Rarely has one car carried the kind of expectations that the Mitsubishi Eclipse rolls in with this year.
Anyone who has followed business headlines knows Mitsubishi Motors North America is floundering. It is bleeding money. It is on its third CEO in as many years. And North American sales have slid on a greasy slope this past year.
Enter: A two-door savior. And how eager was Mitsubishi to get its new four-seater sports car on the market? The factory in Normal, Ill., was given an extra-special directive: Build this car in a hurry.
I don’t know whether a niche vehicle can save a company, but this is one fine coupe.
Available only in front-wheel drive, the 2006 Eclipse is a living, fire-breathing example that desperate times sometimes produce marvelous results. Nothing about this vehicle indicates a company in turmoil.
Close your eyes, and you might think you are riding in a Toyota, a Honda or a Nissan. (All very profitable, by the way.)
Open your eyes, and the new Eclipse steps into territory that Mitsubishi has never explored before.
The large, rounded exterior (wheelbase, width, weight and length all increase from the old model) is an eye-catcher that will draw stares and a bit of awe.
And there’s the real beauty of the Mitsubishi recovery plan. It can’t be expensive. In order to get these cars in people’s driveways, the automaker has priced the Eclipse right.
It begins at less than $20,000 and nudges up to about $28,000 in the top end. Not bad for a car that comes with either a lively 162-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder or an incredibly gutsy, aggressive 3.8-liter V-6 that kicks out 263 horsepower with a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual in the GT version.
In the GT mode, our tester, it demands to be driven. It wants to dive into corners. It wants to spin its wheels at the stoplight.
It’s a little hard to park or drive in tight corners. The Eclipse’s size and lack of a tight turning radius make those awkward corners a little tough. Blind spots are abundant. And gas mileage is not for the faint of heart (or wallet). Mitsubishi claims the GT will average 18 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway, but our limited test saw figures more like 14 and 23 — in hard driving, mind you.
But the bucket seats are firm and head, leg and overall body room are abundant. The center console, dashboard and storage compartments are done in an interesting texture.
The back seats are only for kids (there’s no head room), and the side pockets on the doors might fit a slice of paper, if you’re lucky.
But this Eclipse is top-notch. Mitsubishi even offers a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate six-CD stereo with MP3 capability that includes a 10-inch subwoofer in the back.
There’s a lot to like here. And, hopefully, there’s a lot more like it from Mitsubishi in the years to come.
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2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Vehicle type: Front-wheel-drive, front-engine, two-door, four-passenger sports car
Key competition: Acura RSX Type-S, Ford Mustang, Nissan 350Z
Base engine: 162 horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder
Transmission: Five-speed manual or four-speed automatic
Standard safety equipment: Dual front, side and head air bags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes
MPG rating: 23 city/30 highway (base engine)
Manufactured: Normal, Ill.
Warranty: Basic warranty is five years/60,000 miles.
Base price: $19,399
Price as tested (including destination and delivery): $25,194
