2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse First Drive

Japanese Americana comes together

by Alan Rider


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TO THE POINT What’s New? Complete redesign with more powerful engines, greater comfort, added attitude. Selling Points: In-your-face styling, roomy for front seats, entertaining performance with GT, six standard airbags
Deal Breakers: Arrest-me-now styling, too big outside, too small in the back seat, front-wheel drive
Our Advice:We think you’ll find the new Eclipse is a huge improvement over the model it replaces.

MEET THE COMPETITION Acura RSX
Ford Mustang

RESTON, VA – While we’ve all been busy picking up the dry-cleaning and taking the kids to soccer practice, two disparate trends in popular culture have been stealthily weaving themselves into the fabric of American society.

On one hand, there’s a distinct subset of the population that has become enamored with all things Japanese, from the highly stylized cartoons known as animé to the controlled-mayhem motorsport known as drifting. On the other, there’s a broader segment of the post-9/11 American population for whom flag-waving patriotism has reached a fever pitch.

Both these trends come together in the all new 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse, a sporty coupe that hopes to play up both its Japanese roots and its made-in-the-USA construction. The result is a car that has an awful lot to offer no matter which side of that pop culture divide you find yourself on.