Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross debuts, but it's not a sports car any more

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross debuts, but it’s not a sports car any more

Rumors had it that the legendary Mitsubishi Eclipse sports car was on the way back to the modern era, much to the delight of enthusiasts everywhere. But the return of the Eclipse sports car was gushed out of the pipeline a few months ago when Mitsubishi announced that it was planning to shift its focus entirely to crossovers and SUVs. Now though, they have revived the Eclipse moniker, but not in a way that everyone expected. The new bearer of the name is the Eclipse Cross, a funky new crossover from the Mitsubishi stable that sits right in between the Outlander and the ASX.

The Eclipse Cross is a “crossover-coupe” that sports funky styling that locks horns with the Nissan Juke. The front fascia of the Cross resembles the bigger Outlander with the two swooping chrome strips that flank the grill on either side. The slender headlights and the massive grille pairs with the chrome strips to complete Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield design. From the sides, the Eclipse Cross looks more muscular than any other SUV in the lineup. The roofline is raked sharply at the back to embody the quirky but popular SUV-Coupe body style. The LED rear lamps mounted high on the tailgate, stretching from one side to the other, divide the rear window into two.  The interior is equally contemporary with an onboard smartphone Link Display that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a heads-up display.

Power comes from a new 1.5-litre direct-injected, turbocharged petrol engine that is mated to a CVT gearbox that comes with an eight-speed sport mode manual override. The outputs of this engine are rated at 163 hp and 250 Nm. A 2.2-litre diesel with an eight-speed automatic is on offer. In Europe, the Eclipse will also be available with a six-speed manual gearbox. An electronic-4WD system splits the power to the four wheels.

It remains to be seen if the Eclipse Cross is offered in the UAE and GCC, as Mitsubishi’s current sales are largely dominated by handful of aging models.

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Comments

  1. The front looks pretty good in my honest opinion. The rear still leaves a lot to be desired. Quirky and a bit of an eyesore. Looks like the designers at Mitsubishi design the front with apt focus and then go for a coffee break and rush through the rear design like they have run out of time. Another Mitsubishi model evident of this weird design language is the Pajero Sport with hose long swooping lines that aren’t cohesive with the front fascia of the vehicle. That being said, should they decide to bring this to the MENA region, it will surely offend the Eclipse purists who wished it would have been reincarnated as another sports car. But dream is all we can! I dont think other Car cmpanies will lose major sleep over this! BORE!

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