The Star: September 30, 2021

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Thursday September 30 2021 The Star 33
Eclipse Cross gets hybrid driveline
YOU COULD say Mitsubishi
helped pioneer the plug-in hybrid
market. It was in 2013 when the
company first introduced its Outlander
PHEV, it arrived at a time
when plug-in electric cars were
just becoming established.
The Outlander sport utility
vehicle with its 2.4-litre petrol
engine has traditional hybrid
power along with plug-in charging
through domestic supply or
charging station.
The Outlander PHEV is still
with us, better than ever before,
it’s a car I particularly like, and
judging by the number I’ve seen
on our roads it has been a worthwhile
investment for Mitsubishi.
Well, it was only a matter of
time before Mitsubishi put that
technology to further use, it’s now
available in the new-generation
Eclipse Cross, a smaller SUV, but
one that has already carved out a
solid reputation in terms of sales
since it was released here in 2018.
Of course, the Eclipse Cross is
still available with its 1.5-litre turbocharged
four-cylinder power
that lists from $35,990, an extra
$15k will buy you into the PHEV,
and for my money it would be the
Eclipse Cross that I would buy.
The PHEV’s driveline is biased
well towards electric power, it
wants to use that 55km electriconly
range at first priority, the
petrol engine reluctant to come in
until there’s no charge left. Sure,
it works in traditional hybrid
fashion, petrol to charge batteries
and also supplement drive,
but if electric vehicle transport is
your first priority then the Eclipse
Cross would be perfect for your
daily commute.
Push-button modes can also
alter the way the combination
works, there are applications to
save battery power or drive in
electric mode-only at will.
The evaluation car came with
two cable types, one for domestic
supply and one for charging
stations. If I was a purchaser I’d
insist on both, just so that battery
top ups can be made from almost
anywhere there is electrical
supply. For the record, a 25min
charging station plug-in will take
the batteries up to 80 per cent.
On the subject of figures,
Mitsubishi also lists a total travel
distance of 660km using both
hybrid systems. A petrol consumption
combined cycle average
of 1.9-litres per 100km is claimed
at best possible usage.
The Eclipse Cross in this form
is also pretty handy under acceleration,
it will reach 100km/h
from a standstill in 9sec and will
make 120km/h from 80km/h in
6.8sec, a result of solid mid-range
urge thanks to the strength of
electric drive.
In petrol-only mode the driver
has access to 94kW and 199Nm,
add in 60kW and 70kW for the
motors front and rear and you
will find the Eclipse Cross gets
about its business without strain
or stress. Drive is channelled
GRAPHICS: A central dash display alerts the driver to the
Eclipse Cross’ drive modes.
MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS PHEV: Hybrid power biased toward electric.
through a continuously variable
automatic transmission, it
is a quiet, seamless operating
system and one that Mitsubishi
has developed well in terms of
refinement.
Before you think the Eclipse
Cross can’t be a true SUV without
four-wheel-drive – take stock,
as I’ve just alluded to there is
an electric motor over the rear
axle which in turns makes it
all-wheel-drive. There are also
complicated electronic and
mechanical functions that you
can treat as normal four-wheeldrive
functions.
This is something Mitsubishi
does well, it builds on the 4WD
systems that have made Pajero,
Outlander, Triton and Lancer
Evo models the benchmark in
four-wheel-drive technology. The
Eclipse Cross PHEV is very much
a worthy cross-country and allroad
conqueror, easily fitting into
the soft-roader category with its
188mm of ground clearance.
I never took the evaluation
car off-road as such, it was
pristine when I picked it up
and I didn’t want to take it back
overly grubby. But I did tackle a
short shingle road loop near the
Hororata River and can report it
has wonderful suspension control
over corrugations, affording a
controlled in-cabin ride.
On the seal the Eclipse Cross
cruises capably and quietly,
just as you would expect from
any of today’s SUVs, it is the
quintessential compact wagon
• Price – Mitsubishi Eclipse
Cross PHEV, $57,990
• Dimensions – Length,
4545mm; width, 1805mm;
height, 1685mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
four-wheeldrive,
2360cc, 94kW
(+60kW), 199Nm (+137Nm),
continuously variable
automatic
• Performance – 0-100km/h,
8.8sec
• Fuel usage – 1.9l/100km
that will easily fulfil the needs of a
young family.
In terms of handling it steers
directly on its 18in Bridgestone
tyres and has controlled body balance
– even at 1.7m tall it doesn’t
generate gravitational force over
the fully independent four-strut
suspension.
The Eclipse Cross hybrid comes
in two specification levels, the
evaluation car was the top spec
VRX that has full leather trim,
heated seats front and rear, heated
steering wheel, electric sunroof,
head-up display and paddle
gearing shifters. Without those I
would be satisfied with the XLS
variant to save $8000.
However, if you do like a full
suite of gadgets the VRX is complete
inside with a raft of display
systems letting you know the
modes in which it is being driven
and energy saving benefits along
the way.
If safety is also a big priority for
you, take into account the Eclipse
Cross PHEV has been issued with
a five-star Australasian New Car
Assessment Program rating.
As time has served to prove
and this world of ours is keenly
focussed in reducing carbon
emissions to address climate
change, I’ve been told every
little bit to reduce the use of
fossil fuel will be beneficial.
That’s where Mitsubishi’s hybrid
system comes in, it is engineered
to draw heavily on electrical
current.
For me, it was easy to get into
the rhythm of charging every
night; taking the car back to the
dealership with over half a tank
of fuel is something that I rarely
achieve, especially so after driving
well over 500km. You see, the day
I was scheduled to take it back to
the dealership was day one of August’s
snap Covid-19 lockdown.
I ended up driving the PHEV for
almost four weeks.
If you enter now into discussions
about electric vehicles,
there are two topics that are at
the forefront of almost everyone’s
minds – longevity of the battery
pack and what models qualify for
the Government’s electric vehicle
subsidy.
Well, the Eclipse Cross PHEV
has a 10-year driveline warranty
and an eight-year/160,000
lithium-ion battery warranty,
these are peace of mind offerings,
and, yes, a buyer today can expect
a $5750 discount. That makes for
a very tempting purchase.
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