I used our 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT over the weekend for a trip to Bodega Bay, Calif. (Bodega is about 70 miles north of San Francisco and is somewhat famous for being the location used for Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds.") I drove there with my wife to stay overnight and attend a friend's on-the-beach wedding. As it was just a two-day trip, the Eclipse's cargo capacity was more than adequate for holding a small suitcase, a garment bag and a few other assorted items.
Overall, the Eclipse was a pretty fun car to have for the trip...
On the positive side, other wedding guests were impressed with the car, and it felt good to be driving something a little flashy. (Our long-term Chevrolet Cobalt, in comparison, is like a charisma-sucking black hole.) I was also able to give the Eclipse a bit of exercise on Highway 1 after we had made a navigational error that placed us in danger of being late for the wedding. With spousal approval, I had the Eclipse running hard when there wasn't any traffic. I love the Eclipse's throaty V6 snarl, and the car is pretty composed on mediums-speed corners as long as one doesn't push it too much. On the downside, the Eclipse wasn't particularly enjoyable for the 450 miles of highway driving. The amount of generated road noise was tiresome and my wife didn't like the car's somewhat stiff ride quality and limited interior space.
We averaged about 23 mpg for the trip. The Eclipse's odometer is now at 18,168 miles.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor, Edmunds.com
We averaged about 23 mpg for the trip. The Eclipse's odometer is now at 18,168 miles.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor, Edmunds.com
navigator89 says:
02:40 PM, 08/14/06
At least it's a better road tripper than the Solstice, lol!