Turning heads: Mitsubishi's Eclipse melds exciting styling with sporting performance

The other day I drove a new car that I swear is the lovechild of an Audi TT and a Nissan 350Z -- with a dash of Mercury Cougar thrown in just to add spice. Mitsubishi calls it their "all-new 2006 Eclipse" and it is their latest incarnation of the hot little street fighter that for a decade and a half has been the darling of the sports-compact craze.

Slinking around looking like a 350Z is not a bad thing, mind you. Who can resist staring when that bulging hyperstyled roadster slides up next to you? Love it or hate it, the 350Z gets your attention. And so does the new Eclipse. It looks fast --and it is. It looks cool -- and it is. And it wants -- no, demands -- to be gazed at.

Styling is the new four-seater's bargaining chip. Plunk down a bit less than $30,000 and you get a declaration of fashion that you don't see in front of every college dorm. While many other sporty coupes are toying with the more traditional look (like the Mustang, GTO and Charger), this asphalt eater has chosen the Japanese-tech route to the adrenaline experience. Although, at 263 horsepower, it doesn't have the punch to stay with a stampeding Mustang GT, is certainly has the eye appeal to attract loving glances from the younger crowd. If history repeats, it won't be long before after-market tuner-types will be wringing 300-plus horsepower from it.

So, is the Eclipse just a pretty face on an old worn-out chassis? Not quite. The good news is the car really is all-new from the ground up. It's longer, wider and heavier. The bad news is it doesn't set any new standards or explore new territory like the original did.

I remember the original Eclipse very well -- I almost bought one! It was 1989 and I came back to the dealership again and again. I read every article I could find. I drove the impressive turbo-charged all-wheel-drive version, the hot front-wheel drive version and the plain-Jane version. In the end, I bought something else because my growing family simply wouldn't fit inside, although believe me, I tried.

In that regard, the Eclipse hasn't changed. Try to put four people in it and people will talk about you behind your back. But strap two people into the excellent, form-fitting front seats, fire up the great-sounding, variable-valve-timed V-6 engine, select some tunes on the Rockford Fosgate 659-watt, 9-speaker, 6-CD sound system, and you'll be ready to rock and roll down the open road. The Eclipse is just plain fun to drive. It's not the fastest, nor the most comfortable, nor the quietest sport coupe you can buy, but when you're gripping that leather-covered wheel and your foot is deep into the computer-controlled, aluminum gas pedal, you'll be wearing a silly grin on your face. The engine sounds great when it's wound up, but doesn't distract you when it's loafing. There is a low-restriction exhaust system and a tuned air intake harmonizes to make music as good as the big sub-woofer mounted in the rear hatchback area.

Steering and tracking are good, and hard cornering produces no noticeable body lean or unexpected oscillations. This is a front-wheel-drive vehicle, with weight biased to the front end, so judicious use of the throttle is recommended. My GT test car came with traction control, large-diameter MacPherson front struts and low-mount multi-link rear suspension with coil-over gas shocks. It had a pleasant highway ride yet was composed on twisty roads.

Two hundred sixty three horsepower is a lot of juice, and the Eclipse is juiciest at 4,000 rpm and above, thanks to its "MIVEC" technology. That's "Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control," according to the spec sheet. The 3.8-liter engine dishes out 260 pound-feet of torque, with 90 percent of it available under 3,000 rpm. That's more punch than most V-8s were putting out just a few years ago, and it's enough to shoot you up to 60 mph in less than 7 seconds. My engine was mated to the company's new 5-speed Sportronic transmission, but a nifty new 6-speed manual with triple-cone synchronization is also available.

Standard equipment on the base GS model includes air conditioning, keyless entry, cruise control, power windows and locks, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a 140-watt six-speaker CD stereo. The eight-way manually adjustable driver's seat incorporates adjustable lumbar support, and the 50/50-split rear seatback folds down. A Premium Sport Package ($3,270) that my GT test car carried adds 18-inch wheels, heated leather front seating surfaces, automatic climate control, heated mirrors, aluminum pedals and the Rockford Fosgate audio system with subwoofer and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

The bottom number was $28,864, which, for a quick, well-equipped car with a 10-year/ 100,000 mile powertrain warranty, assembled in Normal, Ill., is actually a couple hundred dollars less than last year's model.

Steve Robertson of Robertson's Creative Photography is a car enthusiast and former staff writer/photographer for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at sjr1@robertsonsphotography.com.