- 126,759
- 3,851 below average
- 2,499 great
- Houston, TX
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- autoshopper.com
- 3,851 below average 126,759 gasoline red manual
2007 mitsubishi eclipse review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Even the base engine can provide brisk acceleration, and both deliver good fuel economy. the eclipse coupe was all-new in 2006. Changes for 2007, beyond the introduction of the eclipse spyder (reviewed separately), are minimal. Yet the eclipse is still new enough to be fresh. The front seats are roomier than in the pre-2006 models, and this latest-generation eclipse represents an improvement stylistically. The back seat is only used as a last resort. The gs comes with cloth upholstery and an impressive list of standard features, including air conditioning, cruise control, a 140-watt am/fm/cd/mp3 stereo, auto-off halogen headlamps, power windows, cruise control and a unique dash-top audio display with clock. The sun & sound package 1600) adds a power sunroof and 650-watt rockford fosgate stereo with six cd changer, a 10-inch, cargo area-mounted subwoofer and control switches on the steering wheel. Sunset pearlescent paint is an option, too 130). the gt 23,399) features the 263-hp v6 engine with six-speed manual transmission and standard fog lamps. A five-speed sportronic automatic is optional 900). New for 2007 is the gt sun & sound package 1600), identical in content to the gs sun & sound. The premium sport package 3270) includes the sunroof, rockford fosgate stereo, heated front seats with leather upholstery, automatic climate control and a power drivers seat. eclipse comes standard with front airbags, front side-impact airbags (for torso protection) and front-seat side curtain airbags (for head protection). Every piece of external metal is different than that used on the pre-2006 eclipse, but there's no mistaking the current model for anything but an eclipse. the lines on this latest-generation eclipse are softer than those of the previous-generation. Everything looks a little rounder. Headlight housings are not so angular, as if they'd been chopped out of the corner of the car. The lights are more eye-like, with the outer corner tugged gracefully back into the fender. The front end has been relaxed with the opening of a split grille, filled with recessed black honeycomb mesh, above the bumper. Fog lamps have been moved to the sides, into the bumper's bend beneath the headlights. Wheels are farther apart than in the previous-generation eclipse, by more than two inches. It creates a more planted look, promising better stability when cornering. the softer look continues in side profile. The a-pillar and c-pillar flow into the hood and trunk. Door panels tuck inward as they approach the b-pillar, giving the eclipse what the stylists call a wasp-waist look. We'd call it corseted. The rocker panel bulge fills the lower portion of the doors, tying together the robustly blistered fenders. The rear wheel wells beg for larger tires, even on the gt. as for the rear view, the word bulbous comes to mind. A minimalist, translucent-cum-three-dimensional plastic spoiler arcs across the liftgate between the clear-lensed taillights. The rear license plate fits in a recess in the fulsome rear fascia. A faux underbody airflow extractor panel fills the bottom quarter of the body-color fascia. From the rear, the gt is distinguished by a special exhaust tip. the outside door handles are an awkward design that's likely to cost unwary drivers and passengers fingernails. interiorthe eclipse cabin is austere by design, but hardly minimalist. Indeed, with the optional leather on the gt, the interior is warm and upscale. While a few small elements seem misplaced, the overall effect is attractive and functional. the dash spans across the cabin in a single piece of pleasantly finished plastic. Visually, it moves away from the front passenger as it nears the door, adding a perception of roominess. Yet the lower portion of the right side of the dash subtly incorporates an anti-submarining knee bolster. The front airbag supplemental restraint is masked by a seamless surface. stereo and climate control knobs are finger friendly and easy to operate. The 650-watt rockford fosgate sound system is ticket fodder in jurisdictions where cops enforce vehicle-related noise ordinances. The 140-watt, six-speaker system that comes standard is no slouch, either, and saves a cubic foot or so that the premium system's 10-inch subwoofer occupies in the cargo area. atop the dash, above the center stack, sits mitsubishi's trademark hooded panel with digital readouts for audio, time and compass. A matching, but larger hood shades the instruments. A simple, easily scanned analog cluster with speedometer, tachometer, fuel level and engine coolant temperature gauges sits directly in front of the driver. Night-time instrument and dash lighting is tinted blue, which clashes with the dash-top lcd panel's opaque beige. the center console differs between the manual transmissions and the sportronic automatics. The manual setup sports a traditional look, with a leather-like boot around the shifter capped with a leather-wrapped knob rising out of a flush, bright-metallic surround. the sportronic goes techno, with a shift lever that appears to slide along and pivot on a shaft deep within a less-traditional, raised, tubular-like base. From the drive position, pushing the lever to the right puts it into the sportronic gate. From there, semi-manual shifting is intuitive: pushing it forward selects a higher gear, pulling it back, a lower gear. In terms of function, the arrangement works, but in form, it's less than satisfying. the handbrake is correctly positioned, on the driver's side of the center console next to the shift lever. To its right is a pair of cup holders with a cover that folds down into the console toward the passenger side. Aft of this is a covered, reasonably deep storage bin, with an auxiliary power outlet and slots for toll change. front seats are comfortable, sufficiently bolstered for mildly spirited driving and adequately cushioned for a day-long, interstate drive from california's southern-most region up through its lush central valley to the state capital without numbing occupants' posteriors. The 2007 eclipse provides more room, too, than the pre-'06 model for front-seat occupants. It's a combination of slight increases in key dimensions and design tricks that increase the feeling of spaciousness, and it's welcome. eclipse's frameless door windows drop fractionally to clear their seals when the door is opened and then re-seat when the door is closed. Their shape, however, necessitates a fixed quarter window toward the front to allow the main windows to retract fully into the door. This design moves the outside mirrors rearward, so the driver must consciously turn his or her head to the side to scan for overtaking traffic. rear-seat comfort does not exist here and there are no head restraints. The back seats are to be used almost never and then only for very short drives. interior door panels are swoopy, but mostly functional, with a good-sized handle and convenient, child-safe power window buttons. The v6 delivers more horsepower, but it also puts more weight over the eclipse's front wheels. in its quest for mass management, if not weight reduction, mitsubishi tried something new with its six-speed manual transmission. By re-routing the power flow through the transmission's gears and shafts, effectively giving the incorporated center differential two final drive ratios (one for gears 1 - 4, the other for gears 5, 6 and reverse), it shrunk the unit's size. This makes for a more compact insta.
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