No matter how hard I try, I can’t help comparing today’s Eclipse to the first-generation model. The 1990 Eclipse was light, cheap, fast and easily distinguished itself from the herd of affordable sports coupes during that era.
Since then, all of the Mitsubishi’s rivals have been retired: Honda Prelude, Acura Integra, Mazda MX-6, Volkswagen Corrado, Toyota Celica, Ford Probe, Dodge/Chrysler Daytona, Nissan 240SX, Subaru XT and Isuzu Impulse.
The Eclipse probably survived because its clientele has changed. It has gone from an entry-level sports coupe to a more mature boulevard cruiser aimed to please an older crowd, and to more women. Could this be some sort of victory for Mitsubishi?
Maybe. But now, the Eclipse must face competition such as the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, the Ford Mustang and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. They’re all rear-wheel drive sports cars. The Mitsubishi, however, drives with its front wheels.
And in the horsepower wars, the Eclipse falls behind almost every one among the aforementioned list. Yet the 24-valve, 3.8-litre V6 develops 265 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, which is nothing to be ashamed about. Mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, the Spyder GT-P tears to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and clears the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 160 km/h. That’s considered fast.
The big issue with the V6-powered Eclipse is torque steer. Full-throttle launches provoke shimmy in the steering wheel, while the car darts in one direction or another. The traction control system is a little too permissive, because when you turn a street corner with a little too much vigor, you’ll get rewarded with embarrassing tire screeching.
The car would benefit from a more sophisticated traction control system that steps in more when it detects that the steering wheel is turned more than a certain degree. And all this spoils the car’s handling at the limit, despite the suspension having being lowered by 15 mm for 2011. However, this all seems severe, but when you drive normally, it’s isn’t much of a concern.
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| The Eclipse must face competition such as the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, the Ford Mustang and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
Since then, all of the Mitsubishi’s rivals have been retired: Honda Prelude, Acura Integra, Mazda MX-6, Volkswagen Corrado, Toyota Celica, Ford Probe, Dodge/Chrysler Daytona, Nissan 240SX, Subaru XT and Isuzu Impulse.
The Eclipse probably survived because its clientele has changed. It has gone from an entry-level sports coupe to a more mature boulevard cruiser aimed to please an older crowd, and to more women. Could this be some sort of victory for Mitsubishi?
Maybe. But now, the Eclipse must face competition such as the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, the Ford Mustang and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. They’re all rear-wheel drive sports cars. The Mitsubishi, however, drives with its front wheels.
And in the horsepower wars, the Eclipse falls behind almost every one among the aforementioned list. Yet the 24-valve, 3.8-litre V6 develops 265 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, which is nothing to be ashamed about. Mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, the Spyder GT-P tears to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and clears the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 160 km/h. That’s considered fast.
The big issue with the V6-powered Eclipse is torque steer. Full-throttle launches provoke shimmy in the steering wheel, while the car darts in one direction or another. The traction control system is a little too permissive, because when you turn a street corner with a little too much vigor, you’ll get rewarded with embarrassing tire screeching.
The car would benefit from a more sophisticated traction control system that steps in more when it detects that the steering wheel is turned more than a certain degree. And all this spoils the car’s handling at the limit, despite the suspension having being lowered by 15 mm for 2011. However, this all seems severe, but when you drive normally, it’s isn’t much of a concern.
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| The GT-P hits 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, thanks to its 265-hp V6. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |