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2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT Road Test

There was a time, not too long ago that the Eclipse was a lightweight, high-performancesport compact car. A product of Mitsubishi and Chrysler (Diamond Star Motors or DSM), it peaked as a turbocharged, all-wheel drive sports car that had the potential to wipe the smiles off of the drivers of much more expensive vehicles. After the third-generation was received with general indifference, Mitsubishi returned with a car they're calling an “affordable exotic”. Those two words together conjure images of a boxy '80s twin-turbo Italian sports coupe and convertible that ends in “i” (and it's not Ferrari), but having spent a week in the company of Mitsubishi's new drop top Eclipse, we're inclined to agree with its new title and not just because it is dubbed Spyder, what just happens to be what Italians label their convertibles.

The current style of Eclipse has been around for two years and the Spyder went on sale last year, just in time for the summer season. Two years is enough time for a car that was once fresh to fade into the background (Chrysler 300, I'm lookin' at you), but the Eclipse has managed to keep fresh even without the usual B-list celebrity plastic surgery.

When Mitsubishi branded their Eclipse Spyder as an "affordable exotic", they were true to their words... it is. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

It further proved its resilience in attention grabbing as it managed to constantly turn headswithout fail on every outing. Want to feel even more like a celebrity? Opt for the body kit that provides an aggressive but stunning front lip and side skirts.

Outrageous curves might have replaced wedges, louvers and garish side strakes from sports cars of past, but this car would've been perfect on the set of Miami Vice as the modern day replacement to that classic white Testarossa. I haven't seen an Eclipse, Spyder or otherwise in white, but it seems to carry every color well, especially the marquee Sunset Pearlescent Orange. We're also quite fond of the Satin Meisai (green-gray) that's seen here on this particular example, plus the other new available colors for '08.

Unlike most cars that are billed as affordable, the Eclipse

So it's not a V8, but the big-bore V6 sounds great and kicks out over 260 hp. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is loaded with some seriously top-level automotive fashion trends, from its pearlized bulbs to its outlandish hips. Purple-tinged lenses in front of the main headlamp beams are a little like U2 front man Bono's specs, while the giant 3-inch pipe offset to the left is sure to gain props from tuner-types. The frosted, plastic rear spoiler looks fantastic, but also integrates the high-mounted turn signal.

Without the flowing fastback roof to connect the dots, you might think the Spyder's shape would be bungled with a cloth top, but that's hardly the case. Top down or top up, the Spyder has its own profile that works quite well. We like the fact that when the roof is down that the folds of cloth are hidden under a hard tonneau cover, which creates a much cleaner appearance. Those spoiled by convertibles with folding metal hardtops or acoustically-tuned cloth tops might find the Eclipse's simple fabric roof noisier at higher speeds and providing less overall security, but we've

Eclipse's top will drop in just 19 seconds, and seals tightly. Hard tonneau cover is a neat feature. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

found it to be leak-proof, and its simplicity is sure to improve prospects forreliability. The roof is a semi-automatic affair, so before pushing the open or close buttons in front of the shifter's gate you simply have to push the clips on the overhead latches. Other than that, push the power roof button and the rest takes care of itself.

The Eclipse was never intended to be a track day machine, but rather a good, easy to drive day-to-day car. Unlike the typical exotic car that tends to be mid-engined and rear-wheel driven, the Eclipse has the much more conventional front-engine, front-wheel drive layout, which isn't the ideal configuration for high-horsepower or a heavy engine. Lopping the roof off the Eclipse exposes some of the chassis' flaws, and even though a considerable amount of work was done to stiffen things up, chassis flex is present. Then again, few exotic convertibles from back in the day were rigid. And while the Goodyear Eagle RS-As on the Eclipse will squeal with protest during high speed cornering, combined with devout understeer,there's enough grip

Not that the Eclipse is a poseur, but it's better suited to cruising around than the rally circuit. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

in most situations to pull it through... but you get lots of squealing. Good for drama, not so good for fun.

Lacking a telescoping steering wheel and adjustable headrests, the Eclipse forces drivers to sit with arms stretched out and leaning back, a position familiar to anyone who has driven any old Italian sports car. You learn to be comfortable in this laid back position, and I'll be darned if it doesn't make you look good. One thing that we were a little surprised Mitsubishi didn't incorporate was a rollover protection system. Besides the strengthened A-pillars, the Spyder offers little by the way of protecting occupants' heads if you were to turtle. VW's New Beetle does, however, as do any number of premium models. Best keep the shiny side up, then. Surprisingly, the Spyder also didn't have stability control as an option, which is unusual as it's outlined as an option in the owner's manual. Traction control is offered as standardequipment on the GT model.

Being the biggest and heaviest Eclipse to put tire to pavement, Mitsubishi decided to equip its beauty with the biggest engine that it makes, a 3.8-liter V6 with MIVEC variable valve timing. It's untroubled by the drop-top

Like sound? How about the 10-inch Rockford Fosgate sub that's crammed in the middle of the otherwise useless back seat? (Photo: Mitsubishi)

opposition, trumping just about every four-seater convertible for power and torque, with the exception of the BMW 335i Cabriolet, or the Mustang GT ragtop with its 4.6-liter V8. There's no shame in being beaten by either of these two, especially when both are thousands more than the Mitsu. The big V6 has a nice, linear torque curve that's suited to relaxed driving, and when it's time to get up and go there's plenty of twist to get the Spyder up to highway speeds without downshifting. While we were hoping to get more of the 3.8's lovely burble, it turns out that there's actually less to hear as Mitsubishi tuned the exhaust on the Eclipse Spyder to reduce the noise, though it's still wonderful.

Should you find the engine's soundtrack insufficient for your tastes, try turning up the 650-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system. And while there's enough bass to cause serious harm to the health of passengers, the special roof-down settings are especially effective at powering over any wind noise, ensuring your tunes will be heard. Sadly there's no plug for an MP3 player (although an iPod kit is available), which I found to be a glaring oversight considering how much time and effort Mitsubishi's interior stylists took to relocate the borderline antisocial 10-inch Rockford Fosgate subwoofer in between the two rear

Interior is comfortable, but you need to assume a laid back driving position. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

seats.

If you can bear the brightness, the best interior for this tanning bed on wheels has to be the Terra Cotta alcantara and white leather scheme. It might be impossibly hard to keep clean, but it's outrageous and attention grabbing. With it, the soft, vinyl dashboard pad turns the shade of an NBA-pro basketball, which sticks out all that much more against the hard black backdrop that is the rest of the dashboard and door panels. The only thing going against it is that you can only have this scheme with one color, the Sunset Pearlescent Orange. All other cars get black leather and a blackdash pad, which is ordinary, but so depressingly dark. Yes, there's too much black, making the Eclipse Spyder a literal heat sink when the top is down and the sun is out. Another negative, is the lack of consistency with the interior. And if you go for the Orange, while the front buckets are all nicely finished in the two-toned stuff, the leather-trimmed sub box/parcel shelf is trimmed in regular black. What happened guys, did you run out of the good stuff?

Exotics, especially ones from the mid '80s, weren't easy vehicles to drive in the city. While there's no fear of overheating in stop and go traffic with the modern-day cooling system and electrics, the Eclipse's turning circle is awful. Making a U-turn in traffic will require shifting into reverse in most cases, and parallel parking is almost guaranteed to scuff those

This one'll be a future classic... but with better build quality and reliability! (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

shiny wheels. In Lamborghini Countach / Diablo style, it's best to reverse with the door open so you can see behind you, as the tiny mailbox slot that is the rear window provides next to no visibility. And since we're talking about the poor sight lines, the odd positioning of the side-view mirrors requires getting used to as well.

For the better part, driving an Eclipse Spyder will give the experience of a classic exotic car without some of the crippling downsides, such as overwhelming running costs and the fear of it breaking down all the time. It's even got a very good warranty, at 5 years or 60,000 miles comprehensive and 10 years or 100,000 miles powertrain, something that would've bankrupted any Italian manufacturer of the aforementioned era.

The Eclipse Spyder starts at $25,699 for a four-cylinder model (that's like getting a non-SS Maserati Merak), while the GT starts at $28,599. Fully loaded, you won't spend over $34,000, even with the body kit included. Think about it for a moment - that's about as much as it'd cost to fuel, insure and maintain any number of Italian exotics these days, let alone to purchase one that isn't in a permanent state of decay.

Like the exotics which we remember somewhat fondly, the Eclipse is a flawed vehicle. The rear seats are useless, the visibility is horrid and it's a bit of a brute to drive. Sure there are better convertibles around, but they just wouldn't be as special, or anywhere near fun.

Specifications (Eclipse Spyder GT):

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