Having weathered rough times in recent years, Mitsubishi has turned its focus to SUVs to help increase its sales volumes. Central to its new strategy is the Eclipse Cross, first unveiled last year in Geneva. Now the all-new compact SUV has just made its Canadian debut at the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.
It is scheduled to make its appearance at Canadian dealerships in the month of March.
“Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada is focused on SUV, Super All-Wheel Control and technology and consumer demand for advanced SUVs tells us this is the right move at the right time. The all-new 2018 Eclipse Cross is a culmination of our strengths in the SUV space and together with the game-changing 2018 Outlander PHEV will chart a new course for Mitsubishi Motors in Canada.”
- Tony Laframboise, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Ltd
More tech-heavy and upscale than the RVR, the Eclipse Cross comes with a 1.5L turbo engine (152 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque), a power panoramic sunroof, head-up display and heated rear seats. Another big advantage the new model has over many of its competitors in Canada is the standard all-wheel drive system it offers, along with an advanced torque vectoring control system that allocates torque going to each of the wheels.
Among the more notable of the standard features, owners will particularly like the rear spoiler, 18-inch alloy wheels, backup camera and 7-inch thin-type Smartphone link Display Audio featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and touchpad controller.
Given the high number of features and systems incorporated in the new compact SUV, the starting price for the 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross comes in at $27,798, slightly higher than many of its competing models. We will be putting together a review of the model in the coming weeks, which should give a better idea of its chances of succeeding in this highly competitive segment.