A recap: My wife Diana wants to replace her eight-year-old Subaru Impreza with a new vehicle, something with all the latest safety devices; the cameras, sensors, buzzers and warnings her hatchback lacks. The issue, other than her short stature, are a couple of disabilities — Di cannot hear out of her right ear, nor does she have sight in her right eye. This makes for a complicated buying process. Although Di doesn’t want anything with a footprint much larger than her car, she would like something that rides a little higher, which has us looking at subcompact crossovers. Four models were on the initial list, the Toyota Corolla Cross, Kia Seltos, Subaru Crosstrek, and Hyundai Kona. After putting that quartet through their paces and a little further research, I added Mitsubishi’s refreshed-for-2022 Eclipse Cross. I like the compact Mitsu well enough, but I’ve never been a rah-rah fan. Plus, size-wise, it has a larger footprint than the other contenders tested. Why not the smaller RVR then? Simply, it’s well past its “best before” date, the third generation of the subcompact has been on market since 2010!
Sales-wise, one of the smaller fish in an increasingly large pond of crossovers, the Eclipse Cross struggles to make itself known. Still, it is a very stylish runabout, the refresh removing almost all the 2020 model’s (there was no 2021 version) overdone details, notably the horizontal division of the raked rear window that severely reduced visibility. The result, as I said after driving the topline GT-S AWC trim level last year, “being a smart, more streamlined and sophisticated design that should attract fashion conscious Millennials who are on a restrained budget.”
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
But my wife and I are not Millennials. As for being fashion conscious, well, that was debatable, two years of COVID-19 having allowed us to rediscover the joy of comfy sweatpants. Plus, the tester’s $37,448 MSRP (including $450 for the Red Diamond paint job that Di loved) put it at the higher end of our budget, though we would be far more likely to consider the lower-priced SEL trim.
No matter the trim level, all Eclipse Crosses come with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood, one hooked up to a continuously variable transmission, albeit with an eight-speed sports mode. With 152 horsepower on tap, it’s a willing albeit milder engine within its class, once you you’ve bypassed the better-known players — Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape and others that have significantly more powerful engines, either standard or optional. (The 1.5T’s 184 pound-feet of torque is far more competitive within the segment.)
The turbo four is happiest on flatter stretches of road, where it provides acceptable if far from dazzling acceleration. It also drones a lot. But that’s my beef. Diana doesn’t give two figs about power or push (or the GT S’s paddle shifters) — the Mitsu, she says, feels a lot like her Impreza. And when she said the Eclipse Cross “drives and handles fine,” that counts as high praise.
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
But to the crux of the matter, why I added it to our list of tryouts, is this: While the Eclipse Cross does not come with front or rear parking sensors, the SEL and GT models’ list of driver-assistance technologies include a multi-view camera system, which, according to Mitsubishi’s description, “uses multiple cameras around the vehicle to create a composite, bird’s-eye view” of crossover, in addition to a wide-angle view, “helping to show what’s directly behind you.” The big question: Would the bird’s-eye view, a feature not found in any of the four aforementioned crossovers — Corolla Cross, Seltos, Crosstrek, and Kona — alleviate Di’s parking trepidation? Would it make her life a whole lot easier?
Unfortunately, while a yes in theory, in practice it was a no. For anyone with normal vision, the bird’s-eye and wide-angle views are an asset for squeezing into tight spaces. When backing up, the cameras come on automatically as soon as the crossover is put in reverse. If fronting into a parking spot, pressing the camera button on the steering wheel activates the feature. Cool. The one issue is that ambient glare depending on the time of day can wash out the view shown on the centre screen. (Note to Mitsubishi’s interior designers: Consider a small hood and possibly a rheostat to alter screen brightness.)
Compare these subcompact crossovers: Toyota Corolla Cross vs Kia Seltos vs Subaru Crosstrek vs Hyundai Kona vs Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
However, in Diana’s case, the screen is on her blind side. And for her to see what’s happening on the screen, she has to turn her head, which more or less takes her good eye off the road. I admit to some scepticism when she first mentioned this concern. So, I got into the driver’s seat, moved it forward, scrunched down and closed my right eye. Sure enough, relying on the cameras would come at the expense of being aware of what’s actually going on outside the car. (Another note to the designers: Position the screen to better face the driver.)
Too bad. In most other regards, Diana enjoyed Mitsubishi’s next-smallest crossover, next to the venerable RVR. Yes, we had to remove the rear-seat headrests and, though she could comfortably drive the Eclipse Cross without the need for her seat cushion, she was happier with it, allowing her to better see the car’s front corners.
2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT-S AWC Photo by Brian Harper
As for me, I wasn’t overly thrilled with the embedded TomTom navigation system. It was a bit slow to boot up and, though accurate, it reverted to a macro map view every time the engine was restarted, requiring numerous pokes of the + button to zoom in. And if you prefer the arrow to point upwards instead of the direction of travel, then that required a reset as well.
One of the more interesting aspects of the 2022 model’s redesign was the extension of its front and rear overhangs, resulting in an increase of 140 millimetres in overall vehicle length, 105 mm of which was added in the back end. Being one with legs on the long side, the fact there is reasonable room in the back seat with which to sit with some degree of comfort was a thumbs up.
A competent and in a lot of ways an underappreciated entry in the compact segment, the Eclipse Cross was a bit of a gamble, its camera system another way of addressing Di’s needs. While we wait for Honda to release its redesigned 2023 HR-V, it might be time to take a second look at some of the previous models tested. And maybe see if Mazda’s CX-30 GT with the Advanced Visibility Package has the goods.
Keyword: SUV Review: 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross GT S-AWC