In a Nutshell: Some good features, but there are better ways to spend your automotive dollars.
I had not planned on reviewing the new Eclipse right now, but the other new vehicles that you CL members have have requested (Camaro SS, Prius, BMW 750, RX450H) have not yet come into the Washington, D.C. area, and I have not been able to see them yet. So, since I just got a request a couple of days ago, from a well-respected CL member, to review a new V6 Eclipse with a manual transmission, I decided to do that now, without waiting.
The first-generation Mitsubishi’s Eclipse sport coupe was introduced for 1990 as one of three more-or-less rebadged triplets: the Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon. Mitsubishi was quite closely aligned with Chrysler, at that time, and Plymouth and Eagle were Chrysler divisions. The Eclipse and Talon had a choice of FWD or AWD; the Laser, FWD. Both turbo and non-turbo fours were offered, with the AWD and some of the high-line FWD models getting the turbo. The Eclipse/Laser/Talon triplets were well-received in the auto press (particularly at Car & Driver magazine, as I remember it) and were quite popular with the cap-on-backwards and sport-tuning crowd, where they rivalled Toyota Celicas and Honda Civic hatchbacks in popularity.
The second-generation model, introduced in 1995, added convertibles, dropped the Laser, but continued on with the Eclipse and Talon. These second-generation models were, if anything, even more popular with the aftermarket-tuners than the originals were. The FWD turbo (GST) models, for the period, had so much bang for the buck (more so, of course, than the heavier AWD turbo GSX) that a close friend of mine (I won’t use his name…he knows who he is) simply didn’t believe it until I got him to go to a Mitsubishi shop with me and check it out (he later bought a used GSX).
Mitsubishi and Eagle (it was a Mitsubishi design) really had a good thing going with the second-generation model, but, IMO, blew it with the third-generation model, introduced in 2000. Eagle, of course, folded, and was no more. In an attempt to have more a mature, “grown-up”, owner base for the Eclipse, Mitsubishi dropped both the AWD and turbo models and redesigned the car with a normally-aspirated four and V6. The interior was, IMO, cheapened, and the V6 model was noticeably more nose-heavy than prevous models, which affected its handling some. The outcry from the enthusiast crowd and the auto press was enormous, but Mitsubuishi officials stubbornly stuck to their guns and would not re-introduce the AWD and turbo models (some of the Mitsubishi brass, I might add, later went to prison for corruption and scandals, and the company still has not fully recovered from that). However, the demise of the AWD and turbo Eclipse, along with the introduction of Subaru’s WRX and STi, did lead to the stormingly fast, AWD, Evolution rally-cars, but the Evo, of course, and the later turbo Ralliart, cost a lot more than the earlier GST and GSX Eclipse, and many young people simply couldn’t afford it….Evos and STi’s today can run 35-40K or more brand new. (the Evo was also HARD-core…..I reviewed a new Evo a few years ago and found its handling awesome, but itsride and chassis just brutal on rough roads; even auto enthisiast magazines complained about its harshness).
The fourth-generation Eclipse, introduced in 2006, led to a major body and interior restying (somewhat awkward-looking, IMO…more on that below), roughly the same engine choices with the non-turbo 4 and V6, and the continuation of coupe and convertible Spyder models. If the past is any guide (and Mitsubishi is not forced out of the American market by the recession or low sales), look for an all-new Eclipse for 2011.
One of the big problems with the Eclipse over the years, and the earlier Eagle Talon, has been the notriously poor Diamond-Star plant in Normal, IL, a plant jointly owned and operated by Chrysler and Mitsubishi. Several models of Dodge, Chrysler, and Mitsubishi vehicles are built there. Like the Nissan/Infiniti plant at Canton, MS, the Diamond-Star plant (the name comes from Mitsubishi’s 3-red-diamond logo) has had its share of troubles, including labor-management hassles, racial, and sexual-harassment lawsuits. Mitsubishi paid some $12 million (if my memory is correct) to settle one of them. The second-generation Eclipses and Eagle Talons, especially, I remember, had quality problems from that plant…..bad paint jobs, squeaks, rattles, parts working loose or not operating properly, etc… I distinctly remember looking at a new 1995 Eclipse in the showroom, the night I had my friend up at the dealer with me. The lime-green paint job looked and felt like the primer, paint, and clearcoat had actually been sprayed on over dirt and dust, with burrs and lumps in it. Consumer Reports verified the quality problems with a much-worse-than-average reliability record for the second-generation cars, improving to average (or incomplete data) for later models. Third-generation models, however, had a problem with the paint clearcoat flaking and separating from the color-coats underneath. The factory never recognized it as a defect or approved warranty re-paints.
For 2009, three trim lines of the current Eclipse are offered in the American market. The GS Coupe trim comes with a 2.4L, 162 HP, MIVEC in-line four and a choice of a 6-speed manual or 5-speed SportTronic automatic. The GT Coupe trim comes with a 3.8L, 265 HP, MIVEC V6 and the same choice of transmissions. The Spyder convertible version, with a power-operated soft fabric top, comes with the same powertrain choices. The turbo and AWD models, as indicated earlier, are long gone, having been delegated instead to the Evo and Ralliart.
The review request did not signify a body style; only the V6-manual combination, so, since it was an unseasonably warm day here for April in the D.C area (85-90 degrees predicted), I grabbed a black Spyder convertible (though black is not my favorite auto color), looked it over, and took it out for a spin. I had mixed feelings about the car, both good and bad, as the review will show, but, overall, it did not impress me as one of the better cars I’ve reviewed lately.
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