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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  Fun while it lasted, sort of - 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By dudeitstopher - September 14 - 10:14 am

  All sorts of electrical issues, coil packs blown, ECM, replaced water pump + timing belt + tensioner + radiator + thermostat to have a persistent overheating issue. The car itself was reliable for periods of time but when it would break, it was always expensive. Found a very low-price garage and had all of the work done there, reputable mechanic in my community but the car kept breaking down. Im going to part ways with it since the computer died and continues to blow fuses causing the car to stall and lose power WHILE driving. Very dangerous. Clean record on the car, unfortunately whoever owned it before me abused the car. Ill miss her, kind of.

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  1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS - 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By infinity8x3 - September 9 - 11:06 pm

  So far Ive had this car for a couple months and havent had too many problems. I bought it used and it did have a few kinks. One was the radiator fan went out and it overheated in a parking lot and then a couple weeks latter a hose blew and was spraying coolant all over the inside of the engine. Other than that, I have had no problems allthough the head gasket looks new. Paid $4k and dont regret it at all.

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  great car - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By vkb1982 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  this car is great, from the sound system to the exterior looks of it its amazing. The comfort of the seats and riding in the car is awesome.

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  Best car Ive owned - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By hot_karl - September 9 - 2:28 am

  After owning 3 Camaros I decided it was time to try something different so I went ahead and bought an Eclipse GT. I owned the car for 6 years and drove it hard all year round, did numerous cross country trips with it and had very few problems. It may not have been the fastest car out there but it was still very fun to drive. The handling felt great and the V6 sounded awesome when you revved it past 3000 rpm. Gas mileage hovered around 28-30 on my trips which consisted mostly of highway driving. I sold it about a year ago after I let a friend of mine drive it and he burnt up the clutch. Now Im trying to find another car that was just as great as my Eclipse was.

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  Great! - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By stevend44 - September 4 - 10:00 am

  i love this car@

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  2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse SE V6 - 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Speedy_Mitsubishi08 - August 30 - 12:26 am

  Im only 18 years old a Senior in High School African American and I am loving this car. The way it looks, the way it feels when you drive it, the 650 Watts sound system is great. The back seats may be small but whos to carry around but either your girl/boy friend. Good price for a good sports car. Leather seats are nice. Great acceleration and nice power V6 engine. All In All Love the Performance. I got everyone at after school just looking at when Im going 15-25 Mph just bumping the system and just the way it looks.

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  Piece of crap - 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Cookies Rock - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I hate this car with all my life! As soon as I got it I loved it because it was my dream car but I soon started regretting throughout the years Ive had it I had put in over 3 grand in the car it kept on breaking down on me all the time and finally my transmission went out on me and I kept up with my car too so its over all a piece of crap.

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  Nice to look at - 2011 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By jrpowell01 - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Just needed a car to get me to college. All I needed was a car that had a nice price target and looked nice.

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  Mitsubishi Eclipse for me - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By crumptown - August 21 - 10:00 am

  I have driven several sports cars over the years and this one compares favorably to the rest. The handling is excellent and it seems to grip the road like a larger car. I was surprised to see it classified as a subcompact because it feels larger than that. All in all an excellent buy.

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  Good hybrid of old eclipse and 3000GT - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By kiljaerdan - August 18 - 10:00 am

  This is a good strong vehicle with a low, wide sport stance. The handling is very good and nimble even above "driving" speeds. The interior is of intelligent design with only minor problems, like head room for those of us over 6 ft, which is compounded when you add the moonroof option. Economical with price and fuel, a good all around vehicle.