This crossover was promised to get revealed for this year’s Geneva Motor Show but just as it happened to some other models, we got some sneak peaks of it a bit earlier. This Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a dynamic new SUV which slots between the ASX and the Outlander, and strikes a balance between practicality and sportiness.
So whereas the Outlander is just a bulky, rather ungainly utility vehicle that is nevertheless pretty good at its intended role, the 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross has a more enticing design with sharply truncated rear gate and short overhang and muscular wings, all of which make it a tad less practical but a lot more appealing to the eye. That is a fair trade for many a utility buyer these days. Mitsu has borrowed the name Eclipse from one of their old sports cars, which goes to show they really were keen on giving this crossover a sporty character. And the efforts continues inside, where you get horizontal lines rather than the usual vertical shapes with silver metal frames and a black and silver monotone color scheme. The car maker has tried to make up for the lack of space due to the unique shape of the car’s rear-end by adding a 60:40 split rear seat with long slide-and-recline adjustment. What’s more, they have given the Eclipse Cross advanced features such as a tablet-like infotainment system and a Head-Up Display.
Going on sale in early 2018, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is pretty modern in terms of the powertrains it gets, which include a 1.5 liter turbo petrol mated to a new CVT and a 2.2 liter common-rail diesel hooked up to an 8-speed automatic. Both get 4WD and MMC’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle dynamics control system.
