911. Moreover, owners simply could not be dissatisfied, making this car consistently one of the highest performers in the JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.

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