Style: July 06, 2018

72 STYLE | motoring
Shining light
Motoring writer Ross Kiddie
finds there’s nothing
shady about Mitsubishi’s
new sports utility vehicle
the Eclipse Cross.
SPECS
PRICE – Mitsubishi
Eclipse Cross, $45,590
DIMENSIONS –
Length, 4405mm;
width, 1805mm; height,
1685mm
CONFIGURATION
– Four-cylinder, frontwheel-drive,
1499cc,
112kW, 254Nm, eightspeed
automatic
PERFORMANCE –
0-100km/h, 9sec
FUEL USAGE –
7.3l/100km
Car buying trends have certainly
changed over the last few years.
Sport-utility vehicles are now the cars of
choice, and with their popularity comes
a new design statement. SUVs are not
just built to be functional, they are also
stylish, most of them making a dramatic
fashion statement.
Enter Mitsubishi’s new Eclipse Cross.
It looks something rather special, with
edgy styling and an interior that is not
only trendy, but practical.
The Eclipse Cross is totally new from
Mitsubishi, it is a vehicle I believe will be
a top contender in the mid-size market.
It lands here in four variations starting
from a special launch price of $34,990.
The test car was a high-spec VRX
variant, which sits at $45,590, although
an extra $2000 will buy you into fourwheel-drive.
If you are thinking in order to reach
that price point the Eclipse Cross lacks
specification, that’s certainly not the
case. It is loaded with kit, with many of
the electronic functions operated by
a clever touchpad mouse-like device
mounted on the centre console.
The range-topper also gets leather
trim (heated front seats), head-up
display, dual zone climate control, active
cruise control with speed limiter, keyless
entry and ignition, electric sunroof
(dual) and paddle-shift eight-step
automatic transmission.
At 4.4m the Eclipse Cross allows for
a spacious in-cabin environment; the
seats are beautifully supportive and
comfortable, while rear seat head and
leg room is appropriate, the latter not
compromised by a healthy rear load
space area. Bear in mind, though, it is a
five-seater only.
At the other end sits a turbocharged
four-cylinder engine of 1499cc. That
capacity is about the norm for vehicles
of this type these days, and it’s clear to
see that Mitsubishi has developed this
unit with a high degree of engineering
skill. It is state-of-the-art in terms of
design and it has healthy figures to
support that statement.
Mitsubishi claims 122kW and 254Nm
power outputs, the latter realised flat
across the torque curve spreading
from 2000rpm to 3500rpm. If you
add in its pairing to a continuously
variable automatic transmission then the
ingredients are in place for a smooth
transition of power and responsive
throttle application, although it does
encourage the driver to utilise the
manual sequential gearshift functions.
Mitsubishi has long persevered with
CVT, and that background has certainly
helped with its application mated to
a turbocharged engine, the result is a
free-flowing spread of power and good
economy and performance figures.
The Eclipse Cross is rated with a
combined cycle average of 7.3-litre
per 100km (39mpg). I had no problem