But that's OK. The Spyder, like its coupe sibling, wasn't designed to take the performance reigns from the previous rally dominating all-wheel drive Eclipse. That turbocharged 4-cylinder screamer was an extreme machine, brilliantly balanced for on-the-edge action but hardly as friendly to the common Sunday driver as this naturally-aspirated V6 equipped model.
The engine, a 200-hp 3.0-L V6, delivers surprisingly athletic acceleration given my test car's 1,525 kg (3,362 lb) curb weight. To be fair that's not all that heavy compared to competitive 4-place convertibles - the base drop top equipped with a 147-hp 2.4-L 4-cylinder weighs in at only 1,405 kg (3,097 lb). It's just that I drove the 1,425 kg (3,142 lb) GT coupe prior to the Spyder, and the added weight is noticeable.
Part of the reason acceleration is so good is the engine's 205 lb-ft of torque, especially important as the car I was testing included Mitsubishi's very capable 4-speed automatic with manual mode. Unlike most manu-matic gearboxes that I hardly ever take out of 'Drive', I left the Sportronic sequential-shift mode in operation all the time. It's easy to operate and doesn't shift up to the next gear without driver input. But a warning, the few times I did leave it on the 'D' position caused me to slap it into neutral by habit, not the best way to improve 0 to 100 km/h times. As nice as this transmission is I would probably opt for the 5-speed manual, despite its less than optimal feel. It's just a personal thing really.