CAR 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS
Product Details
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. 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 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 toward the passenger side. 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 2007 Eclipse provides more room, too, than the pre-'06 model for front-seat occupants. It's a combination of slight increases in key dimensions and design tricks that increase the feeling of spaciousness, and it's welcome. Eclipse's frameless door windows drop fractionally to clear their seals when the door is opened and then re-seat when the door is closed. Their shape, however, necessitates a fixed quarter window toward the front to allow the main windows to retract fully into the door. This design moves the outside mirrors rearward, so the driver must consciously turn his or her head to the side to scan for overtaking traffic. Rear-seat comfort does not exist here and there are no head restraints. The back seats are to be used almost never and then only for very 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 mor. Again, if the interior of the coupe worked for you, so will the interior of the convertible, as the two are identical, save for the switches at the base of the center stack that operate the top. Oh, yeah, and for the sad excuse for a back seat sized less for people than to make room for a space to store the folding top. Front seats provide good support for lower back and thighs, as well as decent bolstering for keeping driver and passenger in their place during quick runs down winding roads. As mentioned, the less said about the rear seats the better, although we should in interest of thoroughness report the seat bottoms are deeply dished, while the seat backs are almost vertical, making for an included angle between the two planes of something less than 90 degrees. And then there's the subwoofer between the two seat forms that should deliver a good back massage when the stereo's cranked up. Monitoring what's happening under the hood and beneath the tires is relatively easy, with large, round speedometer and tachometer framed by the top half of the steering wheel. The engine coolant and fuel level gauges, however, are buried down in the shadows in the lower, outboard corners of the instrument panel, forcing the driver consciously to look at and focus on them, instead of merely intuitively scanning them every few minutes. Prizing function over flash, the center stack is nicely organized, topped by a hooded information display. Below in order are two of the dashboard's four, symmetrical vent registers; the CD/stereo control head; and the air conditioning panel, the latter two with mostly ergonomic buttons and knobs. We'd like larger radio station preset/CD selector buttons, but that's our only complaint in this area. Storage is about par for what's effectively a two-plus-two sporty car. The glove box deceives, with a wide cover but a more limited inside. Door-mounted map pockets don't deserve the name, as they're barely adequate for a small notebook and so shallow it often falls out when you shut the door. A pair of basic cup holders fill the center console between the shift lever and a decently deep storage bin. The trunk space probably has enough room to hold not much more than Tiger Woods' very first set of golf clubs. Visibility out the front is the best of all angles. Side windows are more chopped-top height than full size, with mirrors positioned back a ways from the front of the doors, to the point a driver has to turn the head to check neighboring lanes. The expanse of top material and the small rear window pretty well wipe out rear quarter vision, leaving sizable blind spots the speed cops will no doubt find to be perfect hiding places while they pace you.
Fresh from a complete redesign for 2006, the Mitsubishi Eclipse coupe delivers good looks and sporty transport with decent fuel mileage. It offers a bit more room for front passengers. Starting below $20,000 well equipped, the Eclipse offers an interesting alternative to the wide-array of front-drive sedans that crowd the market. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Northern California. The 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder is a fun car. If, that is, you accept it for what it is: a sporty, top-down tourer. But it's not a sports car, in the truest sense of the term. Accept that, and you can't go wrong. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from La Jolla, California.
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Year: 2007 - Make: Mitsubishi
- Model: Eclipse
- Trim: GS
- Body style: Hatchback
- Mileage: 69133
- Engine: 4 Cyl.
- Trans: Automatic
- Exterior Color: BLACK
- Interior Color: GRAY
- Stock: 7E042121
- VIN: 4A3AK24F77E042121
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Today's Price: $12,995.00
- Gear Box:Automatic
- Condition:New
- Country:United States
- telephone:1-843-851-1500
| Gear Box: | Automatic |
| Condition: | New |
