2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross Road Test and Review

Most subcompact crossovers focus on being sporty, funky fun, or maximum value for the money. But there are fewer choices for someone who wants a small, maneuverable, easy-to-park, and affordable crossover with a more luxurious flavor.

That’s the niche where you’ll find the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, which first debuted as a 2018 model. Its upscale interior design, long list of premium features, and eye-catching exterior help it stand out in an increasingly crowded market segment. And this year’s model brings lower prices and a wider availability of advanced safety features. The 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross still isn’t perfect, but it keeps getting better. Keep reading for all the details.

Most cars mark a new model year with a price increase, often of several hundred dollars. The 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross moves in the opposite direction. Its base price of $22,845 is $750 less than the 2019 model’s, and even $450 less than the 2018 model’s. This reduction helps address past criticisms that the Eclipse Cross had been on the expensive side for its class, and its lengthy warranty coverage also helps its value quotient. Still, it’s not the crossover you’d pick for the lowest possible price tag.

The base Eclipse Cross ES comes with generous standard features, including a 7-inch infotainment system, Bluetooth connectivity, 16-inch alloy wheels, and automatic climate control. Key upgrades along the way include heated seats, 18-inch wheels, and more advanced infotainment starting with the LE ($23,945); push-button starting, app-based remote locking and starting, rain-sensing windshield wipers, blind-spot monitoring, a lane-departure warning, and automatic emergency braking starting with the SE ($25,495); and leather upholstery and a power driver’s seat on the SEL ($26,995). All models have standard front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive as a $1,600 option.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross borrows its name from the company’s old Eclipse sport compact, a stylish and fun-to-drive hatchback that hit its heyday about 20 years ago. Mitsubishi’s designers pay homage to this heritage with a rakish roofline and hunched-forward silhouette. They also dressed up the vehicle with slim headlights, a shiny chrome grille, and standard alloy wheels. 

The vehicle's profile leans so far forward that Mitsubishi split the rear windshield into two segments, with a light bar running spanning the rear end of the car between them. The rear windshield wiper hides out of sight behind a spoiler, reducing visual clutter. Opinions will be mixed on whether Mitsubishi created a successful design, but at least it won’t fade into the crowd, and some folks will truly love it.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross’s dashboard design is more conventional than its exterior, in a good way. It's perhaps the most attractive dashboard in the subcompact crossover class, at least until you pay up for a luxury brand. It’s quietly classy, with gentle curves and tasteful false-aluminum accents. The gauges are crisp and clear, looking like they belong in a more expensive car. And the infotainment system found on most trim levels — a 7-inch screen perched atop the dashboard, and with a console-mounted touchpad rather than buttons and knobs — emulates the latest Lexuses and Acuras. The SEL’s interior is upgraded for 2020 with a black headliner and interior roof pillars that match its black leather upholstery.

There are some downsides, though. Buttons and knobs may not be pretty to look at, but they're more intuitive and less distracting to use than Mitsubishi's touchpad interface. The base ES model has a more traditional control layout that’s more user-friendly, but it’s missing Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. Lastly, while we love the Eclipse Cross’s dashboard design, things don’t always feel as nice as they look.

Mitsubishi sometimes pitches the Eclipse Cross as a compact crossover, which would place it against best-selling models like the Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue. But at 173.4 inches long, it’s much closer to subcompacts like the Honda HR-V (170.4 inches) and Nissan Rogue Sport (172.4 inches); the CR-V and Rogue are 180-plus inches. The Mitsubishi's interior volume is also in line with the subcompact class, too — there’s enough room for four adults and some cargo, but anything more would be a squeeze. The CR-V and Rogue are cavernous by comparison.

By the numbers, Mitsubishi has 23 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat, and 49 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. Those figures slightly trail the HR-V and Rogue Sport, but they edge out the Hyundai Kona and Chevrolet Trax and trounce high-style competitors like the Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-3, and FIAT 500X. For passengers, a fore-aft adjustable rear seat helps adults get enough legroom to sit in the back (at the expense of some cargo space). And unlike in several competitors, Eclipse Cross drivers enjoy an SUV-style seating position rather than a lower car-like one.

Despite the 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross’s sports-car name, it won’t challenge the Mazda CX-3 or Hyundai Kona for sprightly driving dynamics. 

The Eclipse Cross has light, low-effort steering that makes it easy to maneuver. But at higher speeds, this crossover instead starts to feel clumsier than the subcompact norm. This isn’t a car you’ll want to hustle quickly. The ride is generally smooth and pleasant, at least, though it’s not a class standout here either. Front-wheel drive models have a clever feature Mitsubishi calls “Active Yaw Control,” which monitors driving behavior and distributes torque between the front wheels to maximize traction. Snowbirds will still pay up for all-wheel drive, which can do the same across all four wheels.

The Eclipse Cross has a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 152 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. That’s competitive for a subcompact crossover, but not enough to make the car especially quick. And as with many competitors, things get noisy if you have to push hard.

More disappointing is the Eclipse Cross’s fuel efficiency. It’s respectably thrifty around town, but it doesn’t do well on the highway. The EPA estimates that the base ES model gets 26 mpg in the city, 29 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 1 mpg less with all-wheel drive. Other Eclipse Cross trim levels, which weigh more and have larger wheels, score 25 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 25 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined with all-wheel drive. That’s not the lowest in the subcompact crossover class, but it’s in the lower tier — and less efficient even than many larger vehicles. We averaged just below the EPA estimates, hitting 24.8 mpg in our all-wheel drive SEL test vehicle.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross achieved a Top Safety Pick designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety — at least in the top SEL model with LED headlights. All trim levels earn top scores in IIHS crash tests, but lower-end trims lose points for their less powerful headlamps.

Another requirement for the top IIHS score is a forward collision warning with emergency automatic braking, which last year was available only as an expensive option on the SEL trim. Now it’s standard both on the SE and SEL, along with a lane-departure warning with lane-keeping steering corrections, a blind-spot monitor with a rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams. That said, a few competitors have these features even more widely available. The SEL’s optional Touring Package adds adaptive cruise control and a more advanced automatic braking system with pedestrian-detection capabilities. 

The Eclipse Cross faces a variety of subcompact crossovers. We’d say its closest competitors are the Nissan Rogue Sport, Honda HR-V, and Hyundai Kona. The Rogue Sport is similarly sized to the Mitsubishi, and it’s relatively spacious and refined, but it doesn't look fancy inside or out. The HR-V is spacious, affordable, and fuel-efficient, but noisy and not very peppy. The Kona is flashy, zippy, fun to drive, and gas-thrifty, but it doesn’t have much rear-seat space.

Other notable subcompact crossovers include the Kia Soul, which is a great deal with tons of room but no available all-wheel drive; the Nissan Kicks, which trades some of the Soul’s refinement for even better gas mileage; and the rugged, spacious Subaru Crosstrek, which loses the Mitsubishi’s SUV-style seating height and upscale decor. Also consider Mitsubishi’s own Outlander Sport, which is about the same size as the Eclipse Cross; it’s an older and less flashy design, but less expensive. Lastly, if most subcompact crossovers feel too small or cheap for you, consider that some compact models aren't much more expensive. Start with the extra-refined Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 and the value-priced Hyundai Tucson.

The 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is far from perfect. We wish it were more fun to drive, had more user-friendly controls, and burned less gasoline. And even after the latest price cut, we certainly wouldn't mind if it were even less expensive. 

But if you’re looking for a small, maneuverable crossover with a high seating position, plenty of technology, and a relatively upscale ambiance at reasonable prices, this freshly improved Eclipse Cross might be just what you’ve been waiting for.