2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT

2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT - Although the latest Mitsubishi Eclipse is based on Galant sedan foundations, it obviously won’t be confused with an Accord or Camry. Its practicality index is lower, its visibility index is higher, and during its 18-month, 40,000-mile tenure in the C/D long-term test fleet, its logbook reflected accumulated reactions that were decidedly mixed.

On the other hand, our long-term test cars don’t really have owners — just lots of different drivers. A corps of diverse drivers with no proprietary stake in a particular automobile has no trouble at all making unflattering observations, and the Eclipse’s logbook had plenty of ’em.

The biggest gripe, one that was essentially universal, was torque steer. The Eclipse GT is equipped with a lusty 3.8-liter V-6 (263 horsepower at 5750 rpm, 260 pound-feet of torque at 4500 rpm), and this was enough to produce considerable steering drama at full throttle in the first two cogs of the six-speed manual transmission. A couple of commentators observed that this trait, with a little familiarity, was “manageable.” Manageable, okay.

In addition to the torque-steer complaints, several drivers found the Eclipse to be a little skittish when the pavement was damp. This is more a function of tires than anything else, although we find it peculiar that the OEM Goodyear RS-A all-season rubber didn’t do a better job in this regard. It gave a decent account of itself on the skidpad — 0.82 g at the outset of the long-term test, 0.84 at the conclusion — and also contributed to very good wrap-up-test braking numbers: 169 feet from 70 mph.

Yet another entry on the dynamic debit list was the Eclipse’s turning circle, a vast 40 feet. To be fair, this is a weak suit of most front-drive cars, although the Eclipse’s turnaround sweep is bigger than most.

A more controversial interior element was the seating. Some drivers, including a guy with a chronic nagging lower-back problem, found the chairs to be just fine. Others, including your humble narrator — a person who rarely has problems with seats — found themselves squirming when the drive got past the first hour or so.

Logbook scribblers took time to praise the Eclipse’s excellent power rack-and-pinion steering, which was sports-car quick (2.6 turns lock-to-lock) and sports-car accurate, and most drivers found the control-and-gauge layout to be well above average in legibility, location, and function.

Although it was rarely a first choice for long trips, the Eclipse was no stay-at-home. Besides the 4000-mile trek to and from Los Angeles, where it spent several months with our West Coast gang, the Mitsu sailed through a 5500-mile trans-Canada vacation and then another voyage from Ann Arbor to Seattle and back.

It leaves a warm memory strongly flavored with respect.