The 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse demonstrates how one small change can have a dramatic impact on the appearance of a car. Here, that change is a new front grille, which takes on the trapezoidal design of the grille on the automaker's Lancer Evolution sport sedan. The new grille gives the Eclipse a much more menacing shape, and it's a look that seems likely to appeal to sports car enthusiasts.
The Mitsubishi Eclipse was radically redesigned for the 2006 model year and it’s pretty unusual for such a new model to get such a significant facelift like we see here. However, the front end of the Eclipse — as well as the Eclipse Spyder convertible — was never its best angle. This update gives the car a more menacing and masculine look, something buyers want in a sporty coupe.
The Eclipse GT gets a few upgrades, including a new dual exhaust system boosting horsepower to 265 from 263. Yep: 2 horsepower. Stability control, larger rear disc brakes and HID headlights also comes standard on the GT model for 2009.
Otherwise not much changes for the Eclipse and Eclipse Spyder, but the grille is so radically different we think buyers will take notice. More photos below.
Forty-seven days and counting, and we can’t get enough news about the upcoming Detroit auto show. Today, Mitsubishi revealed two sketches — the second is below — of the Concept-RA it will debut at Cobo Hall in Detroit.
We’re not exactly sure why Mitsubishi is revealing a new coupe concept, but perhaps it is a precursor to the next Eclipse. The Concept-RA will feature a clean-diesel engine along with the all-wheel-drive drivetrain and dual clutch transmission from the new Mitsubishi Evo. A few years after its release, we’re still not sold on the Eclipse’s looks. What do you think? Already time for a change?
The reception for the redesigned Eclipse coupe was somewhat underwhelming when it hit the streets in 2006, but that isn’t stopping Mitsubishi from releasing a special edition package for 2008 that adds a lot of options standard, as well as some flashy badging and a rather large spoiler.
As you can tell by the photo above and in the gallery below, the most noticeable change for the Eclipse SE — it comes in both four-cylinder and six-cylinder versions — is the large rear wing. There are also a number of options standard, including the 650-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system, leather seats and a power moonroof, which cost an additional $3,540 as an option package in the regular GS and GT models. The SE treatment isn’t free, though, at a $3,800 premium over the GS and a $5,100 premium over the GT. The V-6 SE is also the only Eclipse available with an electronic stability system. The 2008s are on sale now. Full pricing and a photo gallery are below.
Before heading to New York for the upcoming auto show, I squeezed in a short trip to see some family in Florida. I had reserved an economy rental car at the airport, and they told me I would be driving a Chevy Cobalt — not the most exciting vehicle for a guy used to driving the latest and greatest every week. Then the kind woman behind the counter said, “Or you could rent a Mitsubishi Eclipse for $6 more a day.”
Since I was already spending spring break rates on the Cobalt, $6 was nothing. I was off in a basically brand new — 1,400 miles — Eclipse in sunny Florida, never thinking it would deserve any blog space, but glad I’d spent that extra $6.
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