2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Manufacturers spend a lot of time and in fact money as well when it comes to launching a new vehicle into market and the location they choose for that launch often says a lot about the characteristic and the nature of the car and potentially also the target market interesting them that mitsubishi has chosen to launch their all-new eclipse crossed down here in cape

Town now when people think of the western cape they think of table mountain dramatic landscape what capes are also has is beautiful quiet twisting country roads it says a lot about this car then it’s gonna look good and it’s gonna drive well let’s find out and a looker she certainly is you know even the image-conscious kept tony and stopped me to asking

About this car but this is generally the view where the designers kind of uh donna get bored maybe it’s done at midnight they lose inspiration not the case where they eclipse across i love it side profile it’s almost got like this samurai trap swish that comes from halfway through the front door runs beautifully sloping upwards through the door handles and finishes

Right in that rear taillight and looking at it in profile what it does it gives you that long nose cut off rear end really emphasizing that could pay like proportions but it’s this detail yeah where the tail light makes you think there’s going to be some action at the back as well and you know what they haven’t disappointed mitsubishi laker become like specialists

In funking upper ear and think of the pajero sport with those vertical life now the focus here is very citroen like with the split tailgate and now the light detailing is emphasizing that divide this is gonna be a card game that from the back end people are either gonna level they’re gonna hate i think it is super cool i think it’s retro this is no suv wallflower

The front end is dominated by mitsubishi she’s dynamic shield design and it looks fantastic the daytime running light strip is like eyeliner emphasizing the sleek design of the projector halogen self leveling headlights the twin blade chrome grille finishes off the eclipses cross glare you really don’t want to try and stare this car down senior is a brand new body

Color for the company and it is their most premium yet called red diamond the rich and intense color is created by a multi coat process and it really accentuates the bold styling cues the eclipse cross runs on 18 inches and has a full-sized speed visibility that’s the immediate feeling you get when you get behind the wheel in the eclipse cross it’s almost like

They’ve taken this you know very upright suv seating and just someone managed to drop it into a traditional car layout without you feeling disconnected from your driving position and the cabin it’s things like i love this low slang and rule wrapping dashboard that they’ve got even the window start fairly low and are big you’ve got these massive side mirrors as

Well and of course i mean let’s split tailgate gives you fantastic visibility all right it almost gives you like that bird’s eye view from above which is fantastic when you’re driving then of course they’re adding things like park distance control on the front and the rear as well as a reverse camera it really helps you come to terms with the dimensions of this

Car the 7-inch touchscreen is well integrated and it doesn’t feel like an afterthought as we see in so many premium offerings out there but a word of caution the infotainment system senior with apple carplay android auto and gps is an optional extra but specification in general is really good what is standard is this heads-up display with height and intensity

Settings there is a tilt and reach adjustment on the multifunction steering wheel and the leather seats also heated up front and the driver gets electric adjustments in the rear the seats can recline as well as sliding forward ensuring either improved legroom and comfort or bolstering your luggage space so mitsubishi have kept it really simple here offering one

Engine one trim level one transmission all you get to choose is do you want front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powering the eclipse cross is mitsubishi’s 2-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine which produces pretty normal 110 kilowatts in 190 80 newton meters of torque it is linked to a cvt a new version of the six-speed cvt transmission and in the last couple

Of weeks i’ve driven a lot of cars with cvt s i’ve driven a lexus a subaru and arena and i can honestly tell you this has to be one of the better cvts i’ve ever driven what they’ve done is i’ve updated the torque converter and the damper assembly they’ve changed the ratios and some software settings and what you find when you drive it you really do find less of

That stretched out bungee cord on acceleration and almost simulate the normal stepped transmission it works really really well and the thing i enjoy a lot as well is that it is super quiet but let’s be fair we are in the cape and i fear that when you do get out to joburg with the altitude fairly modest performance figures it might be quite difficult for the cvt to

Perform as beautifully as it has down here at the coast so our test unit is the front-wheel-drive derivative but if you do choose the all-wheel drive it does come with mitsubishi’s super all-wheel control system the all-wheel drive is obviously using brake and power to distribute torque to the wheels that need it the most but with the system you also get acts of

Your control essentially controlling lateral forces so it really makes the car super stable and obviously for you from a driving perspective in wet and tricky conditions just their confidence and additional safety but i think the bit that i’m enjoyed most besides thinking while it’s a really good cvt it’s just the overall drive quality i love it it is super super

Smooth it just walks along some people might say ah it’s a little bit of wallowy and when you are driving on the straight it feels a little bit vague on the steering but let me tell you once you commit to a corner the eclipse christ is only too happy to follow your path and hold that path so it is a spirited vehicle and especially put it into sport mode flip through

The pedals you can have a lot of fun with this car so does it eclipse its competitors well i can tell you that it is going to stand out in the suv dominated parking lot that rear installing in particular is going to be a real talking point and it’s also very competitively priced going head-to-head with the koreans with only one trim level the eclipse is really

Well equipped and the front-wheel drive is going to set you back just under 400,000 rent same price as the coolio said we tested a few weeks back the all-wheel drive comes in at just four hundred and fifty thousand rand which makes a thirty thousand ran cheaper than the renault but the eclipse cross does cost some shadows obviously with that edgy rear design there

Is a compromise and that is the boot space that really cool infotainment system is a twelve and a half thousand rand option now for me i would have got rid of the heads-up display and the seat warmers and rather offered that as standard it’s the type of tech and equipment that people come to expect in a car these days but if you are in the market for an suv a

Compact suv there is so much choice and now mitsubishi is giving you another option and it’s one you should consider you

Transcribed from video
2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross By IGNITION