Overview & Reviews

For nearly 20 years, the Mitsubishi Eclipse has been one of America's more popular sport coupes. Reasons for its success include sleek styling, powerful engines, a decent amount of comfort and affordability. As these traits also describe traditional domestic rear-drive sport coupes, the Mitsubishi Eclipse has been called the Japanese version of a pony car. And like those seeming influences, the Eclipse is known more for its straight-line performance than outright cornering prowess. The Eclipse has also always been designed solely for the U.S. market and is a rarity in other parts of the world.

The original Eclipse was the result of a joint venture started in the mid-'80s between Mitsubishi and Chrysler, known as Diamond Star Motors (DSM). For model-year 1990, at a plant in central Illinois, the Diamond Star triplets bowed -- similar versions of the same Mitsubishi-engineered car, including the Eclipse, the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser. With the subsequent demise of the Eagle and Plymouth brands, only the Eclipse remains in production.

In total, there have been four generations of the Eclipse. Measured in terms of all-around performance and design, the latest one is certainly no slouch. But an earlier Eclipse, assuming it has been cared for properly, would make an affordable and enjoyable purchase for the budding sport coupe enthusiast.

Current Mitsubishi Eclipse
Mitsubishi's sport coupe is offered in base GS, GS Sport, the sporty-looking SE and more athletic GT trim levels. All are front-wheel drive and share their basic platform with the Galant sedan. The base level Mitsubishi Eclipse GS is reasonably well-equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning and full power features along with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine good for 162 horsepower. The GS Sport uses the same drivetrain, but adds many of the GT's styling elements and extra features like heated leather front seats and a power driver seat. The SE essentially gets some special wheels and styling elements. In addition to its burly 265-hp, 3.8-liter V6, the GT has a sport-tuned suspension and larger brakes. Stability control is standard across the entire line.

The GS comes with a five-speed manual, while a four-speed automatic transmission with a sequential-shift Sportronic mode is available as an option. The GS Sport has the automatic as standard. The GT is only available with a five-speed Sportronic automatic.

In reviews, the Mitsubishi Eclipse earned favorable commentary for its powerful V6 engine, comfortable front seating and stylish interior. Noted downsides include a hefty curb weight that dulls handling, sluggish acceleration on four-cylinder models, subpar V6 fuel economy, a large turning radius and mediocre interior construction.

Used Mitsubishi Eclipse Models
The latest generation of the Mitsubishi Eclipse debuted for the 2006 model year. There were initially four trim levels: GS, SE, SE-V6 and GT. Not much changed until 2009, when the SE trims were dropped, stability control was added for the GT (and later became standard for all Eclipses for 2010), and the car received a mild face-lift that included a more aggressive, Lancer Evo-like front fascia. The SE returned for 2012.

A six-speed manual was standard on the GT until 2011, but otherwise, powertrains are the same as the current Eclipse line. The GS Sport arrived for 2010 and for '11, 18-inch alloy wheels became standard for the base GS, the GS Sport received heated leather front seats and a power driver seat. That year saw blacked-out roofs on all Eclipses.

Many consumers shopping for a used Mitsubishi Eclipse will likely encounter the previous, third-generation model, which was sold from 2000-'05. It has a hatchback body style, front-wheel drive and four-cylinder or V6 power. It's smaller and less refined than the generation that succeeded it. The RS and GS trims of this generation were powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder good for 154 hp. The GT had a smooth-revving 205-hp 3.0-liter V6. All could be had with either a five-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic.

Although this Eclipse was fairly popular with consumers, it attracted little critical acclaim. In Edmunds.com tests, editors noted that the Eclipse was not as sporting as previous versions and had a low-quality interior. Nor did the car change much during its run, though in 2003 Mitsubishi added a GTS trim that had a slightly more powerful V6 (210 hp) and more standard equipment.

When new, the first- and second-generation Eclipses were considered some of the best affordable sport coupes available. The original debuted in 1990. This Eclipse was also a hatchback, and these early models can be identified by their pop-up headlights. There were four different trim levels, each offering its own mix of powertrains. The top-of-the line model was the desirable Eclipse GSX, which boasted a 195-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive. In 1992, minor updates were made, including the addition of fixed headlights.

Compared to the foreshortened, almost stubby first Mitsubishi Eclipse, the second generation (1995-'99) seemed long, sleek and gorgeous. It was a bit bigger than the earlier car but in many ways very similar mechanically. As before, normally aspirated or turbocharged engines were offered, and AWD was available on turbocharged models. The first- and second-generation turbocharged engines were already quite powerful in factory trim, but extensive aftermarket support enabled tuners to boost power output considerably.

With any of these early models, poor resale values translate into very attractive purchase prices. But reliability has never been a strong point for the Eclipse, and finding a well-maintained one (especially a turbocharged model) that hasn't been modified and/or abused is imperative for the smart shopper.

User Reviews:

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  Great - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Brian Stamper - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I really like how well the car handles and performs. The only thing that i would like to see is that there be more performance upgrades for the new models because the older ones have a ton but the news have very little.

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  Hot car, bad mechanics - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By flowerstar333 - September 20 - 8:57 am

  This is my first car. I bought it at 79k miles used. 6 thousand miles later, weve put $6000 from the day I got it. Dealer sold it with the wrong transmission in it. That was 4000. Something with the steering wasnt right and a few other things that costed 1000. For a few months it was ok. During the summer when I turned it on, it just died after a few seconds. That hasnt happened since. I noticed a creaking sound to the right. It had a worn upper engine mount and transmission mount and a oil gasket leak which all costed 1200 to fix. I wouldnt suggest this for a first especially if you only have a min wage job! Its so much fun to drive but is that really worth all my money?

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  WOW - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By KWL33181 - September 17 - 5:03 am

  I just purchased my 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 6-speed, and WOW. It is extremely fast, and fun. Finding a dealer to give me the price I wanted was the hard part, but know it will be not getting too many tickets. I look forward to racing it in the SCCA, should be fun. It took me four weeks to get this car, hard to get all the options I wanted, but it was well worth the wait.

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  Great car great buy! - 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By zmass7ss - September 9 - 10:23 pm

  This is an amazing car the 5-speed manual is the way to go! It has great power, its very easy to drive, its okay on gas, and its a blast to drive! I would recommend this car to anybody! I love driving now, it hugs the road like no other car I have drove and its just a great car in general!

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  Great Car! Superior Handling/Suspension - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By netlisa22 - September 7 - 10:00 am

  Just got this car, everything is perfect. It takes high speeds like it doesnt feel a thing. Smooth ride, quiet, comfortable, fast. I love the body style, and sunroof. The interior lights are under the rear view mirror, no reaching behind you to turn them on and off. I like the orange gages. You hardly have to reach to change the radio station. There are places to store your stuff, and they even light up!

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  freddy - 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Arturito - August 29 - 10:00 am

  Its a fun ride. You feel the difference in speed and control compared to other vehicles. Everyone will enjoy this car.

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  the silver bullet - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Mark Flynn - August 26 - 2:00 am

  The bang for the buck with this car is unbeatable. You get a 3.0 lt V6 and a unique eye catching design for 20Gs. When i drive my car to home after workI forget about my daily stress and have some fun.

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  My dream come true - 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By jenn - August 12 - 12:53 pm

  I recently purchased a used 2000 Eclipse GT. I love it. It runs amazing and is the perfect car for me. It is stylish among being very resourceful. I wouldnt own any other car. I am 100% satisfied with its performance this far. It hasnt given me any problems. As far as I can tell it is going to be the best car I own.

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  GS or GT? - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Jason S - August 10 - 2:00 pm

  When I drove the GS I thought it was a pretty neat car. Then I made the mistake of driving the GT and had to fork over some more money to take that one. The ride is fairly quiet and it is great to drive. The interior at night is very pleasant on the eyes. The front seats are very comfortable!

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  Awesome Car! - 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Jessica Nevins - August 6 - 8:23 pm

  My Eclipse is very nice. It gets awesome gas mileage, and I love the way almost everything looks. The 6 disc CD changer is awesome. I definitely will stay in the Mitsubishi family!!