Leading the Mitsubishi resurgence in 2006 is the brilliantly conceived all new Eclipse Coupe. Its striking, taut profile and exotic good looks are sure to turn heads everywhere. Completely redesigned from the ground up and built expressly for the North American market, this two door, four passenger, high performance luxury sports car is available in two trim levels, the fully featured Eclipse GS and the muscular 263 horsepower Eclipse GT V6.
Eclipse for 2006 represents advances in styling, engine output and ride comfort. Conceived to combine head turning design and performance with the utility of a daily driver, the new two door Eclipse coupe sports an impressive power range, room for four adults and several new safety and luxury amenities, without sacrificing the incredible value that the Eclipse name has come to represent.
"The 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse is a thrilling new model in this segment," said Paul Cummings, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc. "On one hand it's a pavement ripping sports car with more horsepower than a Mustang V6, and on the other hand it's a refined, luxurious Grand Touring coupe with excellent ride and handling characteristics."
A State of the Art Chassis
For 2006 Eclipse's unibody structure is stronger and more rigid. Every opening, including doors, hatch and engine compartment, has been reinforced to help resist the bending and twisting forces exerted on an automobile. Its body employs high tensile strength steel panels to reduce body weight and increase body rigidity, as well as new straight frame rails. This exceptionally robust structure is the key to ride quality, handling performance and feel, plus overall refinement and safety.
Exterior – Stunning Comes to Mind
The Eclipse's exterior design makes a bold visual statement distinguishing itself from the traditional and conservative. Its athletic fender arches, wind tunnel inspired front fascia and long, arching C-pillar help the Eclipse carve out its own unique style. Purposeful front and rear fenders help communicate an image of stability and power. Its strong visual silhouette is wedge shaped, highlighted by a forward cab and trim waistline that screams athlete. From the front, the larger fenders help accommodate the wide track and reinforce the Eclipse's hunkered down stance, while air intakes in the front fascia convey an image of purpose. An added benefit of this sleek interior is a low coefficient of drag.
Interior – Harmony with Function
The cockpit of the new Eclipse is a driver oriented, futuristic design. Its dashboard is composed of a sculpted, modern form housing intuitive controls for driver and passenger. The centre dash features a climate and audio control stack designed to resemble a modern audio interface. Prominent is a signature Mitsubishi LCD display providing audio, time and directional information. At night, gauges and control knobs are illuminated with striking ice-blue LED lamps that help create a sophisticated ambience. Attractive one piece sport seats provide superior comfort and support. They are covered in cloth or available leather and feature deep accent lines to emphasize their appearance.
Drivetrain – Ideal Choices
The 2006 Eclipse is powered by one of two excellent engines. The GS Coupe employs Mitsubishi's acclaimed 2.4 litre, SOHC, 16 valve, MIVEC 4 cylinder engine, producing 162 hp @ 6000 rpm and 162 lb ft of torque @ 4000 rpm. The MIVEC system (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control) makes use of different sized camshaft lobes to vary valve lift and duration, producing optimum power at all engine speeds, and ensuring that Eclipse GS achieves a high level of performance. This flexible engine is mated to a smooth shifting 5 speed manual transmission or an optional Sportronic™ sequential shift 4 speed automatic.
The Eclipse GT Coupe is well suited to those who enjoy brute power with their luxury. The GT features a 3.8 litre, 60 degree, aluminum head, SOHC, 24 valve V6 engine, also enhanced by the MIVEC system. Rated at 263 horsepower @ 5750 rpm and 260 lb-ft of torque @ 4500 rpm, this willing V6 provides significant power and tremendous torque throughout the rev range. Revised ignition timing and an improved EGR (Exhaust Gas Recovery) rate provide improved fuel economy over the previous V6 engine. And additional rigidity incorporated into the 3.8 litre block and the engine mounting areas, brings a reduction in NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness).
The 3.8 litre V6 engine is mated to a either new, smooth shifting 6-speed manual transmission or a sophisticated 5-speed automatic transmission with Sportronic™ mode. Sportronic™ allows the spirited driver to manually control clutchless shifts with the simple push or pull of the shift lever.
Suspension & Steering
The Eclipse's fully independent suspension was designed to provide superior stability, excellent ride quality and precise, predictable handling. The front end uses MacPherson struts with the addition of a large rigid cross member to help control torsional flexing. The rear utilizes a multi-link configuration with trailing arms and coil springs. Anti-sway bars are employed at both front and rear. The Eclipse's wide (1570 mm) front and rear track provide superior stability and control. In the interest of handling and ride quality Eclipse is equipped with attractive 17", 5 spoke aluminum wheels with 225/50R17 V-rated tires or optional 18", 7 spoke aluminum wheels wrapped in 235/45R18 V-rated tires. The Eclipse utilizes a proven rack-and-pinion power steering design which provides direct feeling and response, while effort multiplication allows low speed steering control that makes parking and tight maneuvering easy.
Safety and Brakes
Standard safety equipment includes advanced driver and front passenger airbags with Dual Stage inflators and driver's seat position occupant sensors, front passenger seat occupant weight sensors, front seat mounted side-impact airbags, and front side curtain airbags. All seating positions have 3 point safety belts. Front seats have height adjustable shoulder anchors plus pretentioners and force limiters for the front safety belts.
Four wheel disc brakes are standard on every Eclipse. The large front ventilated discs measure 294mm in diameter. Rear brakes are 262mm solid discs on the GS, and 284mm ventilated discs on the GT. Coupled with standard anti-lock braking (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), the Eclipse's powerful, fade resistant brakes provide excellent control during high speed braking and on rain soaked or low traction roads.
Eclipse GS Coupe
The new Mitsubishi Eclipse GS sporty coupe combines high performance, cutting-edge technology and handsome styling with a level of standard equipment features not normally found on vehicles in its price range. Performance features include four-wheel disc brakes, an anti-lock braking system, 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels and 225/50R V-Rated all season tires. Comfort and convenience features include remote keyless entry with trunk opener, solar-control glass, height-adjustable driver's seat, power windows and door locks, six-way adjustable heated front seats with adjustable lumbar support, 50/50 split fold-down rear seatback and sport fabric interior. The intuitive center stack contains controls for a 140-watt, six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system and electronic air conditioning.
Sun & Sound Package for GS
An optional Sun & Sound Package is available for the Eclipse GS. It includes a one touch power sunroof; Centre LCD display for time, audio, compass, external temperature; Electrochromic auto-dimming rearview mirror; 650W Rockford Fosgate 6 CD/MP3 audio system with 9 speakers including 10" subwoofer, PUNCH Audio Dynamics, with steering wheel mounted controls.
Eclipse GT Coupe
The Eclipse GT adds to the standard equipment level found on the GS and takes performance and sophistication to levels expected only on the most expensive sports cars. A key feature is its 263 hp, 3.8 litre MIVEC V6 that generates 260 lb-ft of torque. This refined, silky smooth, free revving V6 mated to either a six-speed manual or a five-speed Sportronic™ transmission, delivers ferocious acceleration at all times, competitive with other high performance sports cars costing thousand of dollars more. Other GT features include bigger brakes, traction control with an on/off switch, integrated fog lamps, stainless steel exhaust tips. Optional for GT only is a leather package, driver's power seat and 18" 7-spoke alloy wheels with P235/45R V-Rated performance tires.
Premium Sport Package for GT
A Premium Sport Package also is available on the Eclipse GT. The package includes : One touch power sunroof; Electrochromic auto-dimming rearview mirror; 650W Rockford Fosgate 6 CD/MP3 audio system with 9 speakers including 10" subwoofer, PUNCH Audio Dynamics, with steering wheel mounted controls; Automatic climate control; Leather surfaced front seats; Power adjustable drivers seat; Aluminum pedals; 18" seven spoke alloy wheels.
Premium Audio
Mitsubishi Motors and Rockford Corporation have teamed up to offer a high fidelity/high output Rockford Fosgate audio system. The Eclipse's optional premium audio system features 650W amplification with nine speakers including a 10", long throw subwoofer in a fiberglass reinforced acoustic suspension enclosure. The 6-disc, in-dash CD changer also plays MP3 files. In addition to the usual bass, midrange, treble, fader and balance controls, the Eclipse's advanced Digital Signal Processor (DSP) gives the user total control over the subwoofer "Punch" level. It offers custom music genre equalizer settings and sound field image settings including: Normal, Stage, Live and Hall. The Rockford Fosgate system also offers an industry first DSP sound setting memory function that allows users to configure all eight DSP settings and save them in six preset locations for their favorite CDs, artists, or music genres
Source: Mitsubishi
