Almost every week, I write the Facelift Friday-articles for AutoWeek, so I've seen some facelifted cars in my day.
And I can already tell you that the facelift of this Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is a very special one.
My colleague Stéphan has already driven this very car, so I'll spare you the details, but it's very important to know that it's 14 centimetres longer.
That means it's longer than a Citroën C5 Aircross. Also, it's only available as a plug-in hybrid from now on. Just like the Citroën C5 Aircross.
Of those additional 14 centimetres, ten are found in the boot. That means you've got a much nicer design. If you ask me, the pre-facelift...
kind of looked unfinished at the back. Also, you get additional storage space. 23 litres to be precise, so on paper it's more...
spacious than the hybrid C5 Aircross. Behind the seats that is. Also, the hybrid C5 Aircross is less spacious than the other Aircrosses.
However, it's a tad more difficult than that. A lot of the litres are hidden beneath the floor and the Eclipse Cross has an angled rear window.
The C5 Aircross on the other hand has a straight rear window. Having said that, if you start stacking stuff, you can fit more...
in the boot. The same goes for when you fold down the seats.
What I like about the Mitsubishi is that this expensive version comes with a 230V-port and that it's allowed to tow more than the C5 Aircross.
1.500 kg for the Eclipse, whilst the C5 is only allowed to tow 1.300 kg. However, despite this being the most expensive version,
but it still doesn't have an electrical bootlid. I'm not used to that anymore.
The space in the back hasn't changed with the facelift, because the wheelbase is still the same.
That means the seating in the back is decent enough for the average man. However, I wouldn't call it a spacious wonder in this segment.
I do have to say it's more spacious than the Citroën, with the difference mostly being in the legroom. My knees are pretty much in the seat...
in front of me, which is a tad disappointing for a car this size. On the other hand, the Citroën has three separate back seats,
which is very handy if you need to fit three booster seats or if you've got three adult passengers in the back.
The Mitsubishi just has a rear seat, of which you can adjust the back rest. Nothing more.
In the Netherlands, the plug-in hybrid version of the Eclipse Cross replaces the regular hybrid. That means this is the only...
drivetrain available. And of course, we already know this drivetrain from the Outlander PHEV. Mitsubishi's very early plug-in entry.
That also means this car has a drivetrain that's a tad different than we're used to. It's got two electric motors, one for each axle,
which means it's got four-wheel drive as well. Usually, but not always, they power the wheels.
The combustion engine only kicks in when it's necessary. That also means that it doesn't need a gearbox.
The engine we're talking about is a pretty big petrol engine. That's a common feature in Japanese hybrids, big engines.
That must have a reason. Anyway, it's a 2.4-litre, which brings the total power output to 188 horsepower. That's a tad less than the Outlander.
It's still more than enough power. It is very heavy though, heavier than the C5 in fact. Most importantly however, it always feels...
very smooth when it's producing all of the power. The sound level is always very moderate despite the CVT-personality it has.
In turn, that means that it'll rev very high if you put your foot down. And if the engine kicks in, you can hear it, but you won't feel it.
It doesn't feel shocky at all, but incredibly linear and that's very pleasant. And that isn't the case with all plug-in hybrids.
Apart from the drivetrain, there isn't much to talk about when it comes to this car. That's because it's really middle-of-the-road.
The steering isn't too communicative or too direct, the car is very comfortable, but it's not too soft.
It's just a very decent car. However, I'm annoyed by the seating position. I always like the lowest seating position, which might be personal,
but the adjustment possibilities of the seat aren't very extensive. Also, you can't pull the steering wheel further towards you.
That means you'll feel like you're on top of the car, you know? It feels like it's all far away from you. I just don't like the seating in here.
When they facelifted the Eclipse Cross, they focused on the exterior and technology mostly. However, they didn't leave the interior untouched.
Most importantly, they've taken care of the screen. It's a touchscreen now, as opposed to the touchpad from before.
We absolutely don't like touchpads, so we consider this an improvement, but it's still not great.
It's a decent touchscreen. Not too big, not too fast and not too extensive. It doesn't look very good either.
Anyway, it does offer you what you want, and it's got Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
So it's not that big of a disadvantage. What is however, is that it seems that they haven't thought through...
the design of this interior. And that's quite a bold statement, because that makes me look very prejudiced, but hear me out.
It just doesn't look like one design package. It's mostly very boring, but when you start looking at the details, it stands out...
that they've positioned buttons very randomly. Also, some buttons don't even look like other buttons in the interior,
and in the dark there's three different colors of interior lighting. It looks very random, and just not nice. Too bad, especially because...
that makes the interior look cheaper than it actually is. The used materials aren't that bad and the quality impression is pretty good.
But because of the cheap design and buttons, it just doesn't come over as very premium.
And to be honest, this Citroën falls behind a little when it comes to the used materials. However, it doesn't look or feel that way at all.
That's because they've spent more attention to the interior. The design is very consistent, all of the parts seem to belong to each other.
Sure, the dashboard might be plastic, but they've covered it with some kind of leather upholstery, which means it looks much nicer.
Also, everything you touch feels very nice. So as a whole, this interior is much nicer than in the Mitsubishi.
The seating is much better as well. Not only the seating position, because I'm much lower than in the Mitsubishi, but the seat itself...
is much more comfortable as well. A very soft seat like you hope to find in a Citroën.
Also, I can pull the steering wheel further towards me. Having said that, I'm able to stay behind the wheel for longer.
Speaking of comfort, that's a very important theme in this car. Just like the Mitsubishi, the C5 doesn't really involve you in the drive,
but Citroën fills that in in a way that the C5 excels in comfort. Something the Eclipse Cross doesn't do.
The springs are very soft, it processes all of the imperfections without any effort, and you're nicely heaving about on the motorway.
Also, the steering is very light. It even feels more distant than in the Mitsubishi, but since these cars aren't sporty or anything,
so very light might be the best option.
In the past, I used to criticize the infotainment systems in Peugeot's and Citroëns, but it's not that bad when I compare it with the system...
in the Mitsubishi. Again, that's because it looks much more modern and coherent. It's still not the fastest system and it's still...
too bad that you have to operate the climate control through the screen, but it's better looking and more extensive than in the Mitsubishi.
Also, there's a nice and big digital instrument cluster in front of you. As you'd expect from a car in this segment.
When it comes to the drivetrain, the Citroën uses a much more conventional setup. It's powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre...
petrol engine, found in other cars as well. It only has one electric motor so it has front-wheel drive and it's connected to an automatic...
8-speed gearbox. One found in other petrol cars as well. It does come with several advantages though.
It's more powerful than the Mitsubishi for example. I'm talking about 225 horsepower here. Also, this car is lighter, which makes it noticeably...
faster. It might not be as important for everyone, but if you put your foot down, it's a properly rapid car.
Something I can't say about the Mitsubishi. Also, it changes gear like a regular car, so it'll feel like one as well.
On the other hand, that's not always a good thing.
It has a bigger range as well. On a single charge, the C5 can drive 55 kilometres, whilst the Mitsubishi can't make it past 43 kilometres.
It was a very welcome facelift for the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. It looks better now, it's more spacious and the plug-in hybrid drivetrain...
fits really well. However, despite all that, the Citroën C5 Aircross scores better in a few key area's. The interior looks better,
it's much more comfortable and the drive is much nicer. Having said that, the Citroën is the winner here today.