To revive its sales, Mitsubishi revived the glorious name Eclipse and added it to a cross-over, a mix between an SUV and a four-door coupe.
Mitsubishi gave great cars to the world in the past times, from the fuel-efficient Colt to the powerful 3000 GT. At the same time, it proved that it was the weapon of choice to win the grueling Paris-Dakar rally-raid, a tough competition which it won 12 times. Models such as the Pajero/Montero, L200 pickup, or the Outlander made a good impression on the market as well.

The 2021 Eclipse Cross featured a new design with a completely different front fascia. The designers put the daytime running lights where the headlights were on the previous model and installed the driving lights in the bumper. They redesigned the grille as well. In the back, the windscreen from the tailgate was taller to improve visibility.

Inside, the 2021 Eclipse Cross featured a light interior update. On top of the center stack, an 8” touch-screen display for the infotainment system was installed. The instrument cluster featured the same information as before, with a mix of analog and digital dials.

Under the hood, a 1.5-liter gasoline engine was available from the start. It offered 150 hp, and it was paired to a CVT that sent the torque in all corners via an all-wheel-drive Haldex system. A plug-in hybrid was announced.

The compact crossover market was crowded in 2017 when Mitsubishi introduced its brand new Eclipse Cross model.
So it decided to build it as a crossover compact coupe.

In 2017 Mitsubishi Motors was struggling to survive on the market. With most of its range aged or outdated, the only vehicles that were still on demand were the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid and the L200. But those two couldn’t make it into high volumes and the small-class Space Star was not the hit the manufacturer hoped for.

The SUV-coupe segment was highly contested by premium car-manufacturers. But for more affordable vehicles, there was nothing on the table. With its striking front fascia, resembling a sports car and a high ground clearance typical for an SUV, the Eclipse Cross seemed to satisfy both worlds. The sloped roofline and raked rear end confirmed the coupe-like silhouette. In the rear, a roof spoiler and a small lip on the half-way of the liftgate amplified the sporty image.

Inside, the infotainment unit was neatly placed on top of the dashboard, and it could have been accessed via a 7” touchscreen monitor or a touchpad between the front seats. It was Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatible. In the rear, the seats were sliding and reclining, allowing more legroom or more trunk space. The backseat was folding in a split 60:40 ratio.

The base trim level was available with front-wheel-drive. All other versions came with all-wheel-drive. There were two engines available, depending on the market. A manual six-speed transmission was offered as standard while a CVT was offered as an option.