Photo: Mitsubishi
Earlier today, we were reporting that Mitsubishi’s all-new compact crossover is rumored to be called Eclipse. Now that Mitsubishi dropped a teaser image of the thing, it’s obvious that the new kid on the block is trying to play the exterior styling card.
The Eclipse nameplate has yet to be confirmed by the Japanese automaker, but Mitsubishi makes it crystal clear that “the sporty, coupe-like SUV will line up alongside the Mitsubishi ASX [Outlander Sport] and Mitsubishi Outlander.”
Lighting the image up a little bit reveals a few hits and, of course, a few misses. The front fascia, for example, is heavily inspired by the Outlander facelift and XR-PHEV II concept vehicle. The V-shaped C-pillar is pretty special in its own right, as are the Volvo XC90-like taillights that extend upward.
Whereas the ASX and Outlander have their side mirrors affixed at the curvature of the A-pillar, the yet-unnamed compact model has them mounted on the front doors. It looks the part up to this point, short rear overhang and all, but then you notice how the small-ish wheels appear to be lost in the wheels arches. From a visual standpoint, that’s not exactly dignifying.
According to the automaker, the Eclipse or whatever its nameplate is will “broaden the brand’s model range and introduce a whole new audience to Mitsubishi Motors, a name long associated with stylish, tough, and extremely capable SUVs and 4X4s.” Reading between the lines, it seems to be Mitsubishi inadvertently confirmed that the model will be offered with all-wheel-drive.
Regarding the underpinnings, a shortened Outlander platform will have to make to. Under the hood, a 1.5 turbo and a 2.2-liter turbo diesel will do the talking, as will a six-speed manual and a continuously variable transmission.
To whom it may concern, Mitsubishi will take the veils off its coupe-like SUV on March 7, 2017, at the poshest auto show of the year: Geneva.
Lighting the image up a little bit reveals a few hits and, of course, a few misses. The front fascia, for example, is heavily inspired by the Outlander facelift and XR-PHEV II concept vehicle. The V-shaped C-pillar is pretty special in its own right, as are the Volvo XC90-like taillights that extend upward.
Whereas the ASX and Outlander have their side mirrors affixed at the curvature of the A-pillar, the yet-unnamed compact model has them mounted on the front doors. It looks the part up to this point, short rear overhang and all, but then you notice how the small-ish wheels appear to be lost in the wheels arches. From a visual standpoint, that’s not exactly dignifying.
According to the automaker, the Eclipse or whatever its nameplate is will “broaden the brand’s model range and introduce a whole new audience to Mitsubishi Motors, a name long associated with stylish, tough, and extremely capable SUVs and 4X4s.” Reading between the lines, it seems to be Mitsubishi inadvertently confirmed that the model will be offered with all-wheel-drive.
Regarding the underpinnings, a shortened Outlander platform will have to make to. Under the hood, a 1.5 turbo and a 2.2-liter turbo diesel will do the talking, as will a six-speed manual and a continuously variable transmission.
To whom it may concern, Mitsubishi will take the veils off its coupe-like SUV on March 7, 2017, at the poshest auto show of the year: Geneva.
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