On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, October 28, 2000

The Mitsubishi Spyder Eclipse grows up

BEFORE we embark on our exploration of the new-for-2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, you should know that this is one of those rare instances in which your guide (me) must contend with . . . well, not a conflict of interest, exactly. Call it an issue.
   Here's the situation: There is in our personal vehicular fleet one of the original, first-series Eclipses. So, OK, it's not my car; it's my son's - but he's off in Wolverine country, and, well, shoot, I can't just let the pore thing sit there and get its innards all dusty and cranky and corroded, can I? Heh heh.
   Fact is, I have become more than a little enamored of our Eclipse GS (the mid-line edition, with a 16-valve four that just loves to rev, and rev and rev), and so went into our Spyder adventure with mixed emotions.
   There was, for instance, the look. While the overall shape of the Spyder (and, needless to say, its coupe sibling, which debuted in the 2000 model year) is all muscled-up and aggressive - sort of an industrial look, if you will - some of the details gave me pause. What gives with the cheese-grater effect on the flanks? And that racing-style polished-metal pop-up lid for the fuel filler (which, in a departure from Japanese practice, is not lockable)? It's not a bad-looking car, and it's certainly not one you'll have to worry about losing in the parking lot, but . . . well, the effect is sort of like seeing Joe Stalin and Enzo Ferrari linking arms and marching together toward the horizon. Mildly disconcerting - but formidable.

2001 Mitsubishi Spyder GT Four-passenger front-wheel-drive coupe Base price: $25,237 Price as tested: $28,102 Drivetrain: Single-overhead-cam 24-valve fuel-injected 3-liter V-6, 200 hp; five-speed manual transmission Brakes: Front and rear discs (optional) with anti-lock (optional) EPA mileage: 20 city/27 highway Website: www.mitsubishicars.com

   Actually, the point on which some scribes have faulted, or at least questioned, the new-generation Eclipse is the car's subtly changed mission: The bulkier lines and the more lavish laying-on of creature comforts signal a transition from hot-shot sportster to GT (Grand Touring, for those who haven't been taking notes). While still capable of burning the rubber and making the moves, the third-generation is perceptibly more civilized than its two predecessors.
   On one point, at least, there should be no grousing even from the bitter-enders: Mitsubishi has engineered in some much-needed passenger room. In our ragtop, alas, some of the back-seat gains were nibbled away by the structural mods dictated by the conversion to open-air mode - but up front there's wiggle room that just wasn't there before.
   More good news on the techno front: Though some Mitsu buffs have objected to the jettisoning of the high-performance turbo-charged version of the classic four, the 3-0 liter V-6 that has taken its place is a sweetheart in its own right. Mitsubishi has been every bit as successful in massaging the coarseness out of this format as it was with its deservedly celebrated fours: This is one smoooooth customer - and at 200 horsepower, it's a serious one.
   Not that you want to go Corvette-hunting, you understand: With 3,200-plus pounds of car to haul around, the Spyder isn't about tire-smoking quarter-mile runs. But given its new, more sophisticated, grown-up persona, the effect is pleasing across the board.
   No quibbles whatsoever about the altogether impressive five-speed manual transmission in our tester. But it should be noted: At once precise and slick, it's light-years removed from the vague, graunch-prone box in the Petersons' '91 Eclipse. ('Course, if you had 110,000 miles or so on your clock, you might gripe and grind a little, too.)
   For the shiftless, there is an automatic Sportronic transmission available that offers "auto-manual" shifting - but come on: The five speed is so good, you just don't want to miss it. Trust me.
   Handling is drama-free, as you'd expect from a GT designed with mature people in mind. On that point, however, I kept thinking back to the sharpness, the liveliness, the quick reflexes of our vintage Mitsu, even with all those miles and those clapped-out shocks . . . well, you can't have it all, can you?
   The ragtop format here has, inevitably, introduced just a touch of the willowy feeling you get from most convertibles - but it's not obtrusive, and never alarming.
   In any case, whatever compromises had to be made, the smooth functioning of the top (up to down in 15 seconds, Mitsubishi claims) never fails to impress. The three-layer design and tight fit ensure draft-free, drip-free motoring in foul weather.
   True, as in so many other ragtops, the decision to feature a glass rear window (with defogging elements) exacts a price: to wit, limited rear visibility, particularly over your left shoulder. And that rakish-looking spoiler on the tail does its part to obstruct (or, if you will, spoil) vision to the rear. It's no worse than in most other convertibles, though, and it doesn't even approach the anxiety-generating qualities of its counterpart in the redoubtable Plymouth (now, ahem, Chrysler) Prowler.
   Our tester's hefty sticker price - 28 bill and change - may leave you gasping for air. You should know a couple of things, however: $2,370 of that was for the GT Premium Package, which gets you anti-lock brakes and front-seat airbags, but also tosses in some things you could do without: killer stereo, power driver's seat, leather.
   Still feeling a bit faint? Be advised there's also a GS version of the Spyder, with a 2.4-liter, 16-valve four good for 147 hp. That will obviously translate into more sedate motoring - but you'll still have the moon, the stars, the music of the spheres - and the bugs in your teeth, you GT animal, you.
  
  

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