The Eclipse Cross has finally made its way to Australia and will begin filling showrooms starting on December 22nd, 2017. Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited has announced that the all-new crossover (duh), which takes its place above the slightly smaller ASX as a more premium, technology-packed stablemate.
Clearly, the Eclipse Cross is targeted at the slightly more upmarket tier of this very competitive corner of the market, occupied by the likes of the Mazda CX-3 and the Toyota C-HR. In that sense, it’s a car (and a customer base) that the Japanese automaker hasn’t attempted created (and lure with) in a while, which is an interesting slight change direction following their induction into the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
They are keeping it simple with the range, too, only offering it in two trim levels with a single engine powering them all; an all-new 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol that generates 110kW and 250Nm that’s mated to Mitsubishi’s INVECS continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifters. Drive is sent to the two front wheels in the two lower tiers while the range-topper receives their lauded Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system for all-paw traction.
Aside from the obvious improvements in power and torque, they also claim the downsized turbocharged engine consumes as little as 7.3-litres/100km on a combined cycle. With the permanent AWD system fitted, rating estimate is raised to 7.7-litres/100km.
For a starting price of $30,500, the Eclipse Cross in LS spec offers such standard features as 18-inch alloys, leather-wrapped gear shifter and steering wheel, a new 7-inch infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a new, more ergonomic touchpad interaction model. Meanwhile included safety kit includes Autonomous Emergency Braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beam assist. This no doubt helped it achieve that 5-star ANCAP safety rating.
Choose the car in Exceed trim, though, and the list of equipment grows to list rear-cross traffic alert, a 360-degree camera array, blind spot monitoring, and lane change assist in addition to full LED headlights dual-zone climate control, head-up display, heated leather seats with power adjustment, and a panoramic glass roof. Generally, the Eclipse Cross was conceived as a more premium product, and therefore is built with more of a focus on quality construction and better materials, irrespective of variant chosen.
Thanks to a wheelbase that measures 2,670mm, Mitsubishi has been able to package quite a spacious interior into a relatively compact footprint. Luggage space can be as large as 448-litres depending on how far forward the rear seats are pushed (this cary vary by 200mm).
- Eclipse Cross LS (CVT, FWD) - $30,500
- Eclipse Cross Exceed (CVT, FWD) - $36,000
- Eclipse Cross Exceed (CVT, AWD) - $38,500
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