No matter who sat in my temporary Eclipse, they were blown away not only by the stereo, but by the car. You know a car is good when a coworker, who is totally car inept, says how much she would like one of
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| A coworker, who is totally car inept, says how much she would like one of "these" cars. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
"these" cars to the point where she started whining about her lousy wheels. Another coworker, who was incredibly impressed with the whole package, said that he wanted to "upgrade" from his Honda S2000 - which is a pretty decent ride costing tens of thousands more - to an Eclipse, but only if and when the Spyder version comes out. Yes, he said upgrade. It's not just me who thinks the Eclipse is the cats meow. Meow.
So why all the positive feedback? Can the Eclipse be that good? Yes. Plain and simple. I've already talked about how amazingly it drives and how good it looks from the outside, but the inside is just as praiseworthy, if not more. As soon as I sat in its ultra-comfortable seats I thought, "Wow!" The interior quality is phenomenal for this class. I love the optional two-tone theme on the dash, door panels and seats. It's similar in concept to that of the new MINI Cooper, where the designers brought colour themes of the outside in. Going along with its beautiful terra cotta exterior finish, the interior sports an orange and black trimmed dashboard, along with two-tone front leather seats (orange and beige). As mentioned, the seats are divine. They support the back so well, include decently sized side bolsters, and are even comfortable after longer hauls. What's more, they're upholstered
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| As soon as I sat in its ultra-comfortable seats I thought, "Wow!" (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
in two textures, leather and suede, both which are soft to the touch. It's the perfect combination, because in the summer the suede inserts don't get too hot and in the winter, they don't get too cold. Genius! What's more, their grippy surface kept me in place when I felt racy. And, as part of the optional Premium Package, which includes that superb stereo system, a power glass sunroof, and leather seating, it also comes with butt warmers.
Furthermore, the motorcycle-inspired gauges, backlit in ice-blue LED illumination are totally hot. They complement the rest of the cabin and are in uniform colour with all of the buttons. I sometimes find, in other cars that I drive, that the instrument cluster is comprised of one colour and the rest of the buttons are another, which doesn't necessarily work. But everything works so well in this car.
