Review and Test Drive: 2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SE 1.5T S-AWC

By Paul Riegler on 10 July 2019
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Mitsubishi teased us with the XR-PHEV and the XR-PHEV concepts earlier in the decade before bringing the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross to the market. The compact crossover made its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show and it slots betweenthe Outlander Sport and the Outlander in Mitsubishi’s lineup.

You may be wondering about the name and we were as well. The Eclipse name bears no relation to the automaker’s entry-level sports coupe of the same name that was assembled in the United States from 1989 through 2011.  The sporty Eclipse was named after an unbeaten 18th century racehorse that recorded 26 wins, giving the Eclipse crossover, which is manufactured in Japan, a heritage to live up to.  The 2019 Eclipse is unlikely to win any races but, at its launch, Mitsubishi did photograph it with the “Great American Eclipse” that took place in 2017 and further associated it with the marque by sponsoring an ABC television special on the solar eclipse.

The rather striking looking Mercury Gray Metallic arrived as spring was in the air and a trip to the village of Nyack and to Bear Mountain was being planned.  Make no mistake, while the unconventional, sculpted lines may not be for everyone, they make quite an impression.

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INSIDE THE 2019 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE CROSS SE 1.5T S-AWC

The Eclipse is well equipped in its base ES variant and the SE version (there are five trim levels, SE is the second highest), which we drove, comes with blind spot warning, lane-change assist, rear cross-traffic alert, a 24-month trial subscription to Mitsubishi’s Connect telematics and remote access system, heated seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and Sirius XM satellite radio with a three-month subscription.  The SE also comes with a 7” “Smartphone” display with touch controller pad that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (standard on all variants except the base ES), and a six-speaker sound system. Only the top-of-the-line SEL gets a head-up display, however. It’s fortunate that CarPlay is supported because the stock system is difficult to use.  Proper knobs and buttons were scarce: We couldn’t find a volume knob and settled for using the one on the steering wheel, but we are sure it must be out there somewhere.

Mitsubishi uses good quality materials in the interior and the high-quality heated fabric seats reminded me of the cars I had when I lived in Germany. Passengers in the spacious second row can recline.

Click here to continue to Page 2 – Driving the 2019 Mitsubishi Cross Eclipse

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