New Eclipse rolls into busy crossover segment

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California -- Automakers revive brands from the past all the time, but the modern version typically has DNA from the old model that enables your brain to make the link.

Not so with the all-new-for-2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross compact sport-utility vehicle.

Back in the 1990s, I was the proud owner of a sleek, bright-red, Mitsubishi Eclipse sport coupe.  The recently tested Eclipse Cross SE 1.5T S-AWD crossover is an entirely different animal from that flashy-looking coupe.

The Eclipse Cross is a new entry in the super-popular field of crossover utility vehicles -- affordable and offering available social/technological goodies that young folks crave ... and more than a few older folks, come to think of it.

Mitsubishi offers a straightforward explanation of its intentions: "Our research and analysis show us that the CUV category will continue to grow for many years, and with the addition of the Eclipse Cross, Mitsubishi is well positioned with the right products at the right time,” says Don Swearingen, executive VP and chief operating officer."

And one supposes the automaker hauled out the instantly recognizable Eclipse name to help draw attention to the new player in the crowded segment.  Sure, I get that.

My tester had classic compact crossover looks, with a nice, angled chop on the back end and a somewhat busy, but pleasing, bit of combination sculpting on the front end.

The tester was nicely equipped, with a long list of standard features.  Not among them, however, were a working satellite radio connection and power front seats.

But perhaps that's part of the plan for the young CUV buyer looking for a deal.  My tester wore a bottom-line sticker price of $27,715, a tempting number for sure.

The interior cabin is comfortable, with good vision all around the vehicle from the driver's cockpit, and controls are laid out thoughtfully, within easy reach.

The tester was agile and smooth, but the 1.5-liter turbo-4 engine rated at 152 horsepower is not a road-burner, and it did struggle on some hard hill climbs on twisty Sierra Nevada roads.  Fuel mileage was pretty fair at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.  All in all, a good daily driver and chore-doer.

Compact crossover SUV shoppers have another worthy vehicle to consider on an ever-growing shopping list.