We still have some reservations about choosing the name of the Mitsubishi SUV, launched in late 2017, but the time has come for the Eclipse Cross be “freshened”, and it's not hard to see what has changed.
We can see that the general contours have been retained, but there are substantial differences both at the front and, above all, at the back.
Outside is the split rear window, with the revamped Eclipse Cross getting a new rear window, new optics and a new tailgate. The whole set is nicer and more consensual than the solution used so far and, says Mitsubishi, it also improved rear visibility.
The front was also restyled, keeping the layout of the various elements we already knew. The Dynamic Shield, which serves as the brand's visual identification element, has evolved in its appearance, but it is the parts relating to lighting that gain prominence.
Despite maintaining the two-part logic, the optics at the top are only used as daytime running lights, while the headlamps themselves are repositioned in the niche below.
Jumping in, the new 8″ touch center screen is the main difference. It has grown, gained shortcut buttons and is closer to the driver for ease of use — the touchpad that previously served to navigate the infotainment system no longer exists, freeing up space in the center console for more storage.
Plug-in hybrid is new
Under the hood, the main innovation is the addition of a plug-in hybrid engine, inherited from the Outlander PHEV, for several years, the best-selling plug-in hybrid model in Europe.
This means that the Eclipse Cross PHEV comes with two electric motors (one at the front and one at the rear, ensuring all-wheel drive), in addition to the 2.4l MIVEC, the internal combustion engine. The transmission is handled by a planetary gearbox, but with only one ratio.
At the moment, values for the approved electrical autonomy have not yet been advanced.
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Otherwise, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross maintains the 1.5 l MIVEC turbocharged and direct injection gasoline engine that we already knew about.
When arrives?
The revamped Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross will arrive first in Australia and New Zealand in November, followed by Japan in 2020 and North America (US and Canada) during the first quarter of 2021. And the “Old Continent”?
Despite some reports that even indicated the freezing of the launch of new Mitsubishi in Europe, Razão Automóvel contacted Mitsubishi in Portugal which confirmed that the Eclipse Cross PHEV will be launched in the national market, but still without being able to specify when this will happen.