Welcome to Autodrivel

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is another car from Mitsubishi that sells itself. There’s very little marketing done, you know very little about it, yet everyone buys it. So, let’s dress up and learn about the Eclipse Cross.

Of course, something had to appear to fill the gap between the ASX and Outlander. However, it doesn’t always work to keep launching the same old thing because at some point you gets stuck like I got stuck in a petrol station restroom. Or like the comments section on this attempt at a website. 

Mitsubishi has the habit of launching excellent cars that they don’t bother to advertise. Or they launch cars that barely qualify as wheeled appliances (see Mitsubishi Space Star). But overall, Mitsubishi is good at making simple, cheap, and honest cars, and that was very evident with the ASX (the old one, not the rebadged Captur) and the Outlander. These cars practically sold themselves, yet Mitsubishi slowly lost market share and gradually withdrew from Europe because they were doing well in other places around the world. They should have withdrawn completely, but then they decided to follow the example of their neighbors Suzuki and buy a licensed model that sells, in this case, the Renault Captur. Because if you can’t handle it on your own, you stea…I mean borrow. 

What’s the deal with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross? At first, it was the more luxurious cousin of the ASX but not quite the full Outlander, and it had some success because it was quite affordable. Today however the Eclipse Cross is not the cheapest cross-over around and in the countries where it’s only sold as a hybrid it was simply not worth it. But even so, Europe was the biggest market for the Eclipse Cross, with it’s 30,000 pounds price tag in the UK, followed by USA as the 2nd biggest market. And there it was sort of cheap, starting from 26,000$ (at the moment of writing these…words?) but still more expensive than an Corolla Cross let’s say, so it’s easy to see why the Eclipse Cross was less popular than Pokemon Go!, or many other less popular things. 

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Engines

Petrol

• 1.5 Turbo 4B40 of 148, 152 and 163 horsepower – The entry level engine which is reliable and durable but also scrawny for the Eclipse Cross. If they had put it in the ASX, it would have been excellent, but nooo, they had to buy the entire Captur model from the French. So this engine is reliable, but at what cost? At the cost of petrol that it will chugg down in larger quantities than you would expect because it’s like putting Graham Norton to work in a metallurgical plant. He can do it, but at what energy expense?


• 2.0 4B11 of 150 horsepower – The only naturally aspirated engine sold on the Eclipse Cross and it wasn’t available in Europe because it didn’t pass the CO2 emissions test. But let’s move on because it’s more or less the same engine as the 2.4 hybrid version so we’ll talk there.

Diesel: 

2.2d 4N14 of 177 horsepower – Unfortunately, this is NOT the 2.2 engine borrowed from PSA that was used until around 2013 in Europe. Launched in 2010, this 2.2d is Mitsubishi’s own recipe, codenamed 4N14. This engine unfortunately has issues with the balance shaft, like the old Mercedes M272 3.5 petrol engine. And, just like with Mercedes, the repair costs several thousand pounds. At least the repair is a one-time gig, but is a diesel Eclipse Cross really worth it? Especially with the balance shaft thought lurking all the time?

Hybrid:

2.4 4B12 hybrid of 188 horsepower – Again, I don’t understand why they used the 2.4 hybrid engine when they could have kept using the old 2.0 petrol electric hybrid powertrain. Different money, different fun. It makes sense in countries where the Eclipse Cross is used for long-distance driving and the 2.0 engine was notorious for being not enough in the Outlander, but in Europe? Anyway, the engine is as old as it is reliable, with the only notable issue being oil consumption later in life but otherwise it’s a trouble-free engine. Now the only real barrier that remains is the price.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Reliability Issues

• The car seems to be designed for the city (Europe) or straight and long highways (USA and Australia, the main markets for Eclipse Cross). I say this because both the suspension and the steering are as sporty as Phyllis Smith. It might work, but it won’t impress you.


• I don’t think I need to mention this, but the non-facelift model has a spoiler drawn right in the middle of the rear window, because Mitsubishi and because you should never look back, always forward.


• It’s a Mitsubishi, so the interior materials are durable but cheap. This wouldn’t be a nuisance in a low-cost car like a Ignis, but at 30,000 pounds you might have some expectations.


• The electrics responsible for the parking brake works when it wants, if it wants. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be left without brakes, but you won’t brake as you should. But even the physical components of the brakes and suspension have a shorter life than the show “Dancing on Ice.”


• The CVT automatic transmission is not the best in the industry and is the only gearbox available for the Eclipse Cross. Sure, there’s also a classic Aisin 8-speed gearbox, but it’s only available with the 2.2 diesel, and we don’t talk about the 2.2 4N14 diesel. There was a manual gearbox but only for the entry-level, front wheel drive 1.5 turbocharged petrol Eclipse but good luck finding that one.


• Issues with the air conditioning, and this includes everything from the compressor to the refrigerant.


• Last but not least, there’s the fuel economy issue. Whichever petrol version you choose, it will not be the most economical. The non-hybrid engines are too small for the Eclipse Cross, and the hybrid has a range of 2 meters, after which you’ll be driving with a 2.4 naturally aspirated gasoline engine carrying the weight of the entire car + the hybrid powertrain.


• For some reason the US Eclipse is tow rated at 1500 pounds and the Australian Eclipse is rated at 3500 pounds. Same underpinnings, same suspension. Same everything.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Verdict

It’s a good and honest workhorse for those who want to get the job done. Sure there are reliability issues, but by far the biggest issue is the price. With an average price of 30,000 pounds, even for a hybrid it’s very hard to justify a workhorse car when there are more premium cars out there that are even cheaper So, unfortunately my answer for the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is “No.”

Which engines do I recommend? Well, the 2.4 4B12 hybrid of 177 horsepower is the only one that makes sense from the entire available range, but the 1.5 turbocharged petrol is also a balanced engine for the average city dweller.