Review: Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH CAREY RUSS Ah, springtime. If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes. In many parts of the country, it's possible to have snow, warm sunshine, and everything in between in the same week. In some places, make that the same day. So Spring is the perfect season to test a convertible. Any convertible is wonderful on a dry summer day with the top down and wind in your hair. But how is it with the top up? Can you see out, especially to the rear and rear sides? And how good is the heater? Does the car leak in the rain? Does it creak and rattle excessively as you drive on rough roads? In short, is it a car you can live with year `round, or is it merely a summer toy? The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder is one of the most popular convertibles, and for good reason. It combines the convertible experience with style, performance, and even a reasonable degree of practicality. Although best for two people, it will hold four when necessary. The three-layer power-operated top insulates well and has a glass rear window with a heater element for visibility and all- season use. Unless you live in territory where the Ice Age is not just something studied in a geology class, and four-wheel drive with clearance is a necessity for transportation, the Eclipse can be a real year-round vehicle. Mitsubishi offers two versions of the Eclipse Spyder. The GS has a 2.4-liter, 147-horsepower four-cylinder engine, while the GT has a 200-horsepower, 3.0-liter V6. I've been driving a GT for the past week. That week started out with cold rain, and snow in the local hills. Now it's sunny and 80 degrees. Tomorrow? Anything could happen, it is Spring, after all. But the Eclipse Spyder can handle it, with style and spirit, and in comfort. APPEARANCE: The Spyder was part of the original Eclipse design plan, and it shows. Top-down, its proportions are spot-on. Despite its short hood and deck and long passenger area, the Eclipse Spyder has no problem looking like a sports car. Mitsubishi calls the Eclipse's styling ``geo-mechanical,'' a unique combination of rounded forms and angular edges, with prominent side strakes and flattened wheel arches. With the top up, the Spyder has a similar roofline to the Eclipse coupe, although the quarter windows and rear window are smaller. COMFORT: Let's get practicality out of the way first. The Eclipse Spyder is roomy enough to be an only car for singles or young couples. The rear seat has as much room as those of many compact sedans or medium-sized sports coupes - two medium-sized people fit reasonably well. If the trunk is on the small side, the rear seat can be used for soft luggage and other items. But practicality is not the primary consideration in buying a convertible. Convertibles are about open-air motoring, and there the Spyder is in its element. Its power top can be lowered or raised quickly, at the touch of a button, and, with the top down, the front passengers are treated to just the right amount of wind in their hair. Hats will not be lost. The front bucket seats are comfortable for long drives, and visibility, top- down, is unlimited. Top-up, use the mirrors and visibility is OK. The instrument panel is as ``geo-mechanical'' as the exterior, but function is not sacrificed to style. Plenty of climate-control system vents and very good heating and air conditioning keep the interior temperature just right in any weather. SAFETY: The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder is designed with a safety cell around the interior and front and rear crumple zones. Antilock brakes, traction control, and side air bags are available. ROADABILITY: The old front-wheel drive Eclipse Turbo was practically the definition of torque steer. Depress the throttle pedal, feel a strong tug at the steering wheel. The current Eclipse has no such problem, in fact the best way to tell that it is a front-drive car is to look underneath the front end to see the drive axles. The Eclipse is a sports car, and has a firm fully-independent sports car suspension with MacPherson struts in front and a multilink design in the rear. Ride comfort is good for a sports car - an all-day ride is a pleasure, not an ordeal. The Spyder's open-top chassis is reinforced for extra rigidity, but it's still not as stiff as the coupe, no surprise there. Chassis flex is about as expected in a four-seater open-top car, and only a serious autocrosser or racer concerned with the last .001 second in lap time would find it detrimental. For everyone else, hey, when the sun's out, put the top down, slather on the sunscreen, and enjoy the convertible experience courtesy of Mitsubishi. PERFORMANCE: Other than its convertible experience, the Eclipse GT Spyder's best feature is its drivetrain. With an even 200 horsepower at a relatively sedate 5500 rpm, and 205 lb-ft of torque at 4000, with plenty available far below that, the GT's smooth 3.0- liter V6 is pleasantly undemanding for any type of driving. It doesn't need to be kept in a narrow rev range for best performance, and the exhaust note is a wonderful sound, almost that of a V12. The standard five-speed manual gearbox has smooth, positive shift linkage that makes shifting a pleasure, and the optional four-speed automatic has a manual-shift ``Sportronic'' mode that is among the best for that type of transmission. Because of structural reinforcements to make up for the removal of the roof, the Spyder is 180 lbs. heavier than the coupe, and so is a touch slower in acceleration. But this is not a real-world problem, it's still plenty quick when needed. CONCLUSIONS: The Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder combines style, practicality, performance, and the convertible experience. SPECIFICATIONS 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT Spyder Base Price $ 25,597 Price As Tested $ 28,522 Engine Type single overhead cam 24-valve V6 Engine Size 3.0 liters / 181 cu. in. Horsepower 200 @ 5500 rpm Torque (lb-ft) 205 @ 4000 rpm Transmission 5-speed manual Wheelbase / Length 100.8 in. / 175.4 in. Curb Weight 3241 lbs. Pounds Per Horsepower 16.2 Fuel Capacity 16.4 gal. Fuel Requirement 91 octane premium unleaded gasoline Tires P215/50 VR17 Goodyear Eagle RS-A Brakes, front/rear vented disc / solid disc, antilock optional Suspension, front/rear independent MacPherson strut / independent multilink Drivetrain front engine, front wheel drive PERFORMANCE EPA Fuel Economy - miles per gallon city / highway / observed 20 / 29 / 22 0 to 60 mph 7.2 sec 1/4 mile (E.T.) 15.6 sec OPTIONS AND CHARGES GT Premium package for manual transmission - includes: anti-lock brakes, Infinity(r) premium AM/FM/cassette/4-disc in-dash CD changer stereo, leather front seating surfaces, power driver's seat, front seat side airbags $ 2,370 Destination charge $ 555

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