Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Reviews

We get down to the nitty-gritty of the Eclipse Cross ES Plug-in Hybrid before we hand the keys back to Mitsubishi.

The more time I spend with the Eclipse Cross ES PHEV, the more I feel like I might have been right to be initially a little disappointed with it. But I'm also starting to understand its appeal.

The phrase ‘best of both worlds’, depending on how old you are, might be associated in your mind with one of two things: hybrid cars, or Miley’s Hannah Montana alter ego.But I haven’t spent the last month watching old Disney shows, so you’re here to read about a hybrid car. Specifically, the 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross ES PHEV.The entry-level variant to Mitsubishi’s plug-in hybrid EV line-up is spending a few months in the CarsGuide garage so we can decide if it’s worth the rather hefty price increase over a standard petrol Eclipse Cross.The ES grade in the Eclipse Cross range signifies the base model, and the car we’re testing is pretty sparse in terms of features - and not in a ‘simple is best’ kind of way.The purely petrol-powered version starts from $31,490, before on-road costs. Our plug-in hybrid version... $47,290.Yep, the hybrid drivetrain effectively adds $15,800 to the price of the small SUV, so the PHEV cost about one and a half times as much. That's a big ‘oof’.Rather than the non-hybrid’s turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine making 110kW/250Nm to power the front wheels, the PHEV boasts a 2.4-litre naturally aspirated unit that, while making only 94kW and 199Nm on its own, is joined by two electric motors (one for each axle) that help drive all four wheels.Mitsubishi doesn’t quote a total system output for the engine and motors together, but the front motor makes 60kW and the rear 70kW. Even though it’s not a simple case of adding all the numbers up, the Eclipse Cross isn’t a slouch.But is it worth almost $50,000? Despite its lack of a proper hybrid system, a top-spec Mazda CX-30 Astina can be had for less than $49,000, as can an all-wheel drive Toyota RAV4 GXL hybrid, which is a category size up from those. They don’t come with Mitsubishi’s 10-year/200,000 kilometre warranty, though.The ES comes with, as mentioned, pretty slim features, too. Aside from lacking some safety features like rear cross-traffic alert or blind-spot warning available in the Aspire and Exceed, the ES misses out on sat-nav, heated or power-adjustable seats, and LED headlights. It also makes do with a four-speaker sound system, which is noticeably short of the audio quality available even in entry-level hatchbacks these days. Stepping up to the Aspire means twice as many speakers, and in a ‘premium audio’ set-up.Boot space is also slightly compromised, 359L compared to the petrol version’s 405L. It also kills the spare tyre, coming instead with a tyre repair kit, which is far less useful for those inevitable trips away from the city.Its 8.0-inch touchscreen, however, is standard across the range, and its wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality means being able to get around the fact its feeling quite outdated.There’s more to the Eclipse Cross’s interior that feels a little harsh for a small(ish) SUV at almost $50,000, like cloth seats and even just a lack of sunroof. But people aren’t opting for the PHEV for those specifically.The key reason you’d pick the Eclipse Cross over the likes of the CX-30, of course, is the ‘P’ in PHEV. While traditional hybrids run under electric power for short distances, the Mitsubishi’s larger battery and ability to be charged from an external source means, theoretically, the Eclipse Cross could be run using no fuel.For those who want an electric car for the city but might sometimes need a couple of hundred kilometres of extra range for an out of town trip, it’s probably an ideal - if expensive - alternative to either a full petrol model or waiting around at charging stations.It also requires, of course, somewhere to park that’s within a reasonable distance of a way to charge the car. During my custodianship of the Eclipse Cross, I’m planning to test it with varying levels of charge discipline - there are sure to be some out there who rarely charge their PHEV - to see how good or poor the consumption is.This month, for example, I’ve been fairly 50/50 about the charging frequency, treating it as my own life allows. I live in a share house, and I’m not always home first to park in the driveway.Next month, I’ll run its tank down once with a single charge, then I’ll keep it charged as much as possible.Its battery is a 13.8kWh unit, so it’s not tiny, though it takes a while to charge. At a DC fast charger, 80 per cent comes along in a claimed 25 minutes, while a cable at home using AC charging is a seven-hour job.First impressions are that commuting under electric power is quite pleasant, though a day that requires a bit of running around is a good way to empty the battery quite quickly. It also seemingly becomes relatively inefficient without any charge saved up - which makes sense given its 1895kg kerb weight is over 420kg heavier than the non-PHEV ES.Mitsubishi claims I should be able to get a rate of 1.9L/100km out of the PHEV, which is pretty impressive.That, of course, is only tested on a 100km journey, and the electric driving range of 55km covers most of that. In the first relatively charging-relaxed run through the petrol tank, I managed 6.4L/100km.Admittedly, that's with a lot of mixed driving, and a couple of longer journeys that weren’t conducive to charging beforehand.If not for the efficiency, anyone with an Eclipse Cross PHEV is going to want to keep the battery topped-up for the simple fact that its EV driving mode is its best.I’ll cover off its driving in more detail in a future update, after more time behind the wheel.Acquired: August 2023Distance travelled this month: 570kmOdometer: 1789kmFuel consumption this month: 6.4L/100km

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV can be plugged in and charged at home for just a few dollars, but is the recently revamped car an ideal buy for your family? I took the car on a road trip from Sydney, more than 750 kilometres north to Byron Bay, thinking it would be a great place to test it out on a long run.So, let's see if the hybrid model offers real value, even on a long family road trip.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Plug-in Hybrid EV - or PHEV - is the newest member of the electrified family for the brand, adding a battery pack for real world EV driving of about 50 kilometres, while being backed by a petrol engine to charge the batteries or run the car entirely. It sounds confusing, and it can be, but this review will make this variant easy to understand.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a smaller-than-most compact SUV that cuts its own shape in this ever-burgeoning segment. Newer and more high-tech than the ASX, but not quite as big as an Outlander, does this SUV offer enough to consider it a contender in the class? And is the PHEV plug-in hybrid EV model worth considering?

For three years, Mitsubishi has tried to make the Eclipse Cross happen in the compact SUV segment. While it's sold a few of them, so far the car hasn't done the job it was made for, which is to replace the very long in the tooth ASX. So, Mitsubishi gave it a bigger backside to increase boot and rear seat space, threw in a few more bits of spec and sent it into battle in the mid-size SUV landscape.

For 2021, the Mitsubishi ASX-based Eclipse Cross has been improved in a number of areas. For instance, the complete rear-end redesign looks far better. A larger touchscreen has been fitted while the fiddly old trackpad has been binned. The rear suspension gains larger dampers, the steering has been retuned and more equipment has been added. But are these enough to boost this SUV's popularity?

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a good family car contender with extra space inside that lands it between a small SUV and a mid-size SUV. Here's how it stacks up against the ever-increasing competition.

The new Eclipse Cross is longer, edgier and a more comfortable drive than its predecessors, with Mitsubishi banking on the hope those changes - and others - make this mid-size SUV an even more family-friendly vehicle than iy was before.In LS guise and with all-wheel drive, does this mid-size SUV have what it takes to be a true contender as a nice-driving family mover?