I would actually go with the lancer in this case. If you're going for an XT the 07-08 sport XT has the best auto transmission of any of the foresters, not really a fan of the 09+ if you're looking for performance. The 4 speed is getting quite outdated, especially with other manufacturers such as VW and mitsu continually improving their transmission offerings (ie the dsg, 5,6 speed transmission, fancy diffs etc).