What is so difficult about putting a two-door, hatchback body on the Lancer/Evolution platform? Take a Ralliart sedan, stick a sexy wrapper on it, and make that the base Eclipse. Do the same thing with the Evolution. Then watch people line up around the block to buy it.

Instead, we get this porker, which probably drives rapper Sir-Mix-A-Lot insane with desire. Except this hottie ain’t little in the middle. It’s wide inside, with seats that don’t hold you still in turns and with nowhere to brace your legs when slamming down a canyon road. And for as big as it is, the Eclipse’s rear seat is about as useless as the one in a Mini Cooper S, which costs less but is a heckuva lot more fun to drive.

Dynamically, the Eclipse delivers given its outer dimensions. It is a much better car than, say, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo. And I’d even say it handles better than a Ford Mustang despite its front-wheel-drive and frustrating torque steer. Braking, steering response, suspension action, and tire grip provide an entertaining experience, and the Eclipse GT is even quick, with a solid-feeling shifter and a clutch that engages with authority. It even sounds good, despite having a V6 rather than V8 engine.

But the fact remains that this Project America car, built using a common platform shared with the Galant sedan and Endeavor SUV, is just too big. Though it drives decently, it never feels tossable, and it’s hard to park because the corners are difficult to place and it’s darn near impossible to see out the back. And, like its brethren, it’s got a lot of cheap plastic inside.

When the third-generation Eclipse debuted for 2000, with no turbocharged engine and no all-wheel-drive and much larger proportions, the car’s core loyalists cried foul long and loud. You’d think a company on the ropes, like Mitsubishi, might listen to the people who really want to buy its products. Nope, instead we get a Japanese version of what Dale Earnhardt Jr. might want to drive if he lived in Tokyo. Hey, at least it’s got a good warranty.

If you want performance, get an Evolution. If you want a poseur, the Eclipse is right up your alley.

– Christian Wardlaw

Photos by Ron Perry