Eclipse

Vehicle: 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT-P with 5-speed Sportronic
Price as tested: CDN$39293

Performance: Just like its coupe silibing. The Spyder is powered by 2 engines. An anemic 2.4L with 162hp and 162 lb/ft of torque. Or the more powerful 3.8L MIVEC V6 SOHC that is good for 260 ponies. This engine has refinement that is close to those wonderful V6s by Honda and Toyota, although its no cigar. On the other hand, it feels somewhat lacking in the bottom end as maximum torque won’t reached until 4500rpm. When 258 lb/ft of torque does arrive at 4500rpm, it feels more lively and willing to go thanks to its variable valve timing that enhances breathing at high rpm. Matched with this engine is either a 6-speed stick or 5-speed Sportonic in our tester. While this manumatic has decent gear ratios, it doesn’t allow enthuisastic drivers to rev pass redline before upshifting. In automatic mode, there is a transmission lags during up and downshifts. Its just not a willing transmission at all. 6-speed stick is a much better choice despite of its long throw.

Handling: The outgoing Eclipse Spyder is notoriously for terrible cowl shakes even on smooth pavement. On the rough roads, it was simply a rattlebox. With the advant of Mitsubishi’s Project America platform, which is well-known for its stiffness and rigidity. All the cowl shakes have become a thing of history in the new Eclipse. The Spyder, however, remains a very comfortable highway cruiser with its excellent ride quality. It absorbs bumps and roughness like a much more expensive luxury sedan. However, its composure lost when it comes to corners. There are just way too much body rolls and understeer when pushed. With 260 horses going through the front wheels, torque steer is your close companion. The steering doesn’t feel as communicative as the system in Galant or even its coupe silibing.

Brakes: With its standard 4-wheel disc brakes, anti-lock brakes and electronic braking force distribution. Spyder’s braking distance and pedal feel are much better than expected. There aren’t much fades after couple of complete stops, nor the ABS kicked in unnecessarily.

Interior: The visibility of Spyder is much better than coupe when the roof opens, mainly because it doesn’t have those high roofline hiding the blind spots. On the other hand, coupe’s tiny side view mirrors remained. The interior is pretty well layout. With easy to use center console and comfortable seats. You also got a great set of instrumentation and high-quality leather covered seats. However, there are still plenty of cheap plastic abound on the dashboard.

In terms of trunk space, its pretty much nil with GT-P’s standard subwoofers.

Conclusion: The Eclipse Spyder is definitely a great cruiser in a nice summer evening. Its comfortable, rides exceptionally well and got a decent powertrain. Mitsubishi really has done a good job of updating the Spyder with both style and substance.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE SPYDER GT-P
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2.25/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3.75/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 1/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Vehicle: 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-V6 with GT Premium Sport Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$37198

Performance: The Eclipse is powered by one of two engines. The “adequate” 162hp 2.4L MIVEC or the 3.8L V6 DOHC MIVEC with 263 horses and 260 pounds feet of torque. Despite its 260 lb/ft of torque, it feels somewhat sluggish off-the-line as its maximum torque arrives at 4500 rpm. As you rev passed around 5 grand, the power starts to come out thanks to the advanced Mitsubishi variable valve timing called MIVEC. The variable valve timing really helps this motor thanks to extra breathing. On the other hand, the 6-speed stick has long throw when rowing through gears. While it certainly can’t matched the level of crispness of Honda shifter, at least it got decent ratios to matched the engine’s needs for high rev to get the most out of it. Another pet peeve is the high clutch engagement point. Its not particularly progressive during press and release due to its high grabbing point, good luck when starting on a slope in this Eclipse.

Handling: Dynamically speaking, Eclipse is a mixbag. To begin with, it got an excellent chassis called “Project America” platform that is solid-as-a-rock. Its completely flex and rattles free, unlike its flexy predecessor. Since this platform shares with Galant family sedan and Endeavour soft-roader, it also provides exceptional ride comfort for a sports coupe. Unfortunately, when the road turns twisties. The “sports” quickly disappears into a “touring” in the Eclipse thanks to its sloppy response and level of crumsiness. While its handling dynamics is certainly not as softly sprung as those in a Camry Solara, its not as sporty as what Mitsubishi would like you to think about. Yes, the steering is precise, responsive with decent feedback as with all other “Project America” silibings. But the problem is the vehicle feels heavy and cumbersome through corners. It feels like a heavy piece of metal flying around corners when pushed. There are plenty of body rolls while the understeer is terrible even without pushed hard.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, the Eclipse’s braking distance and pedal feel have to be considered as some of the best in class. Its short and very well modulated.

Interior: The interior materials are huge improvement over its el cheapo predecessors. There are plenty of soft plastic on the top of the dashboard and door panels. Sadly, the semi auto climate control knobs feel loose in our tester. The glovebox and center console remain covered with cheap plastic. The cupholder cover has to be one of the flimest I have ever seen. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. Mitsubishi designers are smart enough to put stereo on top of climate control for easy access. There are 2 pet peeves, however. The center information display tends to wash out during sunlight. As nicely sound as its Rockford Fosgate sound system is, the ten-inch subwoofer has vibration enough to shake the center rear view mirror.

The cargo space is very much nil thanks to the ten-inch subwoofer and highest liftover I have ever seen in a car.

My last criticism of this new Eclipse has to deal with its side rear-view mirrors. Mitsubishi designed the mirrors very smallish and roundish for aerodynamic reason, however, they are totally useless due to their size. Along with the wide C-pillars and sloppy roofline, shoulder check is a must when changing lane.

Conclusion: The myths and realities are always radically different, the same story goes for the new Eclipse. Mitsubishi would love you to believe it as a capable handler that is able to keep up with competitors like RSX and Mustang. The truth is its a blvd cruiser, pretty much like a Camry Solara, with sharper looks and more youthful attitude. In short, if you are enthuisats who expect to see a curve eater in an Eclipse. Look somewhere else.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2006 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GT-V6
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Performance: 3.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2.25/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 3.75/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 1/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 2.5/5