3 years ago
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The cover of South Africa's Car magazine of March 1984 featured a Mitsubishi Tredia Turbo.
It was clearly in a state of brisk momentum, leaning to one side in a hard corner more or less on its door handles, as cars from that era seemed to behave.
That was almost 40 years ago, when turbocharged cars were still very much a novelty. Today, the practice of forced-induction is commonplace. Normally-aspirated offerings are a rarity in most categories.
As it was then, Mitsubishi remains a left-field player among mainstream Japanese brands and is eclipsed in popularity by the likes of Toyota, Nissan and newer Chinese marques.
But it has a loyal base of customers who admire the virtues punted by the brand, including a sense of durability forged through successes in off-road motorsport pursuits during decades gone by. Mitsubishi is no longer a presence in the World Rally Championship or the Dakar rally.
Though you should not let that put you off, because the brand offers an array of products worth looking at. The Triton, for example, is especially underrated in its segment. Later this year the brand plans to release a new Outlander which takes a slightly more upmarket approach.
Earlier this year it released a top-grade version of the Eclipse Cross, wearing the GLS Exceed moniker. We spent a week with the model.
There is no denying the Eclipse Cross is an edgy and striking design. At the front, it sports the “dynamic shield” familial styling language, with a prominent, grille, chrome inserts and quadruple light clusters.
The rear of the 2019 Eclipse Cross was polarising, with its split-window arrangement. Things appear far more cohesive this time, with a redesign that takes on a conventional appearance.
Referring back to my original report on that model, sentiments were largely negative. One of my gripes was the lacklustre performance from the normally aspirated 2.0l four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a continuously-variable transmission (CVT).
Thankfully, a turbocharged mill was added to the Eclipse Cross range. In the GLS Exceed you will find power coming from a 1,499cc, turbocharged petrol unit with four cylinders, good for 110kW and 250Nm. It is still linked to a CVT, sending power to the front wheels. Performance is reasonably peppy and the Eclipse Cross happily deals with the average spread of environments, from uphill sections through town, to freeway cruising.
Average consumption after a week of (conservative) driving was 10l/100km; quite a margin off the 7.7l/100km the manufacturer claims.
Ride quality and cruising manners of the Eclipse Cross deserve praise. The suspension damping is superb, with an excellent balance between firmness and comfort.
Its cabin is also assuredly insulated and while the overall layout is not as future-forward as some rivals, build quality is good and so are the grades of materials used. The leather upholstery feels convincing and the (heated) front seats are bolstered generously.
Speaking of generous, the equipment list of the GLS Exceed is quite lengthy. Included as standard is a panoramic sunroof, keyless-entry and starting, reversing camera, blind-spot monitor and head-up display. It also gains ultrasonic frontal sensors that prevent low-speed misacceleration incidents.
Safety kit is comprehensive, with seven airbags in addition to the usual fare of anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control and electronic brake-force distribution. R560,000 is the asking price, inclusive of a five-year/90,000km service plan and three-year/100,000km warranty.
In this segment you would also be looking at the likes of the Toyota Corolla Cross, Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona and Kia Seltos.
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