Interior Comfort

Sometimes, looking good means sacrificing a bit of comfort. And some may argue that it’s not a worthy trade for the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse. In any case, behind that curvy skin is a four-passenger cabin, at least on paper. The rear bench seat, deeply contoured to resemble real buckets, is so seriously lacking in headroom that even short occupants will be banging their heads against the hatch glass. Add to that the nonexistent headrests, rigid plastic front seatbacks, hard and hopelessly tiny outboard armrests, and downright cruel foot and leg room dimensions, and the result is a completely inhospitable space to travel. Oh, and don’t forget that there are no storage areas or cupholders to be had back there, and the “pleather” is an utter disgrace for a car heading toward thirty large. Getting in is aided by a quick-release lever on the passenger side.

Front riders are afforded only slightly better accommodations. The front buckets feature ample bolsters, though they have too much give under pressure, and lumbar support does little to compensate for the hard seatback. A tilt steering wheel is a nice bonus, as is the padding on the doors and center armrest; however, the steering wheel needs to tilt higher, and hard plastic on the door and center console greets the driver’s knee in hard corners. Typical of a coupe, the low roofline and low seats make ingress and egress a bit difficult.

Once inside the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse, occupants will be treated to a rather loud ride thanks to a thin layer of carpet that allows noise from pebbles hitting the undercarriage to be amplified throughout the interior. Plus, there’s an annoying rattle from the sunroof, and the engine seems to register a bit high on the decibel meter. Thankfully, the exhaust offers a pleasant raspy note.