I was waiting for mazda to do some work on my car and decided to look at a few cars while I was waiting. I was looking at one of the new eclipses and a sales rep came up to me and asked me if I wanted to check out the inside. Next thing you know I was on a test drive with a red v6.

I got a good taste of the various road settings: city driving, interstate, and some back mountain roads to test the handling (I live in western NC btw).

I'm still not really sure what to say about the styling, its better than say a civic, it looks like a sports car, but its nowhere near the rx8 or Z to draw a comparison. The interior looks pretty good, but also looks really cheap.

The seats were comfortable enough but I didn't like visibility or the ergonomics. Maybe I'm spoiled by my 8 but I felt like the gauges were not in great positions and often were difficult to read in comparison.

The shifter felt pretty good; the throws were short and it was easy to use, although I didn't feet quite as connected to the car as i do in my 8. Maybe the 8s clutch is just more sensitive. Also there was a weird vibration in the clutch pedal when you pushed it in that I didnt like.

The sound system at 650 watts of power sounded great, but I think I'm pretty content with the 8s 300.

The engine: wow it was great. Lots of power, torque, and plenty low end to keep me satisfied. It really pulls hard once you get to 4000 rpms or so and although the 0-60s are nearly identical, it feels much faster than the 8 at any rpm. I actually had passing power in 6th gear for once.

As much as I loved the engine, I hated the handling. I sort of expected it to not handle so well, but for a sports car it was horrible.

I made a couple of quick lane changes on the interstate as I do in my 8 only to feel a horrible tug back from all the torque steer. In my 8 when you turn the wheel, it just shoots into the other lane. With the eclipse it was like I had to muscle it into the other lane, and things only got worse on the mountain roads. Torque steer persisted and as a whole the car seemed to have its own mind as to where it wanted to go, unlike my 8 which effortlessly responds to even the slightest turn of the wheel; its almost like clairvoyance. The eclipse was just heavy and plowed threw turns where my 8 would just zip on by. I even lost traction a couple times as you could hear the tires squeeling around the turns in situations my 8 would take in stride without even coming close to losing traction.

Basically the eclipse's handling was horrible in just about every way: its too heavy, too unbalanced, with too much torque steer to make for any fun in the twisites. The back seats were basically unusable although they did fold down. The only thing I really liked about it was the torque and power, and the torque is really the only thing I thought it had better than my 8.

Mitsu looks to be in trouble. I didnt like the car and apparently not many other people do either because talking to the rep they haven't sold hardly any, and I've only seen one or two driving around.

 

mitsu better bring out a spyder version of this car or it will flop.

Also, I would consider buying the 4cyl instead of the 6 if handling was a main concern(which it is). I'm sure there will be some aftermarket remedies for the 4cyl.

 

Yeah they are bringing out the Spyder soon--Even thought the car looks much better in person, I still think its ugly and I'm against powerful front drivers regardless. I;ve only seen 2 and they've been for sale for a while now.

 

Bring the gsx back. They be in business.

 

OK, this car is a FWD car but I saw in MT that they listed it as a FWD and AWD while not making ANY comments on the AWD features. As far as I remember...Mitsu gave up on AWD for this car (among many other mistakes) so what is MT talking about?

If they kept that 3.8 V6, added AWD and reduced it's portly weight...they just might be able to sell a BUNCH of these cars.

It's sad to watch Mitus slowly die...someone needs to take it over before it's too late. The EVO is their main saving grace.

 

I think you'll see a high performance model in about a year and a half.

As for the sales #'s the Mistu dealer down the street from me has sold a shitload of these cars.

 

a high performance model? how much more power are they gonna put down to the front wheels before torque steer drives the car off the road?

 

LOL...yeah, that's why this AWD talk is strange. It might have been a typo by MT...but if they gave this car 300HP and AWD...it would be a rocket.

 

You'll more than likely see an AWD model with better suspension/braking etc. and more power. This will be true in the Galant and Endeavor as well. Ralli Art (Mitsu's in house tuner division) is opening a location in the US and they will have an influence in designing these models. There have already been 2 concepts that popped up last year.

 

I guess its a regional thing--cause I've only seen two here in Houston on the road--but then again I'm not looking for them

 

An AWD Eclipse with more power. So are they trying to give it some Evo status?

 

there will not be an AWD eclipse, the awd GSX 2g eclipse sold terrible, as did the GST. Thats why Mistubishi droped those models. Mistubishi will make plenty of money selling the 4 cylinder GS version to the masses. Ive seen almost a dozen of the new eclipses over the past month, most of them are GS models. They are pretty decent looking, I give them a thumb up when I drive by one.

 

Ummmm, don't you know! Your car is supposed to bow to them...

 

Endeavor

Mitsubishi Ralliart Endeavor

First shown in November at the 2004 SEMA Show, Mitsubishi’s motorsports division brought its Ralliart vehicles to Chicago to continue to showcase the brand’s motorsports heritage. Visually, the Endeavor Ralliart vehicle stands out by incorporating PIAA driving lamps with factory-tinted headlamps, blinding paint, metal mesh grille with Ralliart logo, distinct front and rear fascia, and side skirts. The custom interior includes coordinated carpeting and leather, Recaro front seats, Ralliart pedals, Logitech steering wheel and pedal set, and a custom shift ****. The Endeavor Ralliart boasts an Eclipse brand stereo, Pioneer AVIC-80DVD navigation, and for pure fun and entertainment, a Sony PlayStation 2 with a 30-inch Mitsubishi LCD monitor. Underhood is a new 3.8L/260-hp MIVEC high-output V-6 engine, while a five-speed auto, modified exhaust system, and Road Race Engineering custom cold air intake and coilover suspension enhance performance, as do Brembo four-piston brakes (front) and custom cross-drilled rotors (rear). The midsize sport/ute rides on Enkei LM1/5S wheels, Falcon tires, and SuperAutobacs grounding kit.

Galant

Mitsubishi Ralliart Galant

Mitsubishi’s Ralliart Galant wears a treatment similar to the Endeavor’s, with retina-searing paint, PIAA driving lamps, custom-integrated rear spoiler, front and rear fascia, and side skirts. It features the same 3.8L/260-hp engine to be offered in the 2006 Eclipse, as well as the coupe’s six-speed manual transmission. The Galant Ralliart concept vehicle sits on Racing Hart F10 wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires, and features Ralliart exhaust, custom air intake system, and coilover spring suspension from Road Race Engineering. A rear stabilizer bar, front and rear strut braces, and Brembo four-piston brake kit (front) and custom cross-drilled rotors (back) complete the mechanical modifications. The interior gets a SuperAutobacs stereo, Recaro seats front and rear, and even a Recaro baby seat for the enthusiast family.


I sat in the Galant at the '05 auto show here this year and this car felt pretty sweet for a family ride. The paint was gorgeous.

 

Maybe they know something.

 

i hope theyre right, but i wouldnt get my hopes up over it.

 

Good review. They are wobbly little pigs. However I have seen a bunch of them driving around. Most them have been the 4 banger versions but Mitsu seems to be having some success with this car in my area.

 

This latest version of the Eclipse is horrible! I can't, well yes I can, believe what Mitsu did to the Clipse. They basically Americanized the poor thing, but what can one expect, afterall this thing and most mechanicals are still from the front-drive Galant sedan parts bin. Lets review over weight, poor handling, and if you oft for the V6 expect medicore like gas milege. Driven to thrill.

 

The last Gen. is the one that's the real embarassment if you ask me. It looked like a Pontiac and was the same thing as a Stratus. I loved DSMs and can't stand what they've done to the Eclipse, the current one is a little better than the previous generation at least.

 

^^ agree.. with this one, they should've went RWD and dropped at least 500 lbs from the weight and made it actually handle decently.

 

I assume you are talking from a sports car point of view? As a nice sporty affordable coupe, that last Eclipse IMO is actually quite nice for the money. It's very smooth, comfortable, and a great commuter car that has some sportiness and power mixed in. My friend picked up a fully loaded GT for 19k, and I have to say for the money he got a nice daily driver. Sadly enough, it can run with an RX8 in a straight line pretty well too. I guess if you rate it in a sports car category, yeah, it is an embarassment, but that's not what it is, and they did sell tons of them, because it's a great daily car. I know a guy with a GTS who has s/c kit and full body kit. Not only does it look really fast, it is fast. He will spank my STI from a roll no doubt. I guess I have grown respect for the car, since I know of one that will take me.