Conclusion

Mitsubishi is making 200 Eclipses available for sale in Canada every month until the end of 2005. Hopefully this will suffice to quench the demand for the car. So far, better sale numbers for 2005 seem to indicate that the Eclipse is doing its job. The problem with trendy coupes is that they usually only stay fashionable for two years. Mitsubishi needs to come up with more winning products if they are to maintain the momentum.

The more I drove the GS, the more I longed for a 5-speed manual gearbox. The longer I spent in the driver's seat of the GT, it became clearer that this car feels more out of sorts and miss-matched than a wellhoned sports car. In my mind, a Lancer based Eclipse sporting a turbocharged 2.0L and an AWD drivetrain sourced from the Lancer EVO would have made the Eclipse a more desirable coupe. On the other hand, I am but one person and I am certain that as is, the Eclipse will do very well. The fact that it is now the "Best backed Coupe in the World" can not hurt it either.


Good stuff:
V6 power
GS handling
Styling inside and out

Not so good stuff:
Torque steer (V6)
Under-steer (V6)

Competitors:
Honda Accord EX-V6 Coupe
Hyundai Tiburon
Toyota Celica (for a little while)
Acura RSX