- coupe 156,517
- 8,995 overpriced
- Baltimore, MD
-
- autoshopper.com
2006 mitsubishi eclipse review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. All-new model is roomier and more stylish. introductionthis is neither the time nor the place to belabor mitsubishi's struggles in the u. Suffice to say, if the discussion focuses on product, the company's problems seem overblown and surmountable. the all-new 2006 mitsubishi eclipse illustrates well this apparent conundrum. New all the way through, from the ground up and from front to rear, it's a strong statement of the company's commitment to its loyal owner base and its investment in the vital u. Market. the car's a worthy entry, too. New engines are more powerful yet efficient and are paired with new transmissions. The new body rides on a new platform. Altogether, it's a promising package. Driver and front passenger get more room. stylistically, it's a pleasant improvement over the previous-generation (pre-2006) models. Fewer straight lines and sharp angles, more curves and better proportions combine to turn heads more with a smile than with a frown. the window sticker leaves a positive impression, too. The base 2006 eclipse gs boasts a manufacturer's suggested retail price that's $300 less than the '05's msrp. And the '06 boasts more standard equipment, in creature comfort, performance and safety features than the '05. Moreover, the new eclipse gt starts at $450 less than the '05 gts, the model with which it most directly compares, and which it easily outpaces in terms of power and features. clearly, mitsubishi intends to stay around. Sunset pearlescent paint is an option, too 130). Accessories installed and priced by dealers include halogen foglamps, color-keyed aero kit and front and rear mud guards. the eclipse gt 23,699) features a v6 engine and six-speed manual. Standard on this model are everything on the gs plus foglamps, traction control, a front suspension strut crossbar and the full-featured dash-top display. The five-speed sportronic automatic is optional 900). Also optional: a premium sport package 3270) with heated leather front seating surfaces, automatic air conditioning (instead of manual a/c), sunroof, eight-way power driver's seat, heated outside mirrors, the rockford fosgate stereo with steering wheel controls, auto-dimming rearview mirror, 18-inch alloy wheels and alloy pedals. The accessory package and sunset pearlescent paint are also available. The accessories list is confined to the aero kit and mud guards. safety features that come standard include frontal airbags, front-seat mounted side-impact airbags (for torso protection) and front-seat side air curtains (for head protection). Anti-lock brakes are standard with electronic brake-force distribution, which balances front-rear brake application in emergency stops. walkaroundthere's not a piece of external metal on the '06 eclipse that's the same as on the '05. But there's no mistaking the '06 for anything but an eclipse, a credit to its stylists. the keyword for the new styling is softer. And a little bit rounder. Headlight housings are no longer so angular, as if they'd been chopped out of the corner of the car, but more eye-like, with the outer corner tugged gracefully back into the fender. The front end has been relaxed with the opening of a split grille, filled with recessed black honeycomb mesh, above the bumper and the rounding of the corners of the intake below. Foglamps have been moved to the sides, into the bumper's bend beneath the headlights. Wheels are farther apart than in the '05, by more than two inches, not only presenting a more planted look, but also promising better stability when cornering. the softer look continues in side profile. The a-pillar and c-pillar flow into the hood and trunk, leaving behind the '05's sharp, crease-like seam between the lower body and the glass house. Door panels lose the '05's strakes, tucking inward as they approach the b-pillar, giving the eclipse what the stylists call a wasp-waist look, but what could just as easily be called corseted. The rocker panels' bulge fills the lower portion of the doors, tying together the robustly blistered fenders. The rear wheelwells beg for larger tires, even on the gt. from the rear, the word bulbous comes to mind. It looks like the stylists did the best job they could of stretching the eclipse's haunches over the expansive galant platform. A minimalist, translucent-cum-three-dimensional plastic spoiler arcs across the liftgate between the clear-lensed taillights. The rear license plate fits in a recess in the fulsome rear fascia. A faux underbody airflow extractor panel fills the bottom quarter of the body-color fascia; on both models, a single exhaust exits through the right-hand segment, the gt's tipped with something mitsubishi calls a large muffler cutter. interiorthe interior of the all-new 2006 mitsubishi eclipse achieves the exclusive goals of being both austere and friendly. One or two elements jangle, but there's a flow that ties everything together. the dash is a cabin-spanning, single piece of pleasantly finished plastic that invites optimism about reduced buzzes, squeaks and rattles as the car puts on miles and years. The dash visually moves away from the front passenger as it nears the door, adding a perception of roominess. Yet the lower portion of the right side of the dash subtly incorporates an anti-submarining knee bolster. The frontal airbag supplemental restraint is masked by a seamless surface. stereo and climate control knobs are all refreshingly un-pda-like and finger friendly. Atop the dash above the center stack is mitsubishi's trademark hooded panel with digital readouts for audio, time and compass. A matching, but larger hood shades the instruments, positioned directly in front of the driver and comprising simple, easily scanned, analog speedometer, tachometer, fuel level and engine coolant temperature gauges. Night-time instrument and dash lighting is tinted blue, which clashes with the dash-top lcd panel's opaque beige. the center console differs between the manual transmissions and the sportronic automatics. The manual setup sports a traditional look, with a leather-like boot around the shifter capped with a leather-wrapped knob rising out of a flush, bright-metallic surround. the sportronic goes techno, with a shift lever that appears to slide along and pivot on a shaft deep within a less-traditional, raised, tubular-like base. From the drive position, pushing the lever to the right puts it into the sportronic gate. From there, semi-manual shifting is intuitive: pushing it forward selects a higher gear, pulling it back, a lower gear. In terms of function, the arrangement works, but in form, it's less than satisfying. the handbrake, though, is correctly positioned, on the driver's side of the center console next to the shift lever. To its right is a pair of cup holders with a cover that folds down into the console to the passenger side of the console. Aft of this is a covered, reasonably deep storage bin, with an auxiliary power outlet and slots for toll change. front seats are comfortable, sufficiently bolstered for mildly spirited driving and adequately cushioned for a day-long, interstate drive from california's southern-most region up through its lush central valley to the state capital without numbing occupants' posteriors. The '06 provides more room, too, than the '05 for those occupants. rear-seat comfort appears to have been sacrificed in favor of more front-seat comfort, however. The rear seats are less commodious than those in the '05 model. There are also no head restraints. Suffice to say, the back seats are better used occasionally and for short drives. interior door panels are swoopy, but mostly functional, with a good-sized handle and convenient, child-safe power window buttons. If only the latch lever were more ergonomic. The glove box is adequate, but the door-mounted map pockets are too small to be of much use. cargo space drops more than a full cubic foot from the '05. The liftover height, while not much higher than that of the average trunk, presents a fairly thick rear bulkhead, requiring a back-straining lean to heft items up, over and into the cargo area. And we regretted not having.
8,995 Baltimore, MDBaltimore, MD at autoshopper.com