Mitsubishi Eclipse News & Reviews
2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Road Test Review
Let's cut to the chase: Sport coupes are about style and performance, not practicality. If you want practical, get something with four
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| The Eclipse is hardly short on style. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press) |
doors and an economical drivetrain. On the other hand, if you want a car that reflects your personality, turns a few heads, and offers a sporty driving experience, consider the Mitsubishi Eclipse.
The current generation of Eclipse was introduced in 2006 and given a facelift in 2009, and you could reasonably argue that it sits in a niche of its own. Technically it's a mid-size coupe, which puts it in with the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Ford Mustang, Nissan Altima Coupe and Honda Accord Coupe, among others. But those are apples and oranges. The Eclipse is ... a pomegranate.
Mitsubishi calls the Eclipse GS an "attainable exotic." Certainly its style is out there. With its mix of sharp creases and molten-metal curves, and details like blacked out fascias and clear taillight lenses, this is a car with plenty of visual personality. For 2011, the GS gets several key upgrades that bring it closer in character to the more <Read More> 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Coming to North America
Mitsubishi has a history of creating all-new models, or at least what other manufacturers would consider all-new, and giving them
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| Cute little compact crossover could be a big seller for Mitsubishi. (Photo: Mitsubishi) |
the same name as one of their popular models, with "Sport" tagged on at the end. They did it with the Montero, the largest vehicle the automaker has ever sold in North American and very popular during the SUV craze days, the slightly smaller (and therefore sportier) Montero Sport, providing savings initially upon purchase and, although no one cared at the time, savings at the pump. This time around, however, the Japanese brand is saying that the name Outlander Sport is only temporary, with a new name to be derived from a contest being held at the New York auto show where it was introduced to our market.
Whatever the name, fuel economy continues to be at or near the top of everyone's list, and therefore the new Outlander Sport will not only cost less at the time of purchase, but its 7.6 L/100km EPA equivalent <Read More> 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT-P Road Test Review
Mitsubishi Motors and Chrysler Corporation formed a partnership in the late '80s called Diamond-Star Motors. The first and only car marketed under the DSM partnership was a two-door sports coupe sold
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| For 2009, the Eclipse gets a blackout treatment on the front bumper and grille, mimicking the Lancer's aggressive snout. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press) |
variously as the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon and Plymouth Laser. It was available with AWD and 190 turbocharged horsepower - features unheard of on a mid-priced sports coupe at that time. In its day, it was considered blisteringly fast.
Mitsubishi bought out Chrysler's interest in Diamond-Star Motors in 1991, and subsequent versions of the car have only been sold under the Mitsubishi flag. The current version of the Eclipse, first released in 2006, is the 4th generation of the car. Although no longer available with a turbocharger or AWD, it is still a contender in the mid-priced, performance sports coupe category.
Mitsubishi has refreshed the Eclipse for 2009 with mostly cosmetic improvements. Most noticeable is the black treatment of the front bumper, grille and intake. This mimics the new look for the Mitsubishi Lancer. It is an improvement, and gives the Eclipse a slightly more aggressive look. <Read More> 2009 Mitsubishi i MiEV Road Test Review
If painted a softer hue it would be adorable, but my i MiEV tester was bright red with white highlights, the latter stripes
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| The i MiEV, ready for action in Vancouver. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press) |
and script telling all that this particular i car was special, as if anyone in Vancouver couldn't tell that any i car would be special on streets that were so alien.
The i has become popular in Japan, but not being available in Canada most passersby would have guessed it was electric even without all of the fancy white highlights. They would have been wrong in the case of the regular i, just as they had been wrong when I first tested a European-spec smart car on Vancouver's roads about two years before they became available to the public. That car was diesel, while the regular i is gasoline, 660 cubic centimeters in displacement, mid-mounted and rear-wheel drive.
The electric would be an oddity in Japan too, despite the i car being available their for the last three years, as it won't become available for public sale there until this summer. We get it sooner, kind of. If you're lucky you'll see it zipping around Vancouver either at the hands of a BC Hydro employee or someone from the City of Vancouver office, as one car will be made available to each <Read More> North American-spec Mitsubishi i-MiEV revealed
Mitsubishi, a brand best known for its rally car replicating EVO, will be one of the first to market an all-electric microcar here in North
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| The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is about to change the way North Americans drive and reduce their fuel costs substantially. (Photo: Mitsubishi) |
America. Microcar may not be the right term anymore though, as the i-MiEV just revealed in North American-specification is a relative limo compared to the Japanese domestic market (JDM) version.
Our i-MiEV has been stretched, widened and enhanced to appeal more to North American buyers, and while the right-hand drive JDM version is surprisingly roomy despite its abbreviated exterior dimensions, the slightly larger version will fit larger North American body-types more comfortably.
Set to debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this week, the North American i-MiEV is 285 mm (11.2 inches) longer at 3,680 mm (144.9 inches), 110 mm (4.3 inches) wider at 1,585 mm (62.4 inches), and 5 mm (0.2 inches) taller at 1,615 mm (63.6 inches) than the JDM version, plus it has a 110-mm (4.3-inch) wider track at 1,420 mm <Read More> 2011 Mitsubishi RVR GT 4WD Road Test Review
Mitsubishi is one of a number of brands that is making its new cars more appealing with every generation. Yes, you'd think that
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| The new RVR is a great looking little crossover, and picturesque Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, where it was introduced to Canadian journalists, is the ideal backdrop. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
all automakers are doing likewise, and in most respects that's true, but going after greater market share means dropping prices, plus adding new fuel efficiency technologies and all the latest safety equipment costs a lot, so therefore some nameplates have chosen to cut a few corners with their latest offerings. Not so with the RVR, an all-new crossover for Mitsubishi in Canada, slotting in between the vehicles it shares underpinnings with, the wagon-like five-door Lancer Sportback and popular Outlander crossover SUV.
The RVR targets a younger, entry-level new car buyer wanting to move up from a subcompact or compact car by offering sporty performance and a full slate of electronic features, and for the most part vehicles in this class are a bit low rent as far as interior materials go. The RVR's overall refinement, on the other hand, will appeal to a more mature market as well as those first- or second-time buyers.
Refinement? <Read More> 2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT-P Road Test Review
Mitsubishi gave its personal coupe and convertible models an update for 2011, and while the modifications are minimal the effect
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| The Eclipse Spyder fills a low-priced, front-drive convertible market niche of one. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
has been dramatic. The brand's new corporate grille dominates the transformation, giving the sporty car a more aggressive appearance and simultaneously a new lease on life.
Based on Mitsubishi's midsize platform architecture that also underpins the Galant sedan and Endeavor crossover SUV, the 2+2-seat Eclipse can either be had as a two-door coupe with a rear hatch or as a two-door convertible with a small trunk, dubbed Spyder. Both models come in two seasonings that I like to call medium and spicy – let's leave mild for depicting the base Lancer and keep extra hot in reserve for the iconic Evolution X. With medium zest, the base GS model gets a 16-valve, SOHC, 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine that produces a maximum of 162-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 162 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, connecting through to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission or an optional four-speed automatic. My tester was the spicy top-line GT-P ("P" as in picante?), also front-wheel drive but putting the energy of its 24-valve, SOHC, 3.8-litre V6 with 265-horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 262 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, through a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic with <Read More> 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR Road Test Review
With Mitsubishi having dropped its base MR and added the Premium Package as standard, the GSR becomes the weekend track
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| The great looking 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR is also one of the best performing sport sedans on the market. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
warrior's ride of choice. The GSR, with its 5-speed manual transmission, may have been more to your liking anyway, but for some the MR's ultra-sophisticated Sportronic Shift (TC-SST) sequential manual magnesium paddle-shift actuated transmission was more suited to their driving style.
The GSR is 35 kilos (77 pounds) lighter at 1,595 kg (3,517 lbs) compared to 1,630 kg (3,594 lbs), and when it comes to speed on the track or the autocross course, getting the lead out is critical. While I'm absolutely in love with the MR's gearbox, as well as its 18-inch BBS forged alloy rims, lighter two-piece front Brembo rotors, Bilstein shocks and Eibach coil springs, its regular Brembos are identical in size and come standard while the two-piece units, the Bilsteins, Eibach springs, and the BBS wheels can be added if you opt for the optional Handling Package, new for 2010. Oh, and last year's ultra-large rear wing comes with the package too.
I suppose <Read More> 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS Road Test Review
To merely glance at the 2010 Mitsubishi Outlander you might pass off the changes as simply cosmetic. After all, while the face is
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| Stylishly updated, the Outlander now sports the Lancer's shark-like front end design. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
completely new, pulling its overall design from the very popular Lancer, from the front clip rearward it looks pretty much like last year's Outlander. Certainly it includes revisions to the mirror housings, headlamps, hood, fenders, and rear fascia, but likely only owners of the second-generation Outlander will notice these subtle changes. To everyone else, it'll look totally new up front and just as attractive as it's always been from the rear. Under that eye-catching bodywork, however, is a significantly updated compact crossover.
The first thing I noticed was a revised interior of the XLS model I was driving. The styling is mostly the same as last year's Outlander, other than a new instrument cluster, upgraded to full colour in the XLS, plus new sun visors and new seat fabric, but Mitsubishi really upped the ante in an area that is near and dear to me, plastics quality. The softer touch door panels of the XLS, plus its leather-like dash with contrasting stitching <Read More> 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback GT Road Test Review
In the compact car market, it generally pays to play it safe. Compacts are bread-and-butter models for car manufacturers, big sellers
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| Mitsubishi's Lancer Sportback is big on style. (Photo: Simon Hill, Canadian Auto Press) |
designed and built to suit the widest possible range of potential buyers. So while the market is well-served with an abundance of excellent choices - think Mazda3, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, VW Jetta, Hyundai Elantra, Suzuki SX4, and the list goes on - it sometimes seems that they are all a bit ... conformist. With the Lancer, Mitsubishi offers something a little different. Amongst its buttoned-down compact peers, the Lancer is the one rocking a faux-hawk.
Fittingly for a car that's just a little different, the Lancer is available in a wide range of distinct variants. You can get your Lancer as a sedan or hatchback, with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. At the top of the ladder is the outrageous Lancer Evolution (Evo), which has gained world renown for its performance in World Rally Championship racing and lends street cred to the entire Lancer lineup. The front-drive Sportback we tested sits towards the practical end of the Lancer spectrum, but with our test car's GT trim it offers very well equipped practicality.
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