Perhaps it is the Age Monster, that silent and creeping grouch who takes a man’s enthusiasm for new things and turns it into frustration and intolerance, the self-same monster that ruins the color of burnt orange to an eye and makes what might be a sexy car look only cartoonish. The monster doesn’t know sex from support hose, and thusly, can’t relate to the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Here is a car that should herald the emergence of Mitsubishi on the shores of North America, the Icon that will push this struggling car maker into respectability, much like the 350Z did for Nissan.

Um, no. Again, blame it on the monster, but there will likely be a strong disconnect with car buyers over 17, a terrible thing to say given the fact that an Eclipse GT, nicely loaded, runs almost $28,000 – a price well out of reach for most kids outside of the good ol’ 90210. Those liveried around Rodeo Drive wouldn’t buy this car anyway, because it simply tries too hard to be cool – like the kid who works all summer for a new wardrobe only to find that, come September, crème and orange jackets are no longer en vogue. Rich kids can shrug and go buy something else, but that poor kid in the corner, working hard to be something she’s not, will have to wear that sherbet coat until the next season.

Just like that hard-working kid, Mitsubishi needs the Eclipse to be en vogue. And perhaps there is a chance it will be, given a nice powertrain, great warranty and decent handling. With the exception of a little too much torque steer, submarine-like side visibility and an interior put together at the Supplier Discount Barn, the Eclipse is an interesting-looking, sporty car with loads of attitude and a healthy serving of fun. There’s that torque steer, though – a virtual inevitability when you stick a 3.8-liter V6 inside a front-wheel-drive platform. That’s a load of torque, bubba, 260 lb.-ft. at 4,500 rpm, to be exact, matching up well with a horsepower rating of 263 at 5,750 rpm. The rack-and-pinion steering setup provides some nice driver feedback, combined with its four-wheel independent suspension. One problem is that the Eclipse feels heavy, and you can feel it leaning and groaning a bit during hard corners. During aggressive city driving, the Eclipse felt unsure, though braking was quite capable and the mid-throw shifter was easy to use, along with a nice soft clutch. The six-speed manual is easy enough for anyone to use, and fun for all.

Just be sure to look twice when you change lanes.
And try to ignore the quality issues that plague the inside of the cabin, from the utter lack of anything spring-loaded to orange and white seats looking strangely out of place, as the rear seats share neither color theme or material. There’s a massive orange rubber mat pasted to the dashboard area that seems oddly out of place. There’s a bevy of flimsy-feeling plastics, including the parking brake, climate controls and center console. The seats, while comfortable, feel as though they will wear poorly, get grungy and wind up orange and grey within a year of ownership. So too will the crème headliner, especially given the low-slung roof.

Ugh. There’s that monster again. But then there’s a little bit of monster in everyone – and there’s a little bit of both kinds – from the happy powertrain to the grungy interior – in the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

– Brian Chee