Without fanfare, the brilliantly refined and superbly engineered 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe has been introduced by Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc. (MMSCAN). With its striking profile and truly impressive good looks, this two door, four passenger, high performance luxury sports car still stands out from the crowd – and sizzles into the 2008 model year with new colours, new trim details, new options and additional safety equipment.
Designed in California and built expressly for the North American market, the 2008 Eclipse Coupe is available in two luxurious trim levels, the fully featured 162 hp 4-cylinder Eclipse GS and the muscular 263 hp V6 Eclipse GT-P. Both Eclipse models have front wheel drive, room for four, are genuinely exciting to drive, come packed with standard features, and offer head turning styling – all without sacrificing the incredible value that Eclipse has come to represent.
"The Mitsubishi Eclipse represents a look into the future." said Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc. (MMSCAN) "It has the refinement and true luxury expected of a world class grand touring coupe, and at the same time it offers serious sports car performance combined with superb driving and handling characteristics. Eclipse is not a compromise, it's a revelation of design excellence."
Driveline Packages – GS is wonderfully civilized. GT-P a little less so.
The 2008 Eclipse GS and GT-P offer different driveline packages. The GS Coupe uses 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 makes use of different sized camshaft lobes to vary valve lift and duration, producing optimum power at all engine speeds, and ensuring a high level of performance.) This smooth and flexible engine is mated to a smooth shifting 5-speed manual transmission or an optional Sportronic® sequential shift 4-speed automatic. Both of these combinations deliver a thrilling driving experience as well as excellent fuel efficiency.
And for those who insist on brute power along with their luxury, the Eclipse GT-P 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. Quite the experience. And its rigid block also helps to reduce NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness). The 3.8 litre V6 engine is mated to either a 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.
Chassis & Safety – Always a priority
The unibody structure used for the 2008 Eclipse is both strong and rigid. Every opening, including doors, hatch and engine compartment, has been reinforced to help resist the bending and twisting forces exerted on an automobile. It employs high tensile strength steel panels to reduce body weight and increase body rigidity, as well as new straight frame rails. This RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) unibody disperses energy loads during side and rear collisions and controls distortion, enhancing occupant protection and helping to protect the fuel system in the event of a rear impact. In addition, this exceptionally robust structure is a key factor in ride quality, handling performance and feel, plus overall refinement and safety.
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. Additional safety features include side impact door protectors, a LATCH system for CRS, an engine immobilizer and anti-theft system, and a tire pressure monitoring system, which is new for 2008.
Fade resistant four wheel disc brakes are standard. Large front ventilated discs complement solid discs on the GS and ventilated discs on the GT-P for the rear. Both models feature anti-lock braking (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and GT-P models are equipped with traction control (TCL) which can be turned off.
Suspension & Steering – State of the art
Eclipse features a MacPherson strut type independent front suspension which employs a strut tower bar to enhance lateral rigidity for improved steering response. The rear suspension is an advanced multilink and coil system that provides an excellent balance of handling and ride comfort. Stabilizer bars are used at both the front and rear. Steering is power assisted and uses a rack and pinion system with 2.64 turns lock to lock. In the interest of better handling, ride quality and good looks, Eclipse GS is equipped with 17 inch Lipless alloy 5-spoke wheels and P 225/50R17 all season tires. And new for 2008, GT-P models feature beautiful18 inch Lipless alloy 7-spoke wheels with Sword Silver finish and P235/45R18 all season tires.
Eclipse GS Coupe – When you're hot you're hot
The 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS Coupe combines high performance, breakthrough technology and stunning styling with a level of standard equipment rarely found on vehicles in its price range. Outside, its remarkable beauty is complemented by halogen headlamps; colour keyed body side air dams, side view mirrors and door handles; a black front grill and a clear type rear spoiler with integrated stop lamp. Plus, dramatic 17 inch Lipless alloy 5-spoke wheels and P 225/50R17 tires. Very attractive. Inside, the purposeful cockpit is a driver oriented, futuristic design. Its dashboard is composed of a sculpted modern form, housing intuitive controls for both driver and passenger.
The centre dash features a climate and audio control stack designed to resemble a modern entertainment interface. At night, white on black gauges and control knobs are illuminated with striking ice-blue LED lamps that help create a sophisticated ambience. A sport wrapped steering wheel and leather wrapped shift knob are standard, while attractive one piece contoured seats covered in high quality sport fabric provide superior comfort and support. Other features include a 140W AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with 6 speakers; manual air conditioning; height adjustable driver's seat; heated front seats; manual 4-way passenger seat with walk in; 50:50 split fold-down rear seatback; power brakes, steering, side view mirrors, door locks with security logic, windows + driver side auto down; cruise control, illuminated visor mirrors, rear in-glass antenna, rear intermittent wiper/washer and remote keyless entry with trunk opener. And more.
Optional Sun & Sound Package for GS: Includes a one touch power sunroof; Centre LCD display for time, audio, compass, external temperature; electrochromic auto-dimming rearview mirror; 650W Rockford Fosgate® audio system with a 6 disc, in dash, CD/MP3 player with 9 speakers including a 10" subwoofer, PUNCH® Audio Dynamics, with steering wheel mounted audio controls; and, new for 2008, Sirius® satellite radio with six months complimentary service.
Instrument Panel Design Choices – Available instrument panel / dashboard colour choices include Dark gray on Dark gray, Medium gray on Medium grey and lastly, Dark gray on Terra Cotta, which is available in GT-P models only.
New exterior colours for 2008 are: Optimist Green, Rave Red, Northstar White
Eclipse GT-P Coupe – Sophistication and then some
The Eclipse GT-P adds to the standard equipment level found on the GS and takes the performance and sophistication to new levels. A key feature, of course, is its 263 hp, 3.8 litre MIVEC V6 that generates 260 lb-ft of torque. This refined, free revving V6 delivers ferocious acceleration at all times and is competitive with other high performance sports cars costing thousand of dollars more. Other features include bigger brakes, traction control with an on/off switch, integrated fog lamps, a red rocker cover with MIVEC logo and, new for 2008, a bright aluminum entrance scuff plate. Also standard on the GT-P are leather trimmed seating surfaces, an 8-way adjustable (6-way power) driver's seat, automatic climate control with electric dial, and 18 inch Lipless alloy 7-spoke wheels with Sword Silver finish and P235/45R18 all season tires. In addition Eclipse GT-P models feature all of the items in the Sun & Sound Package as standard equipment.
A word about audio
Mitsubishi Motors and Rockford Corporation have teamed up to offer the high fidelity/high output Rockford Fosgate® audio system. The Eclipse's available premium 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. Wow.
Source: Mitsubishi
