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Mitsubishi
Eclipse Cross
GK / GL·
2017-2026
suv-soft
Price (AUD)
$18k-$45k
Body styles
5-door SUV / coupe-crossover
Drivetrain
Front-wheel drive (1.5 turbo base grades), On-demand AWD (1.5 turbo higher grades), S-AWC twin-motor electric AWD (PHEV)
Origin
Japan
Built in
Japan (Okazaki, Aichi)
Overview
The Eclipse Cross is Mitsubishi's small-to-medium coupe-styled crossover, launched in Australia in late 2017 (GK) and heavily facelifted in early 2021 (often called GL) when the controversial split tailgate was dropped for a cleaner conventional rear and the boot grew. It is a monocoque on-road soft-roader sold as ES, LS, Aspire and Exceed. For most of its life Australia only got ONE engine: the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol 4B40 (110kW/250Nm) driving a Jatco-derived CVT in either front-wheel drive or Mitsubishi's electronically controlled on-demand AWD. A 2.2 diesel and a 2.0 NA petrol existed overseas but were NOT sold here. From September 2021 Mitsubishi added the Eclipse Cross PHEV, which shares the Outlander PHEV's 2.4-litre Atkinson-cycle 4B12 petrol plus twin electric motors and S-AWC electric all-wheel drive (no engine-to-wheel mechanical link), a 13.8kWh battery and around 55km of WLTP electric range. The defining buyer notes are the CVT (generally durable but rev-hangy, dislikes neglect and is expensive to replace), the 1.5 turbo's GDI carbon and oil-use tendencies, a few Mitsubishi electrical/software niggles, and on the PHEV the usual plug-in concerns around battery state-of-health, the on-board charger and infrequent petrol-engine use fouling. Mitsubishi's long capped-price-servicing and up-to-10-year conditional warranty make a well-serviced example a sensible, if unexciting, used family buy.
Engines & variants
1.5L turbo petrol (4B40)
Engine
1.5L turbocharged direct/dual-injection DOHC MIVEC petrol I4
Config
I4 turbo
Displacement
1499cc
Power
110kW @ 5500rpm
Torque
250Nm @ 1800-3500rpm
Drivetrain
FWD or on-demand AWD
Economy
7.3 L/100km FWD / 7.7 L/100km AWD combined (real-world ~8.5-10)
Tow (braked)
1600kg
Tow (unbraked)
750kg
Transmission
CVT (INVECS-III, 8-step manual mode)
Timing chain / belt / gear
Timing chain (no scheduled belt replacement)
Pros
- Torquey little turbo - 250Nm from low revs makes it easy around town
- Timing chain, no belt to replace
- Long Mitsubishi capped-price servicing and up to 10-year conditional warranty
- Available with genuine on-demand AWD on higher grades
- Proven, widely serviced engine with good parts availability in Australia
Cons
- CVT hangs the revs and gets noisy/buzzy when pushed
- Direct-injection carbon and some oil consumption reported at higher km
- CVT is expensive to replace if neglected and fluid is often ignored
- Real-world economy well above the official figure for a 1.5
- Firm, occasionally clunky ride and average refinement
Known problems
high
CVT rev-hang, judder and costly failure
The CVT lets the engine revs hang high under load with a lot of drone, and some cars develop low-speed shudder, hesitation or surging take-up. Most owners just dislike the feel, but neglected units (no fluid changes, lots of towing or stop-start city use) can overheat and fail, which is very expensive out of warranty.
Fix: Insist on CVT fluid-change history (around every 45,000-60,000km despite 'long-life' claims); apply any Mitsubishi software update for driveability; budget for a unit on a high-km car with no records.
medium
Direct-injection intake-valve carbon build-up
Like most GDI turbo fours the 4B40 can accumulate carbon on the intake valves over time (no port-injection wash on early/most builds), causing rough idle, hesitation and minor misfire at higher km.
Fix: Walnut-blast / intake clean if symptomatic; quality fuel and regular oil changes slow it.
medium
Oil consumption and turbo oil-seal weep
Some 4B40 engines use oil between services, attributed to piston rings/valve seals or the turbocharger oil seals; in worse cases blue smoke or a fouling turbo follows. Worst on hard-driven or oil-change-neglected cars.
Fix: Check oil level and for smoke before purchase; monitor consumption between services; reseal or replace the turbo if it is the source.
medium
Turbo wastegate / boost-control faults
The turbo wastegate/actuator can stick or rattle and boost-control faults can throw a check-engine light, limp mode and power loss, as on many small turbo fours.
Fix: Diagnose actuator/wastegate; replace turbo or actuator if faulty; verify boost behaviour on a test drive.
2.4L PHEV plug-in hybrid (4B12 + twin motors)
Engine
2.4L Atkinson-cycle NA petrol I4 plus front and rear electric motors, 13.8kWh drive battery (series/parallel PHEV, S-AWC)
Config
I4 NA + twin e-motor PHEV
Displacement
2360cc
Power
94kW (petrol) + 60kW front / 70kW rear e-motors (~138kW combined system)
Torque
199Nm (petrol); 137Nm front / 195Nm rear e-motors
Drivetrain
S-AWC twin-motor electric AWD
Economy
1.9 L/100km combined (PHEV cycle); ~55km WLTP EV range; ~6-8 L/100km once battery depleted
Tow (braked)
1500kg
Tow (unbraked)
750kg
Transmission
Single-speed reduction (GKN multi-mode PHEV transaxle, no conventional gearbox)
Timing chain / belt / gear
Timing chain (no scheduled belt replacement)
Pros
- Around 55km of electric-only range covers most daily commutes on cheap home charging
- Smooth, quiet, strong electric AWD via S-AWC twin motors - no CVT drone
- Proven Outlander PHEV powertrain, by far Mitsubishi's most developed hybrid system
- No conventional gearbox or DCT/CVT failure risk in the drive path
- Can run as a normal hybrid when the battery is flat
Cons
- Heavy and thirstier than a normal hybrid once the battery is depleted
- Drive-battery degradation reduces EV range as the car ages
- On-board charger / charging faults are an expensive PHEV-specific risk
- Petrol engine that rarely runs can foul / suffer condensation if never used
- Higher purchase price and more complex (and costly) to repair than the 1.5
Known problems
medium
Drive-battery degradation / reduced EV range
Like all PHEVs the 13.8kWh lithium battery loses capacity with age and cycles, cutting the usable EV range below the ~55km claim; heat, frequent rapid charging and constant 100% charging accelerate it. A full pack replacement out of warranty is very expensive.
Fix: Check state-of-health / EV range on a test drive; confirm the high-voltage battery warranty (typically 8 years/160,000km) is still valid; prefer cars charged to ~80% daily.
medium
On-board charger / charging system faults
PHEV-specific charging electronics (on-board charger, DC-DC converter, charge port) can fail, leaving the car unable to charge from mains or throwing high-voltage system warnings.
Fix: Test both AC home charging and any DC charging before purchase; have HV faults diagnosed by a Mitsubishi EV-trained workshop; replace the affected module under warranty where possible.
low
Petrol engine under-use fouling / fuel ageing
Owners who drive almost entirely on electricity can let the 2.4 petrol sit unused for long periods, leading to stale fuel, condensation, and the system periodically force-running the engine to burn off fuel and exercise it.
Fix: Run the petrol engine regularly and keep fresh fuel; let the car complete its engine-maintenance cycles; not a defect but a PHEV usage habit.
Common problems (all variants)
low
Infotainment / Smartphone Link Display Audio glitches
The touchpad-controlled head unit (and later touchscreen) can freeze, reboot, drop Bluetooth/CarPlay or be slow and unintuitive; some units need a software update or replacement. Widely complained about by owners.
Fix: Apply the latest firmware update first; replace the head unit if hardware-faulty.
low
Brake squeal and premature pad/rotor wear
Owners frequently report brake squeal and faster-than-expected pad and rotor wear, particularly on city-driven cars.
Fix: Fit quality pads with anti-squeal shims, clean and lubricate caliper slides, machine or replace rotors when worn.
low
Suspension clunks, rattles and creaks
A clunky front end and interior rattles/creaks develop over time, commonly traced to suspension bushes, links and trim, on a car already criticised for a firm ride.
Fix: Identify and replace worn bushes/links/sway-bar links; address trim rattles; wheel alignment afterward.
medium
Electrical / software recalls (braking and safety systems)
Early Eclipse Cross was subject to recalls/software fixes covering forward collision mitigation braking longer than intended and adaptive cruise / electric park brake software that could disable AEB or stability control, among other campaigns.
Fix: Run the VIN through Mitsubishi Australia and the Product Safety recall database and confirm all outstanding recalls and software updates have been completed.
low
Real-world fuel use above the official figure
Both the 1.5 turbo and the depleted-battery PHEV commonly use noticeably more fuel than the official combined claims, partly due to the small turbo working hard and the CVT's rev behaviour, and the PHEV's weight.
Fix: Budget for real-world consumption; for the PHEV, charge regularly to stay in the EV range that makes it efficient.