2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder

I didn’t like the looks of the new "geomechanical" Eclipse at first. The “old” ’99 model looked more muscular. But it had low safety ratings, low interior volume and the chassis was too flexible. After a while, the new Eclipse started to look much better to me, especially in the convertible form.

The new model is based on the new Galant’s platform, the way the old Eclipse was based on the old Galant’s platform.

Because of that, the new Eclipse’s chassis is more rigid and has higher strength – the quality important for convertible, hence there is no roof.

The Eclipse coupe is selling so fast, there is a shortage of 3.0-liter V-6 engines. This V-6 engine equipped Eclipses represent 50 percent of Eclipses sold. The median age of Eclipse buyers has risen from 28 to 33, and male buyers now represent 51 percent of customers, up from 41 percent.

The new Eclipse convertible was designed as a convertible from the beginning, unlike the previous model, whose top was added after the car left the assembly line. The new Eclipse has added reinforced steel elements around the cabin, and both front and rear strut tower braces, so the new Spyder is 60 percent stiffer in bending rigidity and 10 percent stiffer in torsional rigidity than the previous model.

The chassis feels solid and rigid, and the doors feel solid and close with a nice sound. The coupe is about 150 pounds heavier than the coupe. There are two engines (both of them are used on Galants, but produce more power because of manifolds modifications and other tweaks).

ENGINES
The GT model is equipped with the 200-hp 3.0 L V-6 that produces out 205 pound-feet of torque. The GS has the 147 hp 2.4 L l4 that produces 158 pound-feet of torque.

Air conditioning doesn't seam to "eat" a lot of engine power and works good.

TRANSMISSIONS
Both GT and GS Spyders have five-speed manual transmissions as a standard equipment. There is a four-speed automatic transmission with adaptive logic available as an option. And this transmission can be had with the Sportronic sequential shift gate, allowing you to shift gears yourself.

The automatic is really nice, shifting right where you would want it to do so. It adjusts to your driving style, shifting at higher rpms if you are a heavy “right-footer”. The downshifts are reasonably fast, and the car holds gears when going uphill or downhill.

However, as I think, the stick is the way to go. The shifter works good, has low travel and is very precise. Even 4-cylinder drives good with it, as long as you keep the engine above 3500 rpm. This task is not easy to accomplish with automatic (without using the Sportshift or manual shifting) – it upshifts a bit too early than you would like.

And the 4-cylinder engine/auto transmission combination does not belong to the "sporty" category - the car feels heavy and accelerates quite slow.

INTERIOR
The interior looks sporty with nice looking air ducts and white-faced gauges. The dashboard is black, so it will, unfortunately, become very hot on the sun. There is more space than in previous Eclipse, and the folded top doesn’t take up any space inside the cabin (but does in the trunk).

I don’t like the simple dashboard with black plastic too much, but it will do. The noise level inside is quite low (with a top up).

And the rear seat now can actually accommodate people!

TOP
The power top is three-layer and headliner-equipped; it includes a natural rubber layer that, according to Mitsubishi, remains more pliable in extreme weather than the commonly used Butyl. The rear window is made of glass and has a defroster. The top lowering procedure is quite easy – turn the latches on the headliner and press buttons.

WHEELS
The GS has 16-inch alloy wheels, GT has 17-inch ones. Larger wheels look better, also there are optional, even better-looking wheels.

BRAKES
The GS has front disc/rear drum combination, the GT - discs at all four corners.

The brakes on both trims use four-channel ABS. They are easy to modulate, but I think, stopping distance might be shorter.

The 210-watt seven-speaker Infinity sound system sounds very good and bass is powerful. Available options also include the leather interior, six-disc in-dash changer, power driver's seat, front side airbags, Sportronic transmission and nicer-looking rims.

There is a good choice of colors, out of which I like dark ones - the car looks more solid with them. But on the practical side - the silver metallic color allows you to wash the car seldom - the dust is not so visible :-).

Despite some small "dislikes", I like the new Eclipse Spyder. It looks and drives good, bears 5-year 60K miles warranty and allows you to have both 200 hp V-6 and manual gearbox.