At the end of last year, we had our first acquaintance with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.
It's the last 'real' Mitsubishi, because the Japanese brand joined the Renault-Nissan alliance in 2016.
Anyway. The Eclipse Cross is meant to fill the gap at Mitsubishi...
between the smaller ASX at one end, and the bigger Outlander at the other.
A lot of other brands do that as well, filling up gaps inbetween niches.
So Mitsubishi does it as well, a smart move.
Right. To get an idea where to place this car, we've put a Hyundai Tucson next to it.
Both these cars have four-wheel drive. The Mitsubishi has a 1.5-litre petrol engine,
producing 164 horsepower. The Hyundai is powered by a 177 horsepower 1.6-litre petrol engine.
Also, both cars have an automatic gearbox, but they're very different.
Hyundai has a DCT-gearbox with a double clutch, and stubbornly as they are, Mitsubishi used a CVT-gearbox.
The engine in the Hyundai is one of the more pleasant ones. It's nice and lively, and I like that.
The only downside to it, is that it's connected to a DCT;
a Dual-clutch Transmission. It's not like we don't like DCT's,
on the contrary, but the software of this gearbox is a tad laggy.
It happens quite often that when you put your foot down, nothing happens.
You'll think you have to press a little harder, but then too much happens.
That's too bad if you ask me. Something in between would've been nice,
that you could reach the desired effect when you gave a little less power.
Anyway. The car does have a very pleasant chassis.
It's got a stable handling. The dampers are quite firm,
but it doesn't compromise the levels of comfort, so there's nothing wrong with that.
The car is fitted with lots of safety systems. Lane keeping assist, cruise control...
not active though, blind spot detection,
it's all on here.
That gives you a safe and relaxed feeling.
The interior has been styled decently. The used materials feel good.
It all looks taken care of, with a very clear layout.
Everything you need is very intuitive to find.
What Hyundai has done properly as well, is the multimedia system.
In base, you use the knobs to control it, but you can also use the touchscreen.
The nice part is that it features a pleasant menu structure. It's incredibly logical, and that's very nice.
Also, it's a pretty quick system as well. A lot of competitors should take notes here.
The seating position in the Hyundai is very good as well. I'm two metres myself, and I've still got some headroom left.
There's enough room on every side. The seats are supportive enough,
even though the seat could be a tad longer, but that's my problem.
There's enough room in the back as well.
You can easily urvive in there as a passenger, nothing to complain about.
Then there's the big boot. Over 600 litres of luggage space, and that's very good.
The drivetrain in the Eclipse Cross is very lively as well.
It's not too sporty, but it's bitey enough.
First of all, that's because the engine is very nice,
but it's connected to a CVT. That sometimes has a small moment of doubt,
but that isn't as big as with the Hyundai. This could be the best CVT we've ever driven if I'm honest.
The engine has a very pleasant personality, and the CVT responds beautifully.
Without having to rev too high, the CVT makes sure you're in the right gear ratio.
It's programmed in such a way, that there are eight different gear ratio's to operate with the flappy paddles.
Mitsubishi has really done a good job.
Compared with the Tucson, the steering in the Eclipse Cross feels a tad distant.
It's not a big difference, but it's a difference nonetheless.
Also, the chassis of the Mitsubishi moves a bit more. It's not annoying or uncomfortable or anything,
but the Hyundai doesn't have that. Those are the nuances, and you have to mention them.
Right now we're driving a fully-equipped Eclipse Cross, and that means that, just like the Hyundai,
it's filled with safety systems. Also, the Mitsubishi does have active cruise control.
It's 2018, so you should be able to expect that.
If we look at other electronic features, we find a BMW-like multimedia-screen on the dashboard.
If I'm honest, controlling that isn't really easy or nice to do.
It's a touchscreen, but it doesn't run really smooth.
If you don't want to use that, you can use a touchpad in the centre console,
but that doesn't work incredibly good either. We'd much rather see a big turning knob.
A lot of manufacturers already show us that it works, so why wouldn't you use it?
Now we're on the subject, I've noticed this car doesn't have any satnav.
This is the most expensive version of almost €45.000, and it says you have to connect your phone.
You could say you've always got an up to date satnav-system...
on your phone, but you kind of get forced into owning a phone...
if you want to use satnav in this car, and that's unfortunate.
If we get to the luggage space, it's quite cramped as well.
When the rear seat is moved all the way to the back, it barely offers you 340 litres.
That's not according to the standards in this class.
If we move the seat forward and put the back all the way up, there's 448 litres available.
It's a small improvement, but it doesn't come close to rivals in this segment.
That's a missed opportunity.
Everything put together, there are a few points in which both cars balance each other out,
but there are a few points in which they totally differ.
The multimedia system is a point for Hyundai, and you also get a lot of car at Hyundai.
On the other hand, that a lot of car costs a lot of money. The Hyundai is, fully equipped like we've got it here,
a lot more expensive than the Mitsubishi, which is also fully equipped.
Hyundai wants more than €50.000 for the Tucson we have here today, whilst Mitsubishi charges us less than €45.000.
That's quite the gap, isn't it?