New Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross detailed for Oz

Despite earlier production capacity concerns Mitsubishi’s all-new Eclipse Cross will arrive in Australian showrooms from December 22 as promised.

The small SUV, which sits above the ASX and below the Outlander in Mitsubishi’s local portfolio, will be priced from $30,500 (plus on-road costs).

Although the $30K-plus starting price is higher than that of Mitsubishi’s newly released 18MY Outlander rage ($27,990 drive-away), Mitsubishi Australia may next year introduce a cheaper ES version of the Eclipse Cross.

For now, Mitsubishi says it will compete with “upper compact SUV rivals” including the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Nissan QASHQAI, giving Mitsubishi’s strong-selling SUV fleet another shot in the arm.

First revealed at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, the Eclipse Cross is produced with direct-injected 1.5-litre petrol and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engines matched to six-speed manual or CVT and eight-speed automatic transmissions respectively.

Locally, however, it will be offered only with the 110kW/250Nm petrol engine and CVT combination in two equipment grades – the latter with all-wheel drive.

In front-drive form the Eclipse Cross returns an ADR Combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 7.3L/100km (165g/km CO2 emissions), while AWD variants consume 7.7L/100km (and emit 174g/km).

The Japanese-built Eclipse Cross rides on a strut front, multi-link rear suspension arrangement and is stopped by four-wheel disc brakes. All variants ride on 18-inch alloy wheels (with space-saver spare).

Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) electronically-controlled permanent all-wheel drive system features brake-activated Active Yaw Control (a form of torque vectoring).

The S-AWC system offers three preset modes (Normal, Snow and Gravel) and the Eclipse Cross offers competitive off-road geometry with 183mm of ground clearance, an 18.8-degree approach angle and 29.2-degree departure angle.

It measures 4405mm long, 1805mm wide and rides on a 2670mm wheelbase -- just 50mm longer than the ASX.

The toughened body is said to provide not only top-notch crash protection, but also “precise handling and stability”, a point we’ll assess with interest when Eclipse Cross becomes available to test in Australia in late January.

Distinguished by Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield frontal design treatment, the Eclipse Cross’ styling bears a family semblance not dissimilar to the larger Outlander.

The rear, however, is completely new to the brand, its raked tailgate punctuated by a horizontally divided window, the dividing bar forming part of the SUV’s all-LED ‘tubular’ tail-light array.

Inside, the modern five-seat cabin offers a 60:40-split folding rear seat with slide and recline adjustment. Sliding 200mm the rear bench expands the cargo bay from 341 to 448 litres, or to more than 1000 litres with the seats folded flat. The rear bench offers eight recline settings ranging from 16 to 32 degrees.

The front seats are adjusted electronically on higher-grade Exceed variants and feature seat heaters. The choice of cloth or leather upholstery is model-grade specific.

On the technology front, the Eclipse Cross boasts a 7.0-inch touch-screen digital radio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and digital radio as standard.

The infotainment system may be accessed via the touch-screen, voice commands, steering wheel-mounted controls or via a Lexus-esque touchpad on the centre console.

Again, depending on model grade, the Eclipse Cross offers a significant level of driver safety technology, including head-up display, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, auto high-beam, pedestrian detection (camera and radar-based), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, misacceleration detection, and a 360-degree camera system.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The Eclipse Cross was tuned and tested for Australian conditions as part of a local validation and development program.

The localisation work extended to suspension and steering calibration, and powertrain and NVH assessment. Mitsubishi joins Ford, Holden, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia and Toyota in fine-tuning its models for Aussie roads.

Mitsubishi estimates the Eclipse Cross will become a strategic member of its SUV line-up and believes it will be among the top 10 sellers in its market segment.

The Japanese brand currently leads the small SUV segment in Australia, its ASX selling 15,327 units to the end of October. The mid-size Outlander ranks fifth in the medium SUV segment with 13,832 unit sales over the same period.

“Mitsubishi has a long history in developing innovative and exciting new models, and the Eclipse Cross will build on our reputation as a leader in the SUV segment,” said Mitsubishi Australia CEO, John Signoriello.

“We are excited to be able to announce the details of the forthcoming Eclipse Cross and we are looking forward to a strong 2018, as our expanded SUV range hits the road.”

2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross pricing (plus ORCs):
LS 2WD 1.5 CVT – $30,500
Exceed 2WD 1.5 CVT – $36,000
Exceed AWD 1.5 CVT – $38,500