2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Premium review from North America
"Great Fun to Drive"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The right mirror was scratched on delivery.
Wrong tire inflation sticker attached to door.
Speedo might be out (have been told its not)
General comments?
The car so far has been excellent. It is a little pricey to run inside the city as they recommend premium gasoline for it and the gas mileage is not all that great.
Highway Mileage is similar to most V6's out there although the car should have been designed with a 6th gear for cruising as the RPM's sit around 2750 at 110 KM/H.
The Cars handling is feels a little heavy into the corners, but still seems to remain attached to the pavement. The suspension is a little limp at first, but in heavy cornering seems to stiffen up.
The interior comforts I found were designed around passenger and driver. The CD changer is easy to control and pretty basic. The rear seating is designed for small children/car seats as anyone that is over 5 feet will feel cramped. Road noise is relatively loud in the rear seat.
The stereo is very well designed and trunk space will hold three peoples camping gear (including coolers). I was thoroughly amazed at this aspect of the car.
Performance wise this car with the K&N filter will eat an Acura RSX for breakfast. (tested 4 times on a drag strip with 2 different RSX's). Having 90% of your torque at 2000 rpm also makes it very easy to spin your tires on painted lines and wet roads (traction control on a standard would have been nice).
My car has been excellent to drive. I have included some recommended upgrades below.
Recommended upgrades:
K&n Filter (the stock filter is like trying to pass air through a pillow)
18" Rims or Wider 17" rims for wider tires to help handling.
Stiffer springs/shocks (possible lowering kit)
Recommended reviews
| Fun, but noisy and unreliable |
|
| 2002 - Eclipse GS 2.4L 4 cylinder Want information about the 4cyl Eclipse. HERE IT IS! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0L V6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 34 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 6100 kilometres |
| Previous car | Pontiac Sunbird |
| Date of Entry | 1st October, 2003 |