Next year, a refreshed version of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will make its debut; that was already known. This week, the Japanese automaker teased us with a first image of the model, albeit a darkened image that reveals little other than its general shape.
The photo does shows the entire vehicle, which clues us in on the overall look and proportions. The product design is in line with the rest of the Mitsubishi line, especially with the adoption of headlights with LED accents that leak to the rear. These changes don’t fall into the revolutionary category, but there are more significant changes coming to the rear end of the vehicle. As the first image suggests - and early spy photos of test models confirm - designers have softened the rear end line that some people compared to the gone-and-largely-unlamented Pontiac Aztek. The end result is a sleeker, less jerky design.
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Mitsubishi says the styling adjustments make the vehicle look more upscale and energetic. Beyond their good words, however, we’ll have to wait a while for confirmation before the official unveiling of the model – or at least until the next batch of teasers.
“The Eclipse Cross is the first step toward the next generation of Mitsubishi Design, and there is so much more to come.”
- Seiji Watanabe, Mitsubishi’s division general manager of Design
Mitsubishi today presented us with the changes to the exterior design, but we assume that the 2022 update will also bring some major updating of the interior. We don't know if the automaker will make any mechanical changes. At present, the Eclipse Cross is only available with a 1.5L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine developing 152 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The configuration is front-wheel drive, but all-wheel drive is available.
We'll have more details for you on the next Eclipse Cross as they emerge officially and unofficially, and of course when the model is officially unveiled.
See also: Review of the 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: Go Your Own Way