Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Price from £21,275
0-62mph 10.3 seconds
Top speed 127mph
MPG 42.8
CO2 151g/km
Earlier this summer, after more than 30 years together, my wife informed me she was a diehard showjumping fan. In our decades of togetherness, she’d never actually mentioned this. But then they say surprise keeps a relationship fresh. So, fully refreshed, we headed off to Badminton for the horse trials. We had a nice day, thank you, and she loved seeing the horses. I was more interested in the car park. It was wall-to-wall 4x4s. There was a scattering of ostentatious Range Rovers and high-end Mercs, their shiny wheels untroubled by mud, but the bulk of the cars were beaten-up, filth-encrusted pick-ups, and by far and away the most popular brand was Mitsubishi.
For years the Japanese marque has been known for building road-going rally cars; more recently it has become a sports utility specialist and clearly it thinks its client base are an active bunch. As well as Badminton, Mitsubishi sponsors both the England and Scotland rugby teams, the English netball team, Gloucester rugby, Edinburgh rugby and the Salford Red Devils. That’s a lot of potential customers. And many of them would do well to test the new Eclipse Cross. As you might have guessed it’s another SUV to fit into the brand’s line-up between the smaller ASX and the roomier Outlander. It’s the first complete work of designer Tsunehiro Kunimoto since he arrived as the brand’s head of design. He joined from Nissan, where he was responsible for the Juke – to my eye one of the ugliest cars ever to trundle off a production line. But he seems to have got all the fugliness out of his system and the Eclipse is a striking and composed car. The front end is angular and aggressive, while the rear features a split window with a clever spoiler that blends into its back lights. The sides feature a double ripple in the panelling which helps disguise the boxiness.
Inside, you’ll find a car keen to win you over. Up front you sit in the usual commanding splendour that a crossover bestows. Backseat passengers also have plenty of room. If you opt for the double glass roof, you’ll be very happy to spend time languishing in the car. All this space comes at the expense of the boot, which is not as big as that of some of its rivals. But to hear the way other car reviewers have greeted this shortcoming, you’d think the be-all-and-end-all of driving was a big boot… maybe that’s why there were so many pick-ups at Badminton.
Dials and screens are clear and simple to use. This is the first car I’ve encountered which offers the excellent Apple CarPlay or Android Auto as standard, but with no satnav. It makes sense as it saves duplicating a function. But if you have limited data on your phone or, like me, just like to have a satnav, you’ll have to move with the times.
The first engine is a lightweight 1.5 turbo petrol, and a 2.2 diesel is on the cards. You can opt for a 6-speed manual or a CVT auto transmission. CVT gearboxes are a mixed blessing. They are efficient, but can give you the sense that the car has no idea which gear it should be in. I’m a great respecter of indecisiveness, but in a car not so much. Once it does settle on a gear, the drive is smooth and calm – and having an MPG of over 40 in a car of this size will ease you past any irritations. All in all the Eclipse Cross makes for a very pleasant surprise, and what could be more refreshing in a new relationship?
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@MartinLove166
