Not only since successful endurance test of the Mitsubishi Plug-in Hybrid Outlander We (here at autohub.de) care about the well-being of the rather small Japanese automobile manufacturer. You've always drawn attention to yourself there with innovative technology, solid cars and serious advances. But the model portfolio alone in Germany is still suffering from the effects that the group had to go through over the last few decades. This goes back to the unfortunate attempt by Daimler to integrate the brand with the “three diamonds” into the group. But it is becoming more and more evident - Mitsubishi is on the right track! The plug-in hybrid Outlander is probably still the best example of the power of Mitsubishi's innovations.
World premiere of the Eclipse Cross in Geneva
The SUV coupe in the diamond sky
When the Geneva Motor Show opens at the beginning of March, Mitsubishi will have a brand new SUV on the stand. From the front it speaks the language of ASX and Outlander, from the back and from the side you can see the brand's sporty genes. Clearly, this SUV aims high. The wheelbase of the Eclipse Cross is the same as that of the ASX, but the new SUV Coupé is otherwise a little more massive. It's sturdy on the street, the first photos make you want more.
The Eclipse Cross will also have a completely newly developed 1.5 liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with turbocharging (performance still unclear, but 150 hp should be), or have the well-known and further developed 2.2 liter turbo-diesel. Here, too, 150 hp are likely to be expected. While the new turbo gasoline engine can be combined with a manual six-speed gearbox or a continuously variable automatic, Mitsubishi has a new 8-speed automatic gearbox in the quiver for the diesel. Both variants have the all-wheel drive, which Mitsubishi has successfully developed since the World Rally Championships and is known under the name “Super All-Wheel Control”.
With the “active yaw control system”, the Eclipse Cross also takes on all-wheel control, the roots of which can also be found in the rally hero “Mitsubishi Evo”. This also includes a torque vectoring system.
A new, modern cockpit structure dominates the interior. A large free-standing multimedia system with Apple CarPlay and Android auto connectivity is available and for the first time there is a head-up display for the driver.
The first photos also reveal a new touch control panel for using the multimedia system.
The open questions remain:
Hybrid drive? And what does the Eclipse Cross cost?
We sincerely hope that Mitsubishi will equip the Eclipse Cross with a plug-in hybrid drive. At the base price, we would see a positioning between the ASX and the Outlander. So the basic variant should start at around 22.500 euros.