Today we published our first contact in Portugal with the new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross PHEV, the Japanese brand's mid-range SUV. SUV? Then. There must be many who still associate the Eclipse name in the brand to a completely different bodywork and much more “flat”.
For two generations and 10 years, in the last decade of the last century, Mitsubishi Eclipse was synonymous with the coupé in Europe — a true coupé… nothing like today's “creatures”, from sedans to SUVs, who appropriated the name —, an alternative to other established coupés on the market, such as the Toyota Celica.
It was an all forward, but the more powerful versions, equipped with the 4G63 (the same block used in the dominant Evolution), came with four-wheel drive. And he was still a "movie star" when we saw him in the first film in the Furious Speed saga, in its second generation.
It is precisely from the second and “round” generation — the last to be marketed in Europe, having had two more generations in the US — that the designer Marouane Bembli, from TheSketchMonkey channel, based his redesign, in order to align the appearance of the coupé with the latest stylistic trends.
There are two videos posted, with the first focusing on the rear of the Japanese coupe and the second on the front (if you want to see the final result, there are screenshots at the end of this article).
“Melted cheese”?
If you watch the videos, you will notice that Marouane Bembli frequently repeats the expression “melted cheese” to characterize the style of the second generation of the Mitsubishi Eclipse.This period of car design during the 1990s was named for the rounded elements and smooth, positive surfaces that characterized it, as if there was an aversion to creases or straight lines. We could say that it was a reaction (somewhat exaggerated) to the excess of straight lines and square or rectangular elements that dated back to the 70s and defined so many models.
Yes, the term “melted cheese” has a derogatory component. Far from the original term bio-design (which didn't just affect car design, having influenced the shape of many more objects) which was inspired by the natural world and the softer, more organic shapes that compose it.
However, there were several cases in which designers seem to have gone too far in smoothing the lines, with some models seeming to lack structure (skeleton), visual tension or well-defined shapes, almost as if they had to “melt” as they are. a piece of melted cheese.
And yes, despite having won many fans for its modern and appealing appearance, the second generation of Mitsubishi Eclipse fits like a glove in this categorization.
What has changed?
That said, Marouane Bembli in his redesign wanted to keep part of that “melted down” identity that marked this coupé, at the same time bringing it to our days. He has profoundly redesigned the front and rear by adding more angular visual elements that help structure the Japanese coupe design.
We can see behind a new LED light bar that has been adapted, curiously, from the optics of the revamped Lexus IS — the one that doesn't come to Europe. While at the front, the torn and elliptical optics give way to new angular elements, with a lower part in black, reflecting the same solution at the back.
The bumpers also gained definition, with edges separating more clearly the different surfaces that characterize them, giving more primacy to horizontal lines. Also highlighted at the back are the much larger exhaust outlets that flank a new diffuser.
Also from the side you can see more abrupt transitions between surfaces, especially those defining the mudguards, giving this redesigned Mitsubishi Eclipse better defined shoulders with more muscle. Characteristic accentuated by the presence of wheels with larger rims and smaller profile tyres, a contemporary solution and giving the redesigned Japanese coupé a better “stance” than the original.
Note the absence of a front grille, as in the original model, with the air reaching the engine only and only through the central lower air intake. It gives the redesigned Eclipse a very clean face and in contrast to much of what we see these days — it almost feels like a… electric.
It's just a stylistic exercise, with no connection to Mitsubishi or the real world. But what do you think?