unpocoloco

"The elcipse casts its biggest shadow yet:"
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=9634

Notable quotes:
Personally, my first impressions are this car looks pretty neat for the price. It's got attractive styling (IMHO), a unique looking interior, and would probably be fun to drive. Would I choose it over my 8? Heck no!!

Steiner

It's a cool car for the casual car enthusiast. Real car guys and gals see V6, 260hp and FWD and can't help but imagine intolerable torque steer and extreme forward weight bias.

RotaryNoob

Over 3500 lbs... Thats a fat *** car.

XDEEDUBBX

eclipses are fat mothers! almost every Gen was a heavy weight...

zoom44

if i had to chosse id choose the tiburon

VikingDJ

I think this is a great car for your average car buyer who loves sportiness and power. We can criticize this car with it's disadvantages, just like people criticize the RX8 for what it lacks, but the reality is, like the rx8, it's a great car for the value, and I believe it will be a big seller for Mitsubishi.

army_rx8

^i bet mitsubishi hopes so....i don't really care for this car..i don't hate it..just not my cup of tea. i'm still blown away by how heavy it is.

oh and is this the car adn driver that has a pic of this on the cover (a lill one in the corner) and says mitsubishi's new eclipse...their 350z fighter...or somethign liek that? it isn't all that bad a car i guess but a 350z fighter it is not just MHO

-=Rowdy=-

Its a typo-they meant biter instead of fighter.

himitsu

Its quick... if all your roads are straight.

StealthFox

its somewhat quick if you spend 28k on the top of the line GT v6, if you think 6.1 seconds is quick. still will have bad torque steer, bad weight distribution, and terrible understeer.

looks bad too, reminds me of the volkswagen beetle

tazzydnc

I gotta say for a 3.8L v6 it doesn't seem to put out that much power... I think the Z has a 3.5 and gets 285 hp or so. Plus the Z looks better and handles way better. Yea the eclipse has back seats but they aren't so usable like those of the 8. I think this might be a winner for mitsu, it is fast and looks good although the styling is not exactly my taste.

LNWLF

Not true at all. A GT comes in around 23.5K, and all of the options (leather, subwoofer, etc), with the exception of the 18 inch wheels make the car slower. Thus, the trim level capable of running 14.2-14.5 in the quarter can be had for around 23-24K.

And the torque steer really isn't that bad. Have you even driven the car? I doubt it. The Eclipse actually handles it's FWD layout better than the TL. Some torque steer is evident, but not intrusive in the least.

RX8_Buckeye

HP/liter means nothing. Sure, Nissan's V-6 has more output at a higher cost, thus the significant price difference between a 350Z and Eclipse. Similarly, the Mustang GT makes use of 4.6L to get its 300 horses. It's no less of a car just because it doesn't make use of expensive engine technology like DOHC, FI, or direct injection.

Sigma

Not to mention that the VQ in the Z is not a particularly strong motor. They've about eeked out all they can out of that motor to get that power. The bottom-ends are incredibly weak.

Mitsubishi on the other hand can build a damn strong motor. Whether this new MIVEC is or not I don't know. But often times when you see a larger motor with less power, that just means there's a lot of extra strength in there and power that can be grabbed if you want it.

cLLcLe

I think... it's the ugliest car I've seen ever produced. It's either you like it or hate it.

And the numbers aren't very impressive really...

StealthFox

for about 23k total, i could buy a barely used rsx type S, and modify it to put the eclipse to so much shame its not even funny. the car stock would smoke it even though it has 220 hp because of its major weight advantage. lets not even get into handling...the type S is one of the best handling FWD's you can buy today. not to mention the rear seats are usable in the rsx, and it has honda reliability.

RX8_Buckeye

LOL. Come on now, you are comparing a used car to a new car to try to make your point.

RX8-79

It has 210 hp, and anyone who thinks stock for stock the little honda will beat an eclipse gt is the one smoking something.

From C&D:
0-60: 6.2
0-100: 16.6
5-60: 6.9
1/4 mile: 14.9@95

vs.
0-60: 6.1
0-100: 14.5
5-60: 6.4
1/4 mile: 14.5@100

Pretty clear which has the power advantage.

Please. The rsx, for a coupe, is an average handler at best. There are plenty of other coupes in its range that embarrass it, and several small similarly weighted sedans that outhandle it too, while having actual usable rear seats.

bmcc49er

Saw one up close the other day and thought it looked much better then previous attempts. Bigger then the 8, yet smaller cabin dims.

Ike

He's also wrong... The RSX doesn't handle all that well, the backseats aren't very usable, and the new Eclipse GT is faster stock for stock and traps 3-4 mph higher.

Ike

Whoops, guess that's what I get for answering the phone before hitting submit :p

StealthFox

which coupes that cost under 22k new with the functionality of the car handles better and has comparable power?

either way even if the eclipse has a .1 0-60 adantage and a few mph trapped quarter mile, you're talking about a car that costs substantially more than a brand new RSX-type s, and by the means of a 200 dollar AEM(probably less) intake you can get 15-20whp. oh, also the honda has incredibly better efficiency, the mitsu has a 6 cyl but only gets a little better power, not to mention it gets terrible gas efficiency(much worse than i would have expected, but either way not bad considering the way rotary cars sip gas)

Ike

1.) Who cares about coupes, lets talk sport compacts, the Cobalt SS, Ion Redline, SRT-4, WRX are all about as fast or faster and handle better, and the Celica GTS and Mini handle better and are a little slower. The GTI is also a close competitor but falls a bit short until you start modding. They are all also about the same price (MSRP on a RSX Type S is over 24k).

2.) Lay off the crack, you're not getting 15-20whp from an intake.

3.) Get back to us when you can actually drive one of these cars

Sigma

Sure you can, depending on the car. Some cars like the Mazda6 for example have incredibly restrictive induction systems, likely to keep the noise down more than anything, and benefit greatly from being able to breathe freely. I dunno if the RSX-S qualifies, I'm betting not, as I'd imagine that'd be the first thing that Acura would optimize for easy added power.

Ike

I'm not saying cars can't get gains from an intake, but the RSX is not getting 15-20whp from an intake I've seen dynos and he's dreaming and would fit in great over at ClubRSX :p Spend enough time there and a Hondata #4, intake, and 3rd gear will allow you to outrun low flying cruise missles.