Mitsubishi’s Cross, winner of design awards, can eclipse competition

There is a saying in motorsport that maintains: “If it looks right, it probably is right.”

That held true for various successful race cars over the years. Think John Player Special Lotus 72, Gulf Porsche 917 and blue and yellow Subaru Impreza Sti World Rally cars.

The same thing applies to road cars – think original Shelby Mustang, Porsche 911 offerings over the years, the Ferrari GTO and the original Lamborghini Galardo. Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) rarely make it on to that list because, required to fulfil the everyday function of carting families around, they tend to morph into the same bland mould.

I wish to introduce a worthy applicant. I think the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is one of the best-looking vehicles in SA. Brought here to fight for market share in the tough mid-sized SUV segment, the vehicle shows that functionality and uninhibited style can, indeed, fuse.

Look at the photographs, and you will see what we mean. Since being launched overseas a year ago, the Eclipse Cross has won various design awards, while racking up more than 80 000 sales. Getting one to drive for a week, I understand why. The test vehicle came in what Mitsubishi calls their red diamond colour, created by a multi-coat process that includes the layering of a semi-transparent red and clear coating, for the most premium exterior finish offered by Mitsubishi Motors to date.

I loved it on sight, which created the nagging doubt – would the mechanicals live up to the promise of the looks? I thought they did. The vehicle is powered by a two-litre, 16-valve, double overhead camshaft four-cylinder petrol engine that uses ECI-multi-point fuel injection to produce 110kW of power at 6 000rpm and 198Nm of torque at 4 200rpm.

This is married to a six-speed CVT gearbox with sports mode, that can also be controlled via paddle shifts behind the steering wheel. None of which makes the Eclipse Cross a race car – you can feel its mass on the move – but it was not designed to break speed records. Rather, it was designed to look good and make its owner feel good, while dispensing duties normally assigned to an SUV. Outside, it offers stuff like that rear spoiler with high-mounted brake lights, electric adjustable fold-away mirrors with indicator lights, daytime running lights, front fog lamps, headlamp washers, a silver front bumper skid plate, roof rails, halogen headlights and rain sensing windscreen wipers.

It sits on 18-inch alloy wheels and has, thankfully, a full-size spare wheel. Inside, it will seat five adults in comfort, while offering a tilt and telescopic leather-covered steering wheel which houses audio and cruise control buttons.

There is Bluetooth with handsfree voice control, a touch-screen radio, accessory sockets and USB ports, electric windows all round, automatic air-conditioning, plus leather seats. There is also a heads-up display screen, that extends or retracts when the ignition is turned on or off.

This unit conveys relevant vehicle information in full colour above the instrument cluster for easy viewing without the driver having to take his or her eyes off the road. Active safety features include ABS disc brakes all round, electronic brake-force distribution, a brake assist system, stability and traction control, active yaw control, a hill-start assist system, front and rear park distance control and a rearview camera.

If you should still manage to crash, there are seven airbags, side-impact protection bars and Mitsubishi’s latest reinforced impact safety evolution body construction to keep you in one piece. The vehicle was easy to drive, with gearshifts smooth and unobtrusive, acceleration was adequate for city use – while a turning circle of 5.3m makes the Mitsubishi nimble in tight spaces.

And, of course, there was the constant knowledge that other road users were looking at me with envy. Fuel consumption worked out at 8.7l/100km during the test, which should give the vehicle a decent range on its 63-litre petrol tank.

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