No, Not That Eclipse!

"ethan drives dumb cars" (helloroad) 01/08/2020 at 13:35 • Filed to: mitsubishi, eclipse cross, mitsubishi eclipse, mitsubishi eclipse cross, pinball

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I was genuinely curious about the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. So I took one on a road trip. It’s clearly not the spiritual successor to the rad Eclipse from the 90s, but it’s a useful small SUV with quirky styling. Is it any good?

2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

(Full disclosure: Mitsubishi wanted me to drive the Eclipse Cross so bad they apparently tracked down the only one in the Los Angeles area and dropped it off in my driveway.)

You are certainly not alone if you’re not familiar with this car. The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has been out since the 2018 model year and this right here is only the second one I’ve ever seen.

If you’re an enthusiast lamenting the loss of the original Eclipse, I feel your pain. If you’re an enthusiast lamenting the glut of indistinguishable CUVs and crossovers filling up the streets, I also feel your pain. But this is the sad new reality—compact SUVs sell, and Mitsubishi’s survival in the United States depends on them.

2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

The Eclipse Cross is unique in that it’s kind of an in-betweener—it’s bigger than a subcompact SUV like the Honda HR-V, but smaller than the compact Honda CR-V.

The word unique can also be used to describe the styling, especially the rear. The two window design is reminiscent of the Honda Crosstour or Pontiac Aztek. Yes, it’s quite awkward, but possibly a smart choice to design something a bit off-the-wall, setting it apart from all the other cookie-cutter CUVs crowding our thoroughfares.

This vehicle doesn’t lead the pack in any category—gas mileage is below average, cargo space is below average, acceleration is average. And it certainly has zero of the DNA that made the original Eclipse enjoyable. Try to avoid curvy back roads in the Eclipse Cross if at all possible.

Even though it doesn’t stand out in any one category, it has quite a few endearing qualities. In a world full of samey-same CUVs, I like that this thing is a bit weird. Mitsubishi’s “Super All Wheel Control” system is very good. The Rockford-Fosgate sound system sounds great. The front seats are quite comfortable on a long trip. The adaptive cruise control system works better than the Kias and Toyotas that I’ve recently tested.

Will the Eclipse Cross make a dent in the market? I have my doubts, but I hope it does well for them. I want Mitsubishi to succeed in the U.S. so they can start selling things like the JDM Delica van over here! Yeah, I know. Never gonna happen, but one can dream.

With each press loaner that I receive, I endeavor to use the opportunity to see how it fares on a road trip—and that’s just what I did with this crossover. If you have a few minutes to spare, check out the video below where I conduct an in-depth review of this little CUV, and then drive it to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in Banning, California. Home to over 1,100 vintage and modern pinball machines and arcade games, the museum is billed as the largest pinball arcade in the world!

What do you think about the styling of the Eclipse Cross? What do you think about the current state of Mitsubishi? Did you know there is a Ted Nugent pinball game?

And yes, if you have a chance, you must visit the Museum of Pinball. It’s only open a few days out of the year, but totally worth the trek!

fintail > ethan drives dumb cars 01/08/2020 at 13:42

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With some custom work, one of these could kind of be a modern day Aztek.

Probably no more irritating than rest of the crossover world, but they shouldn’t have used that name.

ethan drives dumb cars > fintail 01/08/2020 at 13:53

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They just need to add a tent option for the rear hatch!

Yep, agree—bad name. It got people talking  when it first launched, but it has zero connection to the original.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > ethan drives dumb cars 01/08/2020 at 14:24

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Oddly enough, there seems to be quite a few in my neck of the woods. I'm not entirely sure why.

Chuckles > ethan drives dumb cars 01/08/2020 at 14:45

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I don't understand all of the name-based hate that this thing gets. It's not like Mitsubishi killed off the Eclipse just to turn it into a crossover. The Eclipse was already dead for years. All of the good car names have already been taken, so let car companies bring back the dead ones.

ethan drives dumb cars > Chuckles 01/08/2020 at 15:00

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Good point. F or some I’d imagine it was maybe not hate but disappointment—a reminder that Mitsubishi no longer has a “fun” car for sale in the US.

ethan drives dumb cars > BaconSandwich is tasty. 01/08/2020 at 15:09

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Seems like it might have to do with their dealer network? Closest Mitsubishi dealer to me is 30 miles away. In contrast, t here are at least 8 Toyota dealerships within a 30 mile radius of where I live.

carcrasher88 > BaconSandwich is tasty. 01/08/2020 at 17:16

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Same here. There’s only one Mitsubishi dealer within reasonable driving distance (there were three, but the other two closed down), but I see plenty of Mitsubishis around. Not just the Eclipse Cross, but the whole lineup, especially the Mirage.

SlothLovesChunk > ethan drives dumb cars 01/08/2020 at 21:37

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I’ve seen less than a half dozen since they were introduced in the DC Metro area. There’s a reason why they are selling so poorly, and lack of dealer network is only part of the problem.

They are odd looking and don’t offer anything really better than the competition but are still priced on par with them. The infotainment is definitely worst in class aside from audio quality. The 1.5t brings nothing special since it is still slow and not particularly efficient. Cargo capacity takes a hit due to the odd rear end.

I just don't get it, I think Mitsubishi could have done so much better. 

Longtime Lurker > ethan drives dumb cars 01/10/2020 at 21:23

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I h aven’t seen many of these but I remember the first time I saw one, I was waiting at a traffic light when I hear a very LOUD turbo 4 boy racer exhaust note, I look around trying to match sight to sound, then I saw a red Eclipse Cross pull away.