No serious automaker can deny that adding a performance division is the key to upping the competitive edge in the sports-saloon market. This where Japanese carmakers have traditionally outfoxed their European rivals: For a small cut in refinement and technology, they’ll provide elevated performance that’s easy on the pocket.

In the UAE, Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evo X was first to arrive in the Japanese compact-car slot, and is readily available. But the Evo X isn’t going unchallenged, with the third-generation UK-spec 2009 Impreza-based WRX-STI available on order for the country’s avowed Scooby heads.