2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Review

By: Craig Rad

The 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder convertible offers the thrill of driving a classy sports car, even though it sacrifices some of its handling potential to providing an enhanced open-air driving experience.

There are two models available for the 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, The GS and the GT. A stainless steel exhaust tip, automatic climate control, a more powerful engine and a superior drive train are only a few benefits of the GT over the GS.

Although the V-6 engine provides for a quieter and smoother ride, it is not the best choice in terms of fuel consumption, despite the 98 horsepower and 96 pound-feet of torque which it gained over the previous, four-cylinder engine. The six-speed transmission can be either set to shift automatically, or allow for a manual handling of the gears. The brakes are equipped with ventilated disks for the front and solid disks for the back of the car, ensuring a stopping that is fast and stable at the same time.

The GT provides 260 horse power out of its 3.8 liter V6 engine, unlike its "younger brother", the GS, that displays a 4 cylinder 2.4 liter-engine, with a maximum output of 168 horse power. No matter what model you choose, there are certain features every Eclypse comes with as a standard: a 650-watt 6 disc CD MP3 stereo system, audio controls mounted on the steering wheel, front and side airbags, air conditioning, power windows and mirrors, and even a theft immobilizer. The tendency to cut corners during turns, especially at high speeds is corrected by the wide tires, however this car remains highly sensitive to vibration, especially caused by bumps in the road.

The inside of the car is somewhat disappointing because of the back seats, which occupy precious space which would have found a better use as extra trunk space. However, it makes up for this inconvenient through its state-of-the-art audio and air conditioning systems. The glove box and map pockets are very limited, and the trunk is also quite small. Visibility is very good in front, but leaves a lot to be desired as far as the sides and rear are concerned. Lowering the top will transform the coupe intro a convertible in just 20 seconds, without leaving a plastic cover to take up space in the trunk.

Although it is not certain yet, it appears that the base model, the Spyder GS will cost around $25.400, whereas the basic GT model will be about $28.300. Whether this model will be as popular and as appreciated as the previous 2005 Eclypse, or it will be just "another brick in the wall", that is up to the customers. All in all, this car is intended to offer a great open air driving experience and the drawbacks do not really affect this.

Car Focus
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 
 • 

» More on Car Focus