2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Review (continued)
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Walkaround

Mitsubishi Eclipse has been mildly re-styled for 2003. The front bumper, front and rear light clusters, and alloy wheels on the GS, GT, and GTS are new.

Some have described the exterior design as sleek, slippery, cutting edge. Mitsubishi calls it geo-mechanical," a term used for the original SST design concept shown at the 1998 Detroit auto show. To us it looks sort of retro-contemporary. No matter what you call it, the Eclipse gets noticed.

Fully arched wheel wells are filled with alloy wheels and performance tires. This arch theme is carried through, from the A-pillar to the C-pillar. Three strakes in each door begin at the front bumper where they resemble the brake cooling vents of a race car. A round fuel filler door adds to the racy theme; an aluminum alloy lid for it is available as a dealer-installed accessory. The lever-style door handles are aerodynamic, but harder to grab.

With its top up, the Spyder looks hunkered down, rounded and smoothly contoured. With the top down, it looks rakish yet handsomely finished, thanks to black rubber folding boot cover that conceals the retracted top. When the sun shines and the summer breezes blow, you need only release two ratchet latches and press a button for 15 seconds to deliver all the fresh air and open sky you'll ever need.

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Interior Features

Mitsubishi Eclipse gets upgraded upholstery for 2003: better fabric for the RS, GS and GT, and better leather for the GTS. Eclipse interiors are now available in two color-coordinated themes that Mitsubishi calls Midnight and Sand Blast. The former is primarily black with dark blue accents, the latter black with taupe accents. The leather Sand Blast (beige) seats in a 2003 Eclipse coupe we drove were nice, but the hard plastic on the dash looks like hard plastic. The silver trim around the shifter matches the door trim okay, but the hard interior materials are mediocre.

The gauges have been redesigned for 2003, making them easier to read.

The center stack has an unusual look with readouts for the radio, temperature and compass in an information module atop the dash, just above the controls. You have to look at the controls to manipulate them, then look up at the readout. If the two were closer together, the eye would do less rushing around, causing less distraction from the road. It's easy to see and read, however, better than those for a Mercedes-Benz. The audio controls for the Infinity stereo are excellent, big clearly marked buttons and knobs for changing stations, volume, seek, track, etc.

Located just below the stereo controls are three rotary dials for heat, ventilation and air conditioning. These switches are positive to the touch and are intuitive, though you have to push the fan knob in to turn the air conditioning on. The controls look like they came from a compact, though. Cleverly designed round dash vents swivel and turn to direct airflow just about anywhere you could want it; they also fold flush and snug when they aren't needed.

There isn't a lot of headroom in an Eclipse coupe, especially with a sunroof, less than in an Acura RSX or Ford Mustang. The Spyder has a quite bit more headroom than the Eclipse coupe (yes, with the top up). Like most sport coupes, the Eclipse is not the ideal car for picking up dry cleaning. However, a hook on the driver's side works okay for a few items, which drape well over the front of the rear seat.

The Spyder surrenders back-seat space to the coupe. It loses less than an inch of leg room, but more three inches of hip room are consumed by the top and its storage well.

A more serious drawback to the Spyder is a shortage of luggage space as the folded top and its operating mechanism intrude into the cargo bay. While the Eclipse coupe offers a cargo capacity of 16.9 cubic feet, the Spyder offers just 7.2 cubic feet. That means golf clubs have to go in the Spyder's back seat.