Over the time on the market, Mitsubishi has offered us a variety of names and models we’ve gotten to know well. The Eclipse is a name we associate with being a sports car that’s fun to drive with dynamic qualities and the ride we want. While this particular name has been out of the market for a few years, Mitsubishi is ready to bring back this name in a new way to give us a look at something that will aid the brand in becoming the model that will increase the number of crossover SUVs that will be part of what we see on the market.
The Troubles Faced
For several years the Mitsubishi brand has become mired with the fact that it’s one of the few brands on the market that lacks a complete lineup of SUV models to choose from. For most of us, the right number of SUVs from a brand is three or more. So far, the Mitsubishi name has lived with the Outlander model which is offered in two sizes with the full-sized Outlander crossover SUV and the smaller Outlander Sport, with a serious hole missing in the middle of the lineup.
The Solution
The solution to the challenges that Mitsubishi has faced is to add a crossover SUV to the middle of the Outlander pair. This new model will be the Eclipse Cross which was put on display at the Geneva Motor Show. This new SUV will split the difference between the two models that share a name and give us a new vehicle that can get the job done. This new Eclipse Cross has been built with a sharply raked roofline and a look that puts it in a category that many of us want to enjoy on the road.
When this SUV shows up as a production model the expectation is that we’ll see a vehicle that has the All-Wheel Control system, which is the Mitsubishi name for the AWD systems on the road. The power for this SUV will come from either a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine or a 2.2-liter diesel engine. Most likely the diesel engine won’t make its way to the US, but the gasoline engine will be attached to a CVT automatic transmission. This new Eclipse Cross will be offered for the new 2018 model year and should arrive early next year.
Name Changes?
Now that we know the Mitsubishi lineup will be offered with three different crossover SUVs that can be enjoyed on the road the questions of whether or not a name change for one of the Outlander models come to mind. While Mitsubishi isn’t the only brand to offer two models that share a name with the smaller one adding sport to the title, the fact the Eclipse Cross will fit in between the two makes it a bit of a confusing situation. Maybe we’ll see new names in the future, but for now, we’ll have three SUVs that wear two names that we’re extremely familiar with.
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