2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Eclipse Coupe, and includes Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a 2+2 sport coupe that shares its platform with the Mitsubishi Galant midsized sedan. Competitors include the Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Hyundai Genesis Coupe, as well as models such as the Honda Accord Coupe and Nissan Altima Coupe.

Mitsubishi celebrates the Eclipse sport coupe’s final year with a new SE special edition model that includes dark-colored 18-inch wheels, a black SE side decal, and black side mirrors.

For 2012, Mitsubishi offers four versions of the Eclipse Coupe. The base model is called the Eclipse GS, and is the only version offered with a manual transmission. It comes standard with air conditioning, power windows, power side mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, cruise control, and cloth seats with a 50/50-split folding rear seatback. The six-speaker stereo includes a CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio input jack, and the Eclipse GS has auto-off headlights, LED instrumentation lighting, illuminated visor vanity mirrors, and floor mats. A set of 18-inch alloy wheels, a front strut tower brace, and dual exhaust outlets with polished tips are the Eclipse GS’s nods to performance. A four-speed automatic transmission is optional.

For a full load of standard equipment, the Eclipse GS Sport is the right choice. This model includes leather upholstery, a six-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, a power moonroof, and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity. A 650-watt Rockford Fosgate premium sound system is included on the GS Sport, equipped with a CD changer, a three-month trial subscription to satellite radio, and audio controls on the steering wheel. This model also includes a reversing camera, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a compass, and an outside temperature indicator, and is distinguished by aluminum scuff plates, high-intensity discharge projector-beam headlights, fog lights, a clear rear lip spoiler.

New for 2012, the SE – or Special Edition – is the same price as the GS Sport, but adds dark-colored 18-inch wheels, a black SE side decal, and black side mirrors for a unique appearance.

Similarly, the Eclipse GT features the same equipment load as the GS Sport, adding a more powerful V6 engine, ventilated rear disc brakes, a thicker rear stabilizer bar, and automatic climate control to the standard features list.

A 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine making 162 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 162 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm is standard on all Eclipse Coupe models except for the GT. A five-speed manual gearbox is standard on the GS, and a Sportronic four-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifting feature is available as an option on the GS and comes standard on the GS Sport and SE. Each transmission drives the Eclipse’s front wheels and, according to the EPA, fuel economy estimates are 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway with either transmission.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse GT is exclusively equipped with 3.8-liter V6 engine generating 265 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 262 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. A Sportronic five-speed automatic routes power to the front wheels, and the Eclipse GT is rated to get 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway while burning the required premium gas.

Mitsubishi equips each Eclipse Coupe with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, traction and stability control, and six airbags. The Eclipse GT includes four ventilated discs, and a reversing camera is standard on all models except the base GS.

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has performed crash tests on the Eclipse Coupe. However, the IIHS did test the Eclipse Spyder – a model that is theoretically less structurally rigid than the Eclipse Coupe – and the convertible variant received a Good rating in the offset frontal-impact test, a Good rating in the side-impact test, and a Marginal rating for its ability to protect against injury in a rear-impact.

Data is also missing when it comes to reliability. Consumer Reports is making no predictions on this front for 2012, but in the most recent J.D. Power and Associates assessment, the market research firm gave the Eclipse an average rating for predicted reliability.

Mitsubishi does provide a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, a five-year/60,000-mile standard warranty, and a five-year/unlimited-mileage roadside assistance plan on every Eclipse. This is one of the best warranty programs for any car at any price.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse’s base curb weight is 3,272 pounds, and that’s for the GS with a manual transmission. The better equipped GS Sport model with the four-speed automatic weighs even more. This car has a 162-horsepower engine. Do the math. That isn’t good.

Mitsubishi quotes a cargo volume measurement of 15.7 cubic-feet, but does not specify whether that’s with the rear seat folded or not.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse was, at one time, one of the best sport coupes available: attractive, turbocharged, and equipped with all-wheel drive. Today’s Eclipse is a shadow of its former self, too big, too heavy, like a Japanese Camaro without the Camaro’s heritage, rear-wheel drive, or V8 engine. It is not at all surprising that after a 22-year run, the Eclipse is all done.

By Christian Wardlaw