4th Generation Mistu Eclipse

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Joey D

Joey D

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After seeing my first new Eclipse yesterday it stirred my intrest in the car, after looking it up I've come up with one question "What the hell happened to the car?" 263hp and it can only manage a 0-60 in 6 seconds? A quater mile of only mid 14's? This car should have been fater shouldn't it have? Of course I'm talking about the GT model with the V6, I didn't bother looking up the four cylinder one.

Mitsu certianly dropped the ball on this one. First off the thing is friggen huge! I wouldn't even call it a sport compact anymore, it's more of a sporty small car. According to the lastest Car & Driver the car is wider then a Ford Explorer, which would explain why it looks chubby.

Mistu should have made the thing weigh less at 3500 pounds its fat. More then likely the reason it isn't as fast as it should be. For a cheaper price you can get the SRT-4 (sorry for saying that) and have better preformance.

Once thing Mistu should have considered is a turboed 4 cylinder engine, V6's in compacts I don't think go to well. I mean look at the Tiburon, heavy and slow. Also I want to know why they don't bring back the GSX so consumer can get an AWD Eclipse.
 
Maybe the whole Co2 thing has affected the speed of this 4th Generation Eclipse.
 
They made it longer and wider. Plus, that weight really isn't in compact territory.
 
I think they just want to target the teenage girl market with this one. Every girl that I have asked about the car has said "It's cute, I like it." I think Mtsu was just going for looks on this one. I guess the V6 is to lure some guys to the car, but it's mainly a girl car.
 
Event
I think they just want to target the teenage girl market with this one. Every girl that I have asked about the car has said "It's cute, I like it." I think Mtsu was just going for looks on this one. I guess the V6 is to lure some guys to the car, but it's mainly a girl car.
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And isn't so fast it scares the girls away. :lol: j/k
 
I could get intrested in it, if the power put out some numbers. I could deal with the chubby styling, but it seem sluggish when looking at the numbers. I would still like to drive one though.
 
well, its based on the galant platform so it was always going to be bigger. hence the bigger engine.

i think itsnigh on aztek ugly myself. please dont post anymore pics. my retinas can only take so much punishment.
 
IF it's based on the galant platform then they REALLY have no excuse considering they threw a 3s engine AWD AYC and AWS into a Galant and call it a Vr4 in '00
 
The car weighs a crapload.

It doesn't matter what kind of engine you put in the front of it, it's going nowhere fast and handling has to be horrendous.

Mitsubishi also recalled them in the very first week of sale because their brakes were failing...
 
It's a lot better than that montstrosity they put out for the last generation.

Anyone notice this car is in GT4?
 
I think it looks pretty good but it definitely could use that V6 to accomodate the weight and size increase. I bet the problem with numbers lies in the car's probable inability getting the power to the ground. An AWD model with that kind of power would more than likely run high 13s.

Sometime I'll have to run one from a roll and see what it can do because I'm almost certain it will have traction issues from a stop, explaining slow accel times.
 
I like it very much and you guys are expecting too much. 0-60 in 6 seconds makes it the quickest Eclipse ever sold by far.
 
I think the real issue here is how it handles.

We will have to wait for a proper road test.

Looks good so far though. 👍
 
M5Power
I like it very much and you guys are expecting too much. 0-60 in 6 seconds makes it the quickest Eclipse ever sold by far.
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So did you drive it then? How does it handle?
I don't really care if it's faster. It's just fatter and uglier again then the last generation. Another step in the wrong direction if you ask me.
 
I was promised a drive last Saturday and as of right now I still haven't driven it. I'm going to try again on Monday. I think it's beautiful, by the way.
 
I think it's a fantastic looking car, and it's power is certainly something the compat market needs to be competitive. However...FWD + all that weight = bleck. It's much more of a normal persons sports car rather than an enthusiasts car.
 
For 150 lbs less curb weight, I'll stick with my TSX.

Overall I think the new Eclips is better looking than the last gen, and about as good as the second gen. They've obviously cribbed the TT's hindquarters and the current Bimmers' headlights. This is a good thing considering the rest of Mitsubishi's current line (Evo VIII excepted). But overall it's a nice looking package.
 
If GT4 is as accurate as most members are saying, than yes, it has serious problems putting the power to the ground. :( Pity, too, all that power and it even looks kinda nice....
 
My problem with the Eclipse is that they seem to keep going for the exact same buyers. Not, the same age bracket, the SAME buyers. You have the 1G cars that were fairly small, nimble, and very quick. Then, the 2G got a little bigger, little less nimble, much more refined, but still very quick and fun. The 3G lost all the fun, looked ok, rode nice, and handled fine for a GT car, but not a sporty car. The 3G made a better A to B daily car, but not a car built to have fun with.

And now, the new 4G car looks to take it one more step. I mean, hell, the 4G car is scary close to 3600lbs. The new BMW M6 is only a hair over 3700lbs, and that car comes with 500hp. Now, I'm not saying those 2 are comparable models, but if BMW can get that much engine, substance, and luxury into one of those at that weight, what we get and need with the Eclipse should weigh in around 3200lbs to make it fun.

It just seems to me, they've been trying to talk the people that owned the original 1G cars into buying the new version every time one comes out. As those buyers got older, and their sporting intentions for a car got less, they keep making the car bigger, more refined, less edgy, and more plump. Again, it makes for a great GT car, or daily driver. And I'm sure this one will sell fine for them, so thats ok.

But, to me, the core of what made the Eclipse (and DSM cars) fun and worth it was the great engine/chassis combo, nimble handling, small size, and edgy shape. Now, its a big, fat, round, lumpy looking cruiser. Yes, its fairly fast. But, the car only does mid-6s 0-60 with 265hp. Those were basically how fast the 2G cars were with only 215. So, even with 50hp more underhood, because of the added heft, the car is no faster than it ever was. Bummer really.

I still miss my first 1G AWD, and now, after seeing what they are turning the car into, it seems we'll never get back to that state of fun. Oh well, you can get a nice 1G or 2G car dirt cheap now. And, with the aftermarket those cars have, the sky is the limit. If you want fun, I say save your money, find a nice condition 1G or 2G AWD car. But, if all you want is a nice, smooth, GT cruiser, go for the new fatty 4G.

Hilg
 
BlazinXtreme
Once thing Mistu should have considered is a turboed 4 cylinder engine, V6's in compacts I don't think go to well. I mean look at the Tiburon, heavy and slow. Also I want to know why they don't bring back the GSX so consumer can get an AWD Eclipse.
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Uhhhh....thats because the Evo VIII and IX are currently for sale. Mitsu also doesn't want to have two vehicles that compete with eachother. A 263hp AWD Eclipse would be a much cheaper, more appealing option for most people who have less money to spend, don't know how to handle a car such as the Evo, and who want a little more comfort then in the Evo. Therefore, Mitsubishi will not make a AWD version, ever because it will detract from their Evo sales.

On another note, I think the new Eclipse falls a bit short of my expectations but it should still prove to be a pretty competitive car. I hope it responds well to ECU tuning because tweaking that V6 should be able to produce much better response without necessarily needing aftermarket parts. I can't wait to see what kind of stuff will come out of tuner shops over the next year once they get their hands on these cars.
 
If you can't buy high 13s with 263 hp you don't drive American cars! Front wheel drive kills the quarter mile times but the new Eclipse has the needed -horsepower- for 13s. Put some Mickey Thompsons on it and I bet you could get mid to high 13s fairly consistantly.
 
at the price BMW charges for the M6, they can afford to put in a lot of high strength steel and aluminum and end up with it weighing just voer the kerb weight of the eclipse.
as far as im concerned, mitsu has lost the plot so far badly that they need to regroup and start over; by bringin us the colt!!! with all its 1.5 liter turbo fury.
 
neanderthal
at the price BMW charges for the M6, they can afford to put in a lot of high strength steel and aluminum and end up with it weighing just voer the kerb weight of the eclipse.
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I understand how high-end car makers make cars weigh very little. But, I'm saying, the Eclipse should weigh around 3200lbs. Not by using lighter, more expensive materials, but by getting smaller. That was my point. I just don't think this car should weigh 3600lbs. If that means losing some creature comforts and sone girth, I'm all for it. We now have a FWD coupe thats basically the same size as a 6-series Bimmer, and we're supposed to think its a sporty car. What we have now is a car thats perfectly at home battling for our mom's $$$ against Accord Coupes and Solaras, not our $$$ and the RSXs and GTIs. Its a bummer the car has come to this.

Hilg
 
Izanagi
Uhhhh....thats because the Evo VIII and IX are currently for sale. Mitsu also doesn't want to have two vehicles that compete with eachother. A 263hp AWD Eclipse would be a much cheaper, more appealing option for most people who have less money to spend, don't know how to handle a car such as the Evo, and who want a little more comfort then in the Evo. Therefore, Mitsubishi will not make a AWD version, ever because it will detract from their Evo sales.

On another note, I think the new Eclipse falls a bit short of my expectations but it should still prove to be a pretty competitive car. I hope it responds well to ECU tuning because tweaking that V6 should be able to produce much better response without necessarily needing aftermarket parts. I can't wait to see what kind of stuff will come out of tuner shops over the next year once they get their hands on these cars.
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Well how many times have you seen a lower end cheaper model. People would still buy the Evo, but an AWD Eclipse would get younger buyers with less cash. If they priced it mid 20's you would have something.
 
I still think they should have put perhaps a 6a13TT in there..instead of the mivec 6 that's in there...Or even a mivec varient of the 6a and it'd be running perfect ....but oh well....Mitsu will make their money, and they have the Evo to lead their "motorsports" aspect of their lineup...So if they sell more power to mitsu for making a car people buy
 
Driftster
I still think they should have put perhaps a 6a13TT in there..instead of the mivec 6 that's in there...Or even a mivec varient of the 6a and it'd be running perfect ....but oh well....Mitsu will make their money, and they have the Evo to lead their "motorsports" aspect of their lineup...So if they sell more power to mitsu for making a car people buy
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English please? What the hell is a 6a13TT?
 
As for being a DSM and EVO enthusiast, Mitsubishi sucked another big one with this new ride. It is an embarrasement they still call it an Eclipse ever since 2000.
 

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