2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Road Test

I powered the car up through the coastal mountains that line Southern California's shoreline, impressed by the grip

The Eclipse is built on the same chassis as the Galant and Endeavor, two of the best handling cars in their respective classes. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

offered even at extremely high speeds. This is a well balanced car, but being that the chassis it rides upon is derived from the Galant and Endeavor, two of the best handling cars in their respective classes, it came as no surprise that the Eclipse would be good too.

I was surprised, however, at how compliant the ride was. Even with the optional 18-inch alloy rims and 235/45R18 all-season tires - 17-inch aluminum wheels on 225/50R17 all-season tires come standard - it managed bumps, dips and other road irregularities with ease.

Mitsubishi offers a four-cylinder version of the Eclipse dubbed GS, that I was unfortunately unable to drive being that few were available at the event. Rather than a six-speed manual, the GS features a five-speed gearbox, and its optional automatic is also

I was surprised at how compliant the ride was, even with the optional 18-inch alloy rims and 235/45R18 all-season tires. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

downgraded from five to four forward gears. The journalists I spoke with who had driven it said the GS was very capable in manual and automatic guises, despite delivering nearly 100 horsepower less than the GT, but I'll have to reserve judgment to when I can get behind the wheel myself.

The base car comes with a sizable list of standard features, impressive expected fuel economy of 7.8 L/100 km on the highway, and an extremely aggressive starting price of below $20,000 USD, which should put it somewhere in the $25,000 CAD range, so I'm going to take the time to mention a few things about it just the same.