2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review: A Bolder Look

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The Mitsubishi Eclipse that we loved in the 90’s is long gone, but Mitsubishi did try to bring back some of that excitement with the Eclipse Cross SUV. It originally debuted for the 2018 model year as a sportier compact crossover, compared to the more family oriented Outlander. Now Mitsubishi has given the 2022 Eclipse Cross a facelift and updated tech features.

2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review

On the outside the 2022 Eclipse Cross gets updated front and rear fascias that make it look more modern and techy than before. At the front there’s a new grille and bumper that help the Eclipse Cross stand out more. At the rear the changes are bigger, where the styling has been smoothed out a bit. Overall the styling updates are an improvement – making the Eclipse Cross a lot more attractive than before.

Mitsubishi didn’t give the powertrain any updates, so the Eclipse Cross is powered by the same 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 152 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, that’s mated to a CVT. Front-wheel drive is standard, but Super All-Wheel Control all-wheel drive is optional.

On paper those specs aren’t going to provide much excitement, so we didn’t really expect much of a punch from the powertrain. Around town there’s an adequate amount of power to get you moving down the road. But if you punch it hard, you’re greeted too much engine noise and an unimpressive CVT that makes it feel even slower when you’re trying to pass or merge on the highway. There are steering wheel mounted paddle shifters for the CVT, but the CVT is slow to respond to any manual inputs.

The front-wheel drive Eclipse Cross is rated at 26 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined, while the all-wheel drive version gets up to 25/28/26 mpg.

2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review

The Eclipse Cross is also geared more towards comfort than sport on the road with its soft suspension that gives it a smooth, comfortable ride. But if you decide to take the more fun route on your way home, there’s too much body roll when the road gets twisty. The steering is also too light and is short on feedback.

2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Review

Inside the biggest upgrade is a new 8-inch touchscreen that does away with the old touchpad. The new infotainment system gets the job done, but it already looks a bit dated. The good news is that it does get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is something the base 7-inch screen does not. If you opt for the top of the line SEL with the optional Touring package you get a small head-up display that rises up from the dashboard. The head-up display is small, meaning that you’ll find yourself still looking at the full gauge cluster instead. The SEL also gets a surround-view system that makes parking the Eclipse Cross super easy.

The Touring package adds other nice features, like heated rear seats, a panoramic sunroof, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and an 8-speaker audio system.

The interior is spacious with higher quality materials than you might expect in this class. There’s also more than enough cargo space for the whole family with 23 cubic feet of space.

The pricing for the 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross starts at $25,130, including destination. Our fully optioned SEL with Touring Package tester came with a $33,025 price tag.

At the end of the day, the updates to the 2022 Eclipse Cross do improve it, but its styling changes and updated tech still aren’t enough to push it to the top of the compact crossover class. We like the way the Eclipse Cross looks now, but its driving dynamics leave us wanting more. If you can afford a bit more, step up to the much better 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander.

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