Turbo power moves Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross more from the shadows

Just when you think the sports utility vehicle/crossover segment is too saturated, you get a reminder of the motoring public’s insatiable thirst for its favourite body shape.

Having entrenched itself in the local market over decades as a trusted name renowned for its tough-as-nails durability across a range of SUVs and bakkies, Mitsubishi in 2019 broke away from its more traditionally styled products to something more eye-catching. Windgat is you must. Following the global trend, the three-diamond brand introduced the Eclipse Cross, a crossover SUV that price-wise slots in above the more traditional ASX and under the Outlander, Pajero Sport and Pajero.

With its unique rear design and competitive price tag it did not take long for the Eclipse Cross to become a hit in South Africa, outselling the manufacturer’s other offerings – including the new Triton – for most months since its launch early last year. And the Eclipse Cross achieved this feat with only two models in its line-up, the front wheels drive and all-wheel drive, both featuring the 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that also does duty in the ASX.

In an effort to further build on that success, Mitsubishi has recently introduced a third model, the Eclipse Cross Turbo. This derivative became the manufacturer’s first car to feature the Japanese carmaker’s new all-aluminium, 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine. Like its two 2.0-litre siblings, the Turbo’s powerplant is mated to a CVT.

The 1.5-litre engine produces the exact same power output as the 2.0-litre – 110 kW – but that is the only thing they have in common. On the torque front the Turbo is up by 52 Nm to produce a total of 250 Nm which is on tap between 2 000 to 3 500 rpm.

Mitsubishi claims the Turbo reaches 100 km/h from a standstill in 8.9 sec compared to the 2.0-litre’s very pedestrian time of 12.1 sec, carbon emissions are down from 184 to 174 g/km and the fuel consumption is rated at 7.7l/100 km, which is marginally better than the 2.0-litre’s 7.9l/100 km.

These improvements come at a premium of course, with the Turbo at R459 995 a full R50k more expensive than the front-wheel drive 2.0-litre derivative. But should the lack of spice under the bonnet be the thing that put you off the 2.0-litre, then the Turbo’s upgrade in performance is worth the extra R1 000-odd in your monthly instalment in our opinion.

I have not driven the 2.0-litre Eclipse Cross, but have experienced this powertrain in the ASX. And after recently spending a few days in the Eclipse Cross Turbo can safely say that the difference between the two powerplant is huge. As Mitsubishi’s numbers indicate, acceleration is much improved which makes overtaking a lot easier.

The power the extra torque sends to the front wheels at lower to mid speeds is in fact so much that it can easily result in wheel spin, especially in Sport Mode. This is a bit hooligan for a car which finishes leans more towards sophistication taken the modern styling and elegant interior into account.

We also found the Turbo’s handling quite solid and rigid, even though cornering and braking at higher speeds sometimes felt that the car wasn’t designed from the ground up with the extra punch of the turbo engine in mind. This is evident when you struggle to keep the car in a straight line during hard acceleration.

What did not amuse us was the CVT. Even though Mitsubishi says that the eight-step transmission was specially designed for this model, the extra power tends to bring the worst out of the transmission. Where you are prepared to accept the constant gear hunting and indecision you would usually associate with powered-down models, these problems still persist in the Turbo. Up until a point where you start cringing at the engine noise, convinced that a generously powered engine shouldn’t be revved that hard to give you what you need.

The Turbo does feature paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to enable you to do your own “shifts’’, but this shouldn’t lure you into a false belief that you’ll have an all-out sportier manual experience. We like to take the view that it will purely help ease your pain when the CVT gets too annoying for your liking.

As far as fuel consumption goes, we managed to average 9.5l/100km which was a bit disappointing as most of the 300km we covered was cruising under the speed limit on the highway.

Apart from the engine, the only other thing the Turbo offers from its siblings is the carbon fibre door inserts, which does complement a very elegant and comfortable interior. On the outside, the Turbo looks similar to its siblings with the front-end featuring Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield design and the distinctive feature at the back the spoiler with integrated high-level brake light splitting the rear window.

The Eclipse Cross Turbo is sold with a five-year/90 000km service plan, Mitsubishi’s Manufacturer’s Warranty of three or 100 000km and five years/unlimited mileage roadside assistance.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.