On the road the Mitsubishi Eclipse offers a smooth ride. At the same time, it keeps the driver feeling connected with the road rather than feeling isolated. Give it a wide-open highway or a twisty country two-lane and the Eclipse handles well. The four-cylinder engine that comes in RS and GS models delivers adequate performance.
But the flexible torque and exciting thrust of the V6 really gives you your money's worth in terms of driving enjoyment. When turning the key we were immediately struck by the sporty exhaust sound of the V6. This is a truly flawless engine, as smooth running as an electric dynamo. The GTX induction system gets a little extra boost from variable induction and higher compression pistons. A dual-path intake manifold switches from longer to shorter intake runners as engine speed increases, improving efficiency at all engine speeds. This yields a 10-horsepower increase. Peak torque remains 205 pounds-feet, but arrives at 3750 rather than 4000 rpm. The V6 delivers about as much power as we want for a front-wheel-drive car. Stand on it and the Eclipse is at the threshold of wheelspin. Any more power and the Eclipse would need all-wheel drive, which is not available. Our Eclipse GTS came with traction control.
The Sportronic four-speed automatic transmission on our 2003 Eclipse GTS offered positive shifting.
The five-speed manual transmission coupled with the V6 is something desperately close to the perfect drivetrain. The clutch take-up and smoothness of the five-speed manual, much aided by its heavily counterweighted shifter, is incomparably fine. An excellent selection of gear ratios helps the five-speed make the most of the engine's power. If there is any way that you can justify a manual transmission (and if you commute in bumper-to-bumper traffic, there may not be), we strongly recommend the amazing combination of the V6 and the five-speed.
The Eclipse feels rock solid in long, sweeping turns, and compliant over rough surfaces. A low roll center, combined with pillow-ball links to the front anti-roll bar, contribute to its flat cornering attitude. The suspension lacks sophistication when it comes to handling big bumps, however.
Power rack-and-pinion steering is speed-sensitive, and feels very light at low speeds. The turning radius seems big at 40 feet, larger than that of an Acura RSX or Ford Mustang (each 38.1), and we frequently found ourselves backing up to get into tight parking spaces.
Eclipse GT and GTS models come with a great set of brakes. Large ventilated discs with dual piston calipers cover the front wheels while solid discs watch over the rear wheels.
With the top down, the Eclipse Spyder is a serious good-times car. However, it does suffer from a little more cowl shake than we would have liked. It's less pronounced than in some of its competition, but over rumpled roads the windshield and chassis juddered discernibly. This wouldn't be enough to discourage us, though, from committing to such a congenial new convertible.
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