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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  exciting drive - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By schumacher - August 18 - 2:00 am

  my mitsu is titanium w/sunroof and infinity sound which i find to be ok. i get lots of stares because this car just plain looks bad ass. and it is if you can handle a clutch and shifter in a racer fashion . i can rip a 7 second 0-60 and 15.2 1/4 mile. however i wish mitsu would have distanced itself from other cars of this type by offering a 230 hp, 235 lb.ft torque engine. it would have been the smart thing to do in order to draw people away from competitors such as acura and toyota.

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  Prior owner of 96 Eclipse in love again - 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Dorf - August 13 - 6:33 am

  I love Eclipses! Use to have a 96, and recently an 08 Versa (DULL ride). Just got this 2008 Eclipse GS in Rave Red (beautiful color!). What a difference between the Versa and this car. This car makes driving a THRILL again! Love it!

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  DONT BUY IT!!!! - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By RichardK84 - August 6 - 10:00 am

  In March of 03 I bought a new Eclipse GTS coupe. After the fact, I come to find that the delership screwed me on my purchase order and incresed my intrest rate by over 2 points. This is a common practice however the rate I was quoted then got the 2 point hold tacked on after the contract negotiation. As far as the vehicle is concerned, the doors consistently sag I have had them adjusted 3 times, the service engine light continually comes on even though I have it maintained my Mitsus service schedule. The vehicle is a horrible choice considering Ive had it 5 months and it is worth LESS THAN 50% of what I payed for it. If you are intrigued by this vehicle think twice.

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  not what i expected - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By moon - July 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car because it looked sporty but not the sports car price. I was disappointed. The 5-speed is fun to drive, but thats about it. After only a couple of weeks the supports on the trunk lid broke and wouldnt hold it up. Then the rear wheel bushings when bad almost imediately. It sounds like this car isnt too realiable. Not to mention it too 3 months to get the warrenty work done.

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  great mitsu - 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By krissie - July 30 - 10:00 am

  this car has great handleing and style.

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  Best Buy! - 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By EclipseOwner - July 24 - 10:36 am

  I purchased a 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS with the sportronic transmission. My Eclipse has the 650 watt Rockford Fosgate sound system which is excellent. I have had the car for 3 weeks now and it is an amazing car, it is fast even with the 4 cylinder and gets 31 mpg. It has a surprisingly spacious interior and Im 6 foot 1 so it has a large cabin. The car is very easy to take care of and is a great buy. I used to have a 2006 Eclipse but I was in an accident in April that totalled it. The Eclipse is extremely safe because in my accident I was in a head on collision with a Cadilac Escalade and I was completely safe.

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  mitsubishi 98 eclispse RS - 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By jay bird - July 21 - 10:00 am

  good reliable car, keep the oil change going, spark plugs go out real fast when it gets old, turning angle is not good

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  Best Sports Coupe Value - 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By Doug - July 17 - 12:36 am

  After testing driving the Scion tC, Honda Civic and the Ford Mustang V6 I test drove and purchased an Eclipse GS. While it is more expensive than the Scion and the Honda, I felt the Eclipse delivered more value. It has better acceleration than the Scion or Honda, has more comfortable seats, has a better interior layout, and a has much better exterior design. I did like the Mustangs exterior design, but its interior seemed cheap and poorly laid out. Overall the Mustang (which was more expensive than the Eclipse) just didnt seem to offer as much value.

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  Mixed bag - 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By PTS - July 15 - 2:10 am

  I bought mine in 2003. I was torn between the Eclipse GT and the Acura RSX Type S. I chose the Eclipse because money was an issue as I was fresh out of college and Mitsubishi was offering zero payments for a year and a lower APR than Acura thereafter. Plus the RSX was in its first run while this model of Eclipse was in its second. I figured Mitsubishi would have worked out some kinks by the second generation of that model. Overall I have been pretty pleased by the performance and mechanical build of the engine and drivetrain. I have issues however with the shoddy plastic quality of the dash, doors, trunk lining, etc. The interior is a synch to scratch with keys, luggage & other cargo.

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  Loved This Car - 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
  By webmaiden - July 9 - 10:36 am

  I bought this car brand new in 8-00. I have never had a minutes trouble except one time when the battery died. Other than that, I kept up with the normal maintenance, including oil changes, filters, tire rotations, tranny flush, timing belt, etc. I absolutely loved this car. I had it until the other day when a car ran a red light and I hit it. The airbags deployed and I walked away without a scratch. The car, however, suffered more damage than it was worth. I was very upset about having to give it up. Id probably buy another Eclipse, but would definitely upgrade. P.S. I got a great insurance settlement!